SlushWire Weekly #17 – April 26, 2026

[QCrit] Adult Spec Thriller – STRANGERS AT THE GAP (76k, 4th attempt)

Comments: 8, Upvotes: 8

Following all of the incredible feedback from you all, I am back for round four! Thanks again. I am seeking representation for STRANGERS AT THE GAP, an adult speculative thriller complete at 76,000 words that asks: what if other human species didn’t actually die out? With an expansionist Australia…

[QCrit] Adult Horror – FREAK 81k words, 1st Attempt

Comments: 8, Upvotes: 6

Hello! Please be nice. I try not to be down on myself, but truly I am dog water at writing queries for my own stuff. I’m just too close to the subject so its hard to explain it succintly to someone else who knows nothing. This is a first draft. I’d really appreciate feedback, especially as it concer…

[QCRIT] GAME OF HEARTS, YA Romantasy, 95k (First Attempt)

Comments: 5, Upvotes: 5

Hey, all! I’m at the stage where I’m getting my manuscript ready to query, but I wanted to get some advice on my query. Any and all critiques are welcome, but I’m having some doubts about my comp titles. If someone knows anything similar that I can check out, I’d really appreciate it! My query is al…

[QCrit] Adult Contemporary Romance – KENNEL DUTY (68k / Attempt #2)

Comments: 4, Upvotes: 5

Feedback on the [first attempt](https://www.reddit.com/r/PubTips/comments/1snljz4/comment/ogxfx51/) was so helpful! As usual, thanks for any help or insight! \_\_\_\_ Dear \[AGENT\], Based on your appreciation for \[X\] and \[X\], I hope you’ll be interested in KENNEL DUTY, my 68,000 word, voic…

When to stop querying?

Comments: 34, Upvotes: 33

I currently have 44 rejections out of 88 queries I sent out. I write within the surrealism genre, so when I sent out queries, it was kind of like throwing spaghetti on the wall. I sent it out to agents who represent speculative fiction, literary fiction, and magical realism. Except I noticed that e…

[PubQ] Withdrawing queries protocol

Comments: 13, Upvotes: 10

Long time lurker, newbie poster here. I’m two weeks into my querying journey and it’s early doors: after my first batch I’ve had a couple of rejections and a couple of fulls quickly, and I’m trying to manage the roller coaster of emotions ahead. My query is twofold: 1. after I had sent out my f…

[PubQ] Nudging an agent with a partial if you recieve a full request?

Comments: 12, Upvotes: 5

If an agent requested a partial and a couple of weeks later you got a full request, would you let them know? Or not say anything until you get an offer of rep? The reason I’m asking is because the agency with my partial says on their website they prefer a manuscript be sent to them on an exclusive …

[QCrit] Adult High Fantasy, Eyes of Destiny, 137k, #2 Attempt

Comments: 17, Upvotes: 4

This my 2nd attempt at a query letter. Hopefully this is an improvement! If you saw my last post you will know almost all the comments were about cutting the word count (Thank you). I found a lot of scenes where I could cut the scene and put the pivotal information it provides elsewhere. Went from…

[QCrit] LGBTQIA+ Contemporary Monster Romance, CROWN AND CLAW, 96k, 1st Attempt

Comments: 10, Upvotes: 8

Hi all! I’ve been a writer for a long time, but this is my first foray into a query letter, so please let ‘er rip! Anything at all is helpful. I appreciate your comments! My novel, CROWN AND CLAW, is an LGBTQIA+ contemporary monster romance complete at 96,000 words and is a standalone with series p…

[QCrit] HUNGRY FLOWERS, Adult Horror, 78,000 words, First Attempt

Comments: 7, Upvotes: 8

Looking for feedback on my query letter–anything would be super helpful. As you can see in the first line of the hook, I’m struggling with whether I should reveal that twist or keep it more vague. Thanks! I’m thrilled to share my Adult Horror, HUNGRY FLOWERS, complete at 78,000 words. Like The B…

[QCRIT] Beneath the Ashes, Adult Fantasy Romance – 86k – First Attempt + First 300

Comments: 7, Upvotes: 4

Hi! I have been querying since January for my novel, but so far I haven’t had any luck. Ive focused the query below on the centering theme in the story to not give the wrong idea for what the story was ultimately about—of course in the synopsis the nitty gritty of Serenya’s journey would be included…

[PubQ] What counts as a status change for an agent?

Comments: 4, Upvotes: 7

I received my first full manuscript request today and I emailed a couple of the agents that ask for you to tell them if you receive a full MS request. A couple of agents have written to email them with “any status changes” but I’m not sure what that entails, and I know some agents get frustrated if …

AMA: Writing, drafting, and querying a Big 5 debut with Fiza Saeed McLynn

Comments: 2, Upvotes: 4

Posting on behalf of Fiza aka u/zippywriter: Hey r/Writing! My name is Fiza Saeed McLynn – I just wrote and published my first novel ‘The Midnight Carousel’ with Penguin and Harper Collins, aged 56 (living proof that it’s never too late). Ask me anything! Really looking forward to your questions ab…

Fiza Seed McLynn’s AMA on how she drafted, edited, queried, and published a Big 5 debut is now open for questions.

Comments: 0, Upvotes: 2

Thread is here – https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/1st8p6b/ama_writing_drafting_and_querying_a_big_5_debut/

[QCrit] The One Little Thing, Adult, Women’s Fiction, 94,000 words. First attempt.

Comments: 22, Upvotes: 8

Dear Agent, I’m seeking representation for my debut novel THE ONE LITTLE THING a 94,000‑word upmarket women’s fiction novel with romantic elements about a woman in a loving but infertile marriage who secretly uses a stranger to conceive her son and must face the consequences of that decision when …

[QCrit] FACECARD, Adult, Horror, 85,000 words. First attempt.

Comments: 6, Upvotes: 21

Dear Perfect Agent, \[Personalized line.\] I’m excited to query you with my 85,000-word horror novel, FACECARD. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY for the looksmaxing generation, it combines the subcultural satire of Caro Claire Burke’s YESTERYEAR with the beauty-industry horror of Mona Awad’s ROUGE. …

[QCrit] THE SLAVE MONARCH, Historical Fiction, 80k, 1st Attempt

Comments: 12, Upvotes: 4

THE SLAVE MONARCH is a standalone work of Historical Fiction (80,000 words) with series potential set in a richly imagined medieval world drawing from both East and West. Sisters Harika and Emine are born as princesses but survive as slaves. Now, they must choose who they become. They had everyth…

[QCRIT] THE UNCANNY, Adult Sci-fi fantasy, 117,000, (5th attempt)

Comments: 10, Upvotes: 5

Hi again!! I desperately need help with my query, I’ve revamped it 6-7 times and I’m just at a loss. I’ve only gotten rejections, and not a single request for my manuscript so I’m assuming it’s my query letter that’s failing me. This is my fifth time posting here, and I really appreciate everyone’s…

[PubQ] Help! I impulsively signed up for an irl pitch event and I’m freaking out

Comments: 10 | Upvotes: 12

The event guidelines tell you exactly what to do, how long to make your pitch, but every time I try to rehearse it I end up blathering about plot points for ten minutes and going back to explain myself and I’m not doing very well. I’m still nervous as fuck and I can’t pin down how to explain my stor…

[PubQ] Agented authors, do you submit your own personal essays or does your agent?

Comments: 4 | Upvotes: 6

To add a bit more context, I don’t have a book coming out anytime soon, just wondering if it’s standard for an agent to submit their client’ personal essays? Thinking specifically of Narratively, the Cut, and Modern Love.

[QCrit] FRIEND AND WIFE, adult historical fiction, 85k words, First Attempt

Comments: 15 | Upvotes: 8

Hi! This is the first novel I’ve written that I think has enough structure and commercial juice to query, but I am still concerned that it’s lacking sufficient external stakes. I’ve learned a lot from this community and would appreciate any feedback, but particularly on the following: * Is my worki…

[QCRIT] Adult Romantic Comedy | Court Ship | 75,000 words | First Attempt

Comments: 8 | Upvotes: 5

I’ve queried a previous version of this project a bit (though no posts on PubTips prior), got some helpful rejections and feedback on partials, and am deep in a rewrite…starting a query letter draft earlier in my process this time to make sure my stakes are coherent. My previous draft was complete…

[QCRIT] Silk – Adult – Gothic Fantasy – 75,000 – First Attempt

Comments: 8 | Upvotes: 4

Hello! Very grateful for any feedback on the below. \*\*\*\* Dear \[agent\] \[Personalisation for agent\] Aife, a cynical criminal, is blackmailed into entering the abbey, where she must master the magic she’s been forging and earn the trust of the bishop, before he unleashes his monsters …

[QCrit] THE SHADOWS THAT BIND THE FLAME (new title), Adult Urban Fantasy Romance, 108k (3rd attempt)

Comments: 8 | Upvotes: 2

My previous title was THE LAST EMBER, and I changed it to one of my previous title ideas since someone let me know of a somewhat recent release of a novel with the same title on my 2nd attempt. I’ve gotten some differing feedback on my previous two attempts. This attempt I tried to lean more into …