A good amount of guesswork. Monitoring the way sales are trending in what's out there now is useful. And sometimes we guess that people will want lighter (or darker!) content around an election (or after a pandemic), but it's pretty unscientific if I'm being honest. #AskDV

Internal stakes can be huge! Just focus on how important the stakes are to the characters. Don't convince yourself everything needs to be about saving the world. Coming of age stories and family narratives are evergreen for a reason. Emotional stakes are important too! #AskDV

I don't believe in maximums, but I will say that over 120K words, I will raise an eyebrow and think, "Okay, you better earn the word count!" 😀 #AskDV

I love a comp but not as much as I love a great concept. They can be helpful, but you don't HAVE to have them! #AskDV

Depends on how important it is to the story! If their identity is central to the concept, it's worth mentioning. If it's important to the character but not centrally relevant to the plot, I don't think you have to take the space to explain if there are more important bits to cover. #AskDV

Verse novels in the MG and YA space have a dedicated following, especially on the more literary end of things. I love a novel in verse, and I'm not alone! #AskDV

Absolutely not. Plenty of people successfully query self-edited material. Or find friends/writing groups where folks share feedback with each other for free. You don't have to be professionally edited to query! #AskDV

I WISH every story had a perfect home, but there are books that don't find the right space. Great books! But, encouragingly, I do think we're in a better place for quirky/"weird" fiction than we've been in a long while. #AskDV

This is a bit of a cop out, but I would say pick the books whose readers you think would be MOST excited to read yours. It's less about capturing the perfect spectrum and more about showing that you know your intended readership. #AskDV

I say yes. Just be honest. "I queried you before, but since then, I've revised significantly. Can I convince you to take a second look?" The answer might be no, but it may also be yes! #AskDV

Sure thing. And it's especially relevant if the work is illustrated! #AskDV

This might be something to put in the bio paragraph. You can absolutely say something like, "I'm looking for an agent who has experience with neurodiverse and/or dyslexic writers." I believe it's fair to say what you're looking for. #AskDV

There are absolutely comps that become so overused that they start to lose meaning. At one time, it was Twilight. Even further back, The Da Vinci Code. Try not to use THE most popular book of the year, and you'll generally manage to avoid this. #AskDV

Absolutely allowed. SOME editors and SOME agents might try to edit you into a very cautious place, but the right ones for you will let you share your story in the way that is most honest and authentic. #AskDV

I've always liked TV/film comps. And since you have a couple of chances to get noticed in DVpit? Yeah! Experiment with a couple! Try to have fun with it and enjoy it. #AskDV

Some people are really strict around word count, but I think the best rule of thumb is that if you've cut everything you can cut, and the book is still long? Then it's just a long book. And that's okay. There are people who are totally open to that. #AskDV

There is a need for more younger YA, and teachers/librarians are asking for it. It's tough to break out at the moment, but I'm personally convinced that this is a space we're going to see growth in as soon as publishing cracks the code on reaching those readers. #AskDV

Conferences can be great networking opportunities, but I don't think they're essential to finding an agent. Not being able to attend, you might miss an opportunity or two, but I think those chances can often be replicated in online events like this one! #AskDV