What does an agent actually think when she opens your query?
In this behind-the-scenes session, literary agent Taj McCoy of the Laura Dail Literary Agency reads 12 real queries, reacting to them in the moment.
You’ll see exactly where Taj’s eyes land, what makes her slow down, and what makes her scroll past. Memoir, thriller, literary fiction, YA, sci-fi, romance, women’s fiction — each genre gets a turn under the microscope.
Here’s what writers consistently get wrong: burying the stakes, dropping comps before the premise, writing a bio that’s all credentials and no personality, and treating spoilers like they’re dangerous. Taj breaks down why each of these habits costs you, and what to do instead.
You’ll also get answers to the questions writers are almost afraid to ask — Is it okay to use movie comps? Can you message an agent on Query Tracker? What happens if you’ve had a previous agent? How do you hint at a twist without giving it away?
This isn’t a lecture. It’s a real agent, in real time, making real decisions — and explaining every single one out loud.
If you’ve ever sent a query into the void and wondered what happened to it, this is the closest you’ll get to being in the room.
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