At our recent Presentation Party, we asked Fiona Kenshole of Transatlantic Agency on what she’s really looking for when she opens her inbox.
“If there were rules for writing a query,” Fiona Kenshole told attendees at a recent Manuscript Academy event, “Rupert Murdoch would’ve monetized them and we’d all be paying HarperCollins to write our queries for us.”
What a world! Well, we’re glad that’s not the current reality — it’d be boring reading for agents, for starters.
But it would mean less stress when writing your query.
The good news? You have a ton of great options.
The bad news? You have to pick one.
Meet Fiona Kenshole
Fiona has been a literary agent for over a decade, and before that spent years as a publisher in the UK — bringing out books like Mary Poppins, Paddington Bear, and The Giver. She also produced animated films including Coraline and The Boxtrolls. She’s seen decades of pitches, and gives her own when pitching her projects abroad.
Most of the query is up to you. But here are the main points she finds non-negotiable.
Start with your lightbulb moment
Before you think about format or structure, think about why you wrote this book.
“Keep a Post-it note of the lightbulb idea you had — that moment when, out of all the ideas you’ve ever had, this was the one you wanted to share with the world.”
Enthusiasm is contagious. And agents love emotional specificity. They’ll feel it even if they’ve gone through 50 queries that day already.
Beta readers, revision passes, and query workshops can slowly convince you to dim this shine to be “safe.” Don’t let them take away what makes this exciting.
“I literally get goosebumps at the back of my neck when I find a really good one.” — Fiona Kenshole
Answer the three core questions
Why should I read this book? Out of the hundreds of queries in Fiona’s inbox, what makes yours the one to open? Think of it like a movie trailer and “pull out the best bits.” Focus on plot, stakes, and emotional arc.
Why should I read it now? What’s the cultural moment this book speaks to? What can it say about our present moment in history?
Why can only you write it? This is where your voice comes in. Kenshole is blunt: she can usually tell AI-written queries, and they don’t impress her. “If I see a beautifully written pitch, I’m pretty darn sure I’m going to see a beautifully written book.”
Find your story question
One of the most useful exercises Kenshole recommends: identify the central story question your book answers. Not a theme — a question. In Where the Wild Things Are, it’s: “How does a small boy manage his anger?” In Pride and Prejudice: “How does a woman who must marry for money also marry for love?”
Every great novel — and every great picture book — has one. If you can’t articulate yours clearly, that’s worth knowing before you query.
The bowling pin rule: Kenshole cites an analogy from agent Evan Gregory: set up all the bowling pins, start the ball rolling — and then stop your query just before it hits. Most queries she receives only cover the first 25% of a book, missing everything that makes the story special. Write long, then cut.
On comps, bios, and platforms
For comparable titles, Kenshole has a simple suggestion: befriend your local bookseller or librarian. “They know more than anybody about what’s coming out.” On author bios, relevant experience matters — if you’re a teacher writing children’s books, say so. If you have professional expertise related to your nonfiction topic, lead with it. And if your second cousin is Tom Cruise? “I’d say that’s relevant life experience too,” Fiona says.
On social media platforms, she’s refreshingly relaxed for fiction and picture books: “I really just want a really good book. We can build a platform.”
Shanna Upchurch’s debut picture book, The Honeybee Highway, publishes April 7th with Disney. To work with Manuscript Academy faculty like those who helped Shanna along the way, browse our consultations here.