Event Recording

Finding Your Agent: 7 Steps to a Successful Query Letter

Literary Agents

October 26, 2021

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PART OF THE BUSINESS BOOTCAMPS FOR WRITERS SERIES

In this session, agent Saritza Hernandez of Andrea Brown Literary Agency and her client, author Mayra Cuevas, discuss the seven-step magic of writing a query letter that gets you noticed—and what common mistakes will get you instantly rejected. Saritza will share real-life examples of query letters that resulted in representation contracts. Mayra will give insights into her successful query process and how to survive (200+) rejections.

Event Outline & Tips from Panelists

Thank you to Mayra Cuevas and Saritza Hernández for providing an outline of their presentation, complete with tips and examples on querying and pitching books.

PANELISTS:

Mayra Cuevas is the author of the upcoming YA novel Does My Body Offend You? (Penguin/Knopf) and the YA contemporary romcom Salty, Bitter, Sweet (Blink/HarperCollins),  named a “Best Books of Winter 2020” by Hypable, and “YA Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2020” by BuzzFeed. Mayra is a member of Las Musas Books, a Latinx authors collective and co-founder of the Latinx KidLit Book Festival. Mayra was born and raised in Puerto Rico and now lives in Norcross, GA. She works as a special projects producer for CNN and keeps her sanity by practicing Modern Buddhism and meditation. Follow her journey on Instagram @Mayra.Cuevas and her website MayraCuevas.com.  

A literary agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Saritza Hernandez is a self-professed geek who loves escaping into worlds and stories from all walks of life. A passionate advocate of the BIPOC & LGBTQ+ communities, she enjoys fresh voices in Adult, and Young Adult genre fiction, and select non-fiction.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

Special thanks to Las Musas for collaborating with the Authors Guild Foundation on this panel.

With support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Penguin Random House, and our donors, the Authors Guild Foundation is pleased to make Business Bootcamps for Writers free and open to the public.

Several writers organizations have partnered with the Authors Guild Foundation to help shape these programs. Our deepest appreciation to these organizations.

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