This query is part of the Be an Agent for a Day contest. Rules and Regulations here
Please post your rejection or manuscript request in the comment section!
Dear Agent for a Day,
Fifteen-year-old Bento is a seventh son and, according to Argentine legend, doomed to transform into an el lobison – a werewolf, on his sixteenth birthday. When local villagers attempt to kill him, he flees his homeland to find refuge with an eccentric family in New Jersey where he learns that werewolves were once an actual race that intermixed with humans. This interspecies breeding resulted in humans carrying recessive genes that express werewolf-like tendencies on nights brightened by a full moon. Bento is assured that shape shifting (like in the movies) doesn’t happen anymore.
Just when Bento gets comfortable with his surrogate family and meets the girl of his dreams, his world is torn apart when he shapes shifts into a flesh eating beast on his sixteenth birthday. Is he an uncontrollable monster that will never have the love of his girl? How can he keep his girlfriend and family safe from his beast within? And who is the mysterious stranger stalking them?
My 43,380 word YA paranormal novel, Seventh Son, explores not only Bento’s monster but also the monsters we all keep hidden away.
I have attended many SCBWI sponsored conferences, as well as Writer’s Boot Camp, and online classes. I’ve written monthly articles for X Magazine. I participated as a nominated mentee in the Rutgers One on One Mentoring Workshop and was fortunate to work with author, Joyce McDonald as my mentor. In the past, I was represented by agent X of X Literary Agency.
Sincerely,
Author
STATS: 5% request rate
Anonymous says
Writer,
Thank you for your query, though I don’t think I’m interested in taking your story idea. Keep on writing.
-Thanks,
Suzuki Volkeswagon
Tamara says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query. I wish you the best of luck finding a home for this project, but after consideration, I have to say it’s not for me.
Best wishes,
Agent for a Day
(Tamara)
Tyler says
Dear Author,
Thank you for considering me in your quest for publication; unfortunately, I do not feel I am the right agent for your project. Best of luck in your future endeavours.
Sincerely,
Agent T
Belinda Frisch says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query. I love the idea and am hereby requesting your complete ms.
Regards,
Belinda
Liz says
Dear Author,
Thank you for taking the time to query. I’m afraid this isn’t the right piece for me. I wish you the best of luck.
Sincerely,
Agent for a Day
Agent Yard Oaf says
Dear Author,
I’m interested. Please paste the first five chapters of your novel into the body of an email and send to agentyardoaf@agentforaday.com.
Thanks,
Agent Yard Oaf
rainsinger says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query regarding Seventh Son but I must decline at present.
Although the premise is intriguing, the length is rather short and I don’t feel sufficiently grabbed by the plot.
Best wishes
Rain agency
RB Ripley says
Dear Author,
Thank you for thinking of me with your recent query for SEVENTH SON.
Unfortunately, this project does not resonate with me and I must respectfully decline, though I do hope you’ll continue to consider me for future projects.
Please remember, we are part of a highly subjective industry and I am confident there is an agent out who would best represent your story.
I wish you all the best in your continued efforts. Keep writing!
Sincerely,
Agent For a Day
[rejection reason: This query doesn’t fulfill my immediate need to understand the who and instead concentrates on shifters in general.]
splatter says
Form reject.
Reason: The idea started off interestingly, but the family in New Jersey sounded like a bit of a tangent, especially when you know he’s still going to transform. Besides, how do they know so much about werewolves, but so adamantly believe shapeshifting is no longer possible?
I’d probably tell this author to keep me in mind for future works… but this one just didn’t quite sing to me.
Cristy at Living Donor 101 says
Dear Author,
Thanks for your query, but the premise just didn’t grab me at this time. Good luck with your future ventures.
(side note: this query was clear and concise, so points to the writer. My first thought however was ‘New Jersey?! how did the kid get from Argentina to NJ?’ A small but significant detail on my part. Also, I just didn’t see how this was different from every other YA werewolf book out there)
Rubenesque Writer says
Dear Author,
Thank you for thinking of me, but I don’t think I am the right agent to represent this manuscript. Best of luck.
Sincerely,
RW Lit
Nathan Bransford says
Please don’t listen to the trolls.
gypsyscarlett says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, your story is not right for me.
I wish you much luck finding a suitable agent.
Kaiscomet says
Thank you for your submission. I regret to inform you that I am passing on your project at this time. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
Sincerely
jnantz says
Dear Author:
I appreciate the opportunity to consider your work. After a lot of thought, I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass. I just don’t feel I can represent this project with the kind of enthusiasm it would require. However, this business is very subjective, and I encourage you to query widely. Many agents may feel differently than I do.
Thank you again,
Jnantz
Eva Ulian says
Thank you for your submission but I am afraid I was not able to be attracted to the subject matter- maybe because I was not able to visualize how such people could interact and be credible.
Anonymous says
Dear Author,
Sorry, this story isn’t for me. Better luck elsewhere.
Madhat says
Dear Author:
I’ll have to pass at this time.
-Agent
Reasons: it doesn’t feel very original to me, and I didn’t get any feel for the protagonist’s personality.
Sharon aka Sapphire says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, I do not feel it is right for me. Remember that my opinion is just one. I urge you to continue to seek out representation with your manuscript.
Best wishes,
Sharon
Side note: You were my number six choice for full ms requests. Very timely topic. Good luck with it!
colleen rowan kosinski says
Dear Author,
Sorry but I have a conflict of interest with this novel.
Agent C
Larry Writer says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query.
I am afraid that this is not for mer at this time. Another agent may look at it differently.
Kind regards,
Larry
NotJana says
Dear Author,
Thank you for querying me. Even though I was intrigued and can see some potential, I’m afraid it is not enough to request more.
All the best,
Agent For A Day (Or Two)
rantonson17 says
Dear Author,
Thank your for your query. Unfortunately, I am unable to represent your work at this time.
Best of luck,
Rebekka
Diana says
Dear Query #34:
Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, this project isn’t right for me.
Best wishes,
Diana
TecZ aka Dalton C Teczon - Writer says
Dear Author:
Thank you for your query and for allowing me to consider your work.
While your novel, “Seventh Son,” sounds exciting, I feel I’m not the right fit for your project. Therefore, I must decline on this project right now. But I do want to encourage you to continue submitting. Just because a project isn’t quite right for me, doesn’t mean the right agent isn’t just around the corner.
I wish you the best of luck with all your writing endeavors and in the querying and submission process. Persistence pays off, so don’t give up!
Best regards,
Dalton C. Teczon – Agent
Perle_Rare says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your submission but this isn’t right for me at this time.
Best wishes,
Perle_Rare
Reason:
– Did not hook me.
H. Zilionis says
Dear Author,
Thank you so much for sending me your query and offering me the chance to consider your work. Unfortunately, I am not the right agent for your project.
Good luck and keep writing!
Holly Z – Agent for a Day
Flemmily says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, I feel that SEVENTH SON is not a fit for our agency.
Best of luck with your future endeavors,
Flemmily
Dorothy says
Dear Author:
I cannot accept your novel for representation, but thank you for the submission. I need a stronger sense of how your werewolf novel stands out among all the others drifting across my desk. Is the setting which moves from South America to North America significant? Is the eccentricity of his NJ family relevant? Does the identity of his girlfriend matter? I can imagine ways in which your book could succeed, but alas it is not my novel.
Good luck as you continue with it.
Sincerly,
Honesty is the Best Policy
Maria A says
Thank you for thinking of our agency, but not for us at this moment.
Best of luck,
Agent
Davien says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your submission, but this is not for me. I wish you luck in finding a home for your manuscript.
All the best,
Pinkie says
Dear Author,
I believe this book holds promise, but unfortunately I can’t take it on right now. I encourage you to submit it to other agents.
Thanks.
CPK
Lorin says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, this isn’t a good fit for me at this time.
Thank you,
Lorin
Nora Coon says
Not right for us at this time. Best of luck.
***
I want more detail about the plot. Explain how this works to me. It is intriguing, though.
Rebecca Knight says
Dear Seventh Son,
Thank you for your query, and for thinking of my agency. Unfortunately, I feel that I’m not the best fit for your project. This industry is highly subjective, so I’m sure others will feel differently. Best of luck to you in all your endeavors.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Knight
Janine says
Thank you for your query, but I am not the right agent for this. Best of luck.
Hallie says
Dear Author,
Thank you for submitting your query to My Imaginary Yet Successful Literary Agency. I receive many queries each day, and I request only a small percentage of manuscripts that I’m interested in representing. I have decided not to request one for your book because I don’t feel that I’m intrigued enough to be its best representative.
Should you need resources for querying, finding writing resources and groups, or if you’d like to know more about how I choose manuscripts, please visit (this section of my agency’s website) for more information. I wish you the best of luck in finding a home for your writing. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to consider your work.
Warm regards,
Hallie
__________________________________
And if I were fortunate enough to be able to give some feedback for each and every author I declined, I’d note the following:
This was on my “maybe” list overnight because 1) I think that this sort of novel with a male protagonist is an easy sell and 2) Bento’s background adds an extra dimension that could make this urban fantasy really unique.
I’d have to decline, however, because 1) this is too short and 2) I couldn’t really buy that a 15-year-old could run away from Argentina to the U.S., find a surrogate family, and live werewolfishly ever after. I think that you can get Bento from Argentina to the U.S., but why not have him start there? Go there with his family? Play out his story in Buenos Aires? Otherwise, he’ll have to have appropriate paperwork, and that seems unlikely.
I hope you’ll continue to develop this, because it is a popular genre but still different from what’s on the shelves. Good luck!
Getabo Publishing says
I like the story very much. I think it’s a well written if little long query, but this made my Top 10.
Just didn’t really hook me enough to make my top 5.
But I was really torn, I did really like it.
***
Thank you for your query. Unfortunately we do not think that your book would be a likely prospect for our list.
We regret that the large number of submissions we receive makes it impossible to offer individual comment. We believe it is more important to read and evaluate every query / submission we receive with due consideration.
We appreciate you thinking of Getabo Creative Publishing, and wish you the best of luck with your manuscript and future writing endeavors.
Sincerely.
The Editors
Getabo Creative Publishing
Alisa says
Please send me the manuscript.
Alisa
Annie Reynolds says
Dear author
Thank you for taking the time to submit your query to the A.F.A.D. agency.
Let me start by telling you I did enjoy your query, your novel concept caught my interest. I did however find your query letter could benefit from additional polishing, and would be happy for you to resubmit your query at a later date.
Yours truly,
Annie Reynolds.
lilianamama says
Dear Author:
Thank you for your interest in the “Be An Agent For A Day” contest. I found your idea intriguing and would like to read more. Please send me your first three chapters and a plot synopsis.
Cat Moleski says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, your project is not right for me at this time.
Cat
Aisling says
Dear Author,
I am sorry to inform you that I am not interested in your book. It does not fit with what I am looking for right now so I regret to tell you that, although I appreciated you sending me your query, I would not like to represent your work. I wish you the best of luck with your future writing!
Aisling
Anonymous says
Dear Author,
I liked it. Send me more
Backdoor Trojan
Anonymous says
Dear Author,
I’m sorry, but this story is not right for me. Thanks for sending me your request, I really appreciate it. Please continue writing.
Veronica Lovette
Anonymous says
Dear writer,
I appreciate the query but your book is not what I am looking for at the moment. However, I wish you luck in getting this book published.
Best regards,
Nathaniel Orange
Anonymous says
Dear Pursuing Author,
After reviewing your query, I feel that what you have presented to us is just not going to fly in our market right now. Sorry but keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Pepe Habanera
Anonymous says
I appreciate you sending me this, but I’m going to pass.
S. Pancake
Anonymous says
Dear writer,
I enjoyed your query, but I’m afraid I’m not the right agent to represent this work. I’d love to see more of your writing.
Gloria Valentine
Anonymous says
Dear Author,
Your book is interesting and I feel it has some potential, but it’s not for me, thanks for the attempt though.
Sincerely,
Mitsubishi