Success Story Interview - Anne du Pré

An Interview with Anne du Pré (Mariekes_mesmerizing_books on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Penelope Burns of Gelfman Schneider.

02/13/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

Anne du Pré:
It’s a contemporary YA romance about a mouthy seventeen-year-old asexual singer who flees to Amsterdam after a scandal silences him. But when new gossip pops up, he starts reclaiming his voice with an anonymous song that goes viral. Now he has to choose: stay low and give up his chance to tell the truth, or take credit and risk outing the closeted footballer he’s falling for.

I had a few reasons for writing this. Teens struggle so much on social media, with harassment and people getting canceled all the time. I also wanted to tell the story of a young closeted football (soccer) player, since there are hardly any out professionals in Europe. And I wanted to show an asexual teen having real romantic relationships.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Anne du Pré:
About six or seven years.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

Anne du Pré:
About a year.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Anne du Pré:
Not really. Querying is tough, but I’d done it before with another manuscript that got five requests. I knew my writing had improved and I had plenty of help. My main goal was just not to rush (and I'm an impatient person, so that's pretty hard for me, lol),

QT: Is this your first book?

Anne du Pré:
No, I’ve written several manuscripts and seriously queried one other before.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Anne du Pré:
No, not for storytelling. I’ve had business trainings and I read a lot about writing. Being likely neurodivergent, I’m pretty good at applying rules. I've also been reading lots of YA stories non-stop for years.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Anne du Pré:
Not at all. I just write whenever I can squeeze in time.

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Anne du Pré:
I lost count. I edited it myself about three times, then posted every chapter on qtCritique. That helped a lot. I also found two critique partners there, and their feedback was incredible. When I started querying, I got four requests fast, but those agents rejected quickly too. One (Krista Dolzer) gave amazing feedback, which I implemented right away.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Anne du Pré:
Yes. Like I mentioned, I posted every chapter on qtCritique. Some people just caught grammar or awkward sentences (helpful for a Dutch writer like me). Others stuck with me to the end and gave developmental feedback. There I also found my two beta readers, who I'd actually like to call critique partners because they do so much more than beta read. We still exchange scenes and rewrites.

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

Anne du Pré:
Uhm, I’m more of a plantser. I usually know the start and the end, but the middle is mostly unknown. I also tend to write nonchronologically. Whenever a scene comes to mind, I write it down.

QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?

Anne du Pré:
I queried for about four months. Before that, I seriously queried one other manuscript (and another one ages ago that I don't want to be reminded of…).

QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?

Anne du Pré:
About 80 letters, 15 requests, and 2 offers.

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

Anne du Pré:
Genre, underrepresented voices, if they represent authors I know, etc., etc.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

Anne du Pré:
Yes, I always tried to personalize my query letter. But the personalization had to be genuine in my opinion, so if I really couldn't find something, I didn't personalize and just used a general paragraph.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

Anne du Pré:
Don’t rush. Take your time. Don’t start querying too early. First, edit your story, again and again. Seek beta readers or critique partners. Use qtCritique (it can be overwhelming because people’s levels vary, but if you find the right writers, it helps a ton) for chapters AND your query letter. My first query took about 20 drafts before it was ready to send.

Query Letter:

Dear Penelope,

Since you liked my QuestPit pitch, I'm excited to share my 79,000-word contemporary YA romance EVERYTHING GETS CANCELED, about an asexual teen singer caught in a social-media scandal.

One false rumor. That's all it takes for seventeen-year-old singer Brent Lansing to crash from viral fame to cancellation. His follower count nosedives, hate floods his inbox, and even his closest friends vanish. All because a popular podcast host claims he built his platform on fake accounts. Brent has something to say about everything, except himself. So when his girlfriend dumps him too, he bolts to family in Amsterdam, leaving his music—and the words he's too scared to say—behind.

That's the plan, anyway.

Brent's new life kicks off the moment he bumps into closeted soccer—okay, football—star Jeremiah Simpson in a cat café. After cuddling kittens, Brent rides through the city on the back of Jeremiah's bike, and an unexpected friendship sparks. As they grow closer, Brent feels seen. Comfortable. Safe. But Jeremiah's fame pulls them into the spotlight when paparazzi photos ignite gossip about a secret romance. And of course, the press digs up Brent's name, linking him to the podcast scandal and dragging Jeremiah into the fallout.

As public pressure builds, Brent finally begins to speak up. He writes a personal song and shares it—anonymously. But the track goes viral, and critics insist it's him singing about Jeremiah and everything he tried to escape. Now Brent faces an impossible choice: stay low and give up his chance to finally tell his truth, or take credit for the song and risk outing the boy he's falling for.

EVERYTHING GETS CANCELED combines the asexual rep and witty sass of Amanda DeWitt's Wren Martin Ruins It All, the complexities of fame and relationships found in Sophie Gonzales' Nobody in Particular, and a media-infused structure, similar to Becky Albertalli's Amelia, If Only.

When I'm not working as a policy officer, I promote upcoming diverse/queer YA books on bookstagram (@XXX), travel with my family of four, or cuddle with my cats.

Thank you for your time and consideration.