Success Story Interview - Charlotte Kazha

An Interview with Charlotte Kazha (charlottekazhahall on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Grace Milusich of Looking Glass Literary & Media.

08/14/2025

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

Charlotte Kazha:
My book, HESPERIA, is an upmarket fantasy exploring the romanticism of conquest and the morality (or rather, immorality) of imperialism. It features an ensemble cast, tragic romance, and several moral dilemmas.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Charlotte Kazha:
Time for the stereotypical answer: I’ve been writing all of my life. I still have ancient google docs from stories that I wrote from elementary school.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
I began the first draft on January 1st of 2025. (An accidental New Years resolution, I suppose?) I edited over the spring/early summer and began to query literary agents in June.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Charlotte Kazha:
Not at all.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Charlotte Kazha:
I’m so sporadic that some days, I write 5,000 words, and others, I don’t write at all.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
I submitted my third draft to literary agents. I’m a perfectionist, so I really obsessively edited and rewrote the manuscript.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
I try to follow the 7-act structure. Based on the themes of my book and the points that I want to hit, I will create a loose outline, so most of the writing is my “filling-in” of a general premise. I do tend to write from the hip; many tangents were had, and I think that the book is all the better for it.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
I queried for a little less than 2 months. I’m very fortunate and grateful to have had such a pleasant, quick querying journey! I know that my nerves definitely couldn’t handle the years-long stresses that some authors have to endure. This was my first time really querying, so I was truly lucky.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
I sent about 200 queries and received 38 full requests.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
Before querying, I made my agent list by identifying agents on MSWL who might’ve liked my book. I also found agents on Publishers Marketplace who recently sold successful books in my genre.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
I began querying by personalizing EVERY. SINGLE. QUERY. I soon discovered that it really didn’t make a difference in agent response. In fact, I actually got more requests from agents whose queries I didn’t personalize! Because of this, I only chose to personalize if their MSWL perfectly reflected my manuscript and if I really wanted them to know it.

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

Charlotte Kazha:
Don’t go into the process expecting total failure OR immediate success! Find the golden mean. I’ve seen far too many writers who are either self-effacing or entitled. That’s really the worst mindset to enter the query trenches with, and it 100% leaks through your query letter. Like anyone else, agents don’t want to work with someone who either (1) doesn’t believe in their own work or (2) acts totally arrogant.