Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Hannah Ackerman

Success Story Interview - Hannah Ackerman

An Interview with Hannah Ackerman (hlackerman on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent James McGowan of BookEnds, LLC.

02/26/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Hannah Ackerman:
I was inspired to write Villain Theory after asking myself the question, "What would it look like if the male main character was the "damsel in distress"? I pictured the antagonist that would put him in such a situation and the character of Talia came to be, a Wednesday Addams-inspired villainous prodigy who needed to find a hero, lead him on a quest, and defeat him to prove herself worthy of a seat on the Board of Villains.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Hannah Ackerman:
I've been coming up with stories since I was six years old, began typing them into Microsoft Word at eight or nine, and never stopped.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Hannah Ackerman:
I started outlining Villain Theory in December of 2024. It was drafted, revised and ready for queries by January 2026.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Hannah Ackerman:
Villain Theory isn't my first manuscript. I think writing and finishing the first manuscript is harder for a new writer when they haven't yet proven to themselves they can do it. For this book, it wasn't so much a question of IF I could do it but how SOON I could finish the story. I've always been motivated by deadlines, so when I started drafting the book, I told myself I wanted it done by my birthday (30 weeks out) as a "birthday present" to myself. I called it the Birthday Book Challenge, and set a weekly writing goal to help me progress through the draft. Some weeks were harder than others and I didn't always reach my goal, but focusing on celebrating the small milestones and working toward that deadline helped me pace myself.
QT: Is this your first book?: Hannah Ackerman:
No, Villain Theory is the second manuscript I've written out of my publishing program and the fourth manuscript I've finished overall.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Hannah Ackerman:
Yes, I have a bachelor's degree in Editing & Publishing with a Minor in Applied Speech Sciences, which included classes on linguistics, style guides, modern American usage, semantics and pragmatics, grammar, punctuation, English dialects, sociolinguistic research, typesetting, formatting, and book design, and fiction novel editing (developmental, copy, line).
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Hannah Ackerman:
When I'm actively drafting, I try to write 3,000 words a week. I'm a full-time mom so I can't always reach daily goals, but I can usually carve out enough writing sessions each week to hit 3,000 words consistently. It allows me to plan on hitting 90k drafts in roughly 30 weeks.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Hannah Ackerman:
My previous book died in queries, so I was much more intentional with my approach to this book. I devoted time to plotting and resolving larger plot holes before I began drafting. I think this effort contributed to a cleaner first draft and reduced the amount of work needed on the back end. In total, I spent 24 weeks drafting, 6 weeks in a first revision, and 2 weeks on a second revision after beta readers offered some feedback.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Hannah Ackerman:
I absolutely did, and I cannot recommend them enough. Finding 3–5 strong beta readers that represent my target audience (and who love the genre I'm writing in) were absolutely pivotal in my second revision. They have great instincts, asked great questions, and really helped me strengthen parts of the book I'd glanced over. I will always use betas.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Hannah Ackerman:
I build out a skeletal plot structure with primary plot points so that I know what direction I need the character arcs to go. Otherwise, I leave the majority of the scene-level story up to discovery writing as I get to know the world and characters.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Hannah Ackerman:
I started querying this book on January 19, 2026 and received my offer February 2, 2026—exactly two weeks later. This is abnormal but I'm grateful I didn't have to query long this time around.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Hannah Ackerman:
Roughly 50
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Hannah Ackerman:
I performed agent research using agency websites, Manuscript Wishlist, Publishers Marketplace, and QueryTracker's resources. Cross-referencing these sites helped me identify agents that were open to queries, represented my genre, were looking for stories with elements similar to mine, and had an established track record of sales (especially if they'd sold books recently). I also looked for agents who genuinely seemed like people I could get along with, individuals I'd feel comfortable representing me in publishing rooms I wouldn't be in.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Hannah Ackerman:
Yes, I personalized nearly every query by adjusting my opening statement depending on my research. I tried to reference specific elements they were asking for on their Manuscript Wishlist or let them know why I felt we'd be a good fit.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Hannah Ackerman:
Don't rush into it. Be very intentional with each stage of the writing process; give drafting, revisions, and query prep its due diligence, and when you do get into the querying process, make sure that you are prioritizing clarity and professionalism over everything else. Rejections are just data to help you improve; don't take them personally.

Success Story Interview - Hannah Ackerman

Query Letter: