Success Story Interview - Jackie McMahon

An Interview with Jackie McMahon (jackiemcmahonwriter on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Abby Saul of The Lark Group.

11/27/2024

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

Jackie McMahon:
My book - which my YouTube subscribers will know by its nickname, "Project Dagger" - is a historical mystery inspired by the Detection Club, a group of British crime writers that still exists today. It was founded in the 1930s by authors from the so-called Golden Age of Detective Fiction, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton. When I first read about the club, I thought it would be interesting to write a murder mystery set among a group of mystery writers. Funny enough, I found out after I started drafting that Agatha Christie once toyed with the idea of writing a book set at the Detection Club! I am a major Christie fan and have read many of her books, so this manuscript is a tribute to her and the mystery genre as a whole. My agent understood my inspiration and vision, which I'm grateful for.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Jackie McMahon:
I honestly don't remember when I started. When I was two years old and couldn't even write my own name, I used to make up stories and have my grandmother write them down for me.

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

Jackie McMahon:
I started it in the autumn of 2023 and went through seven drafts before querying.

QT: Is this your first book?

Jackie McMahon:
No, this is the second manuscript I wrote and the second I queried. I also wrote fanfiction for many years throughout middle school, high school, and college. Though it's very different from writing an original novel, it did help me learn a lot about storytelling, and looking back I can see how I improved over the years.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Jackie McMahon:
I did! I had two rounds of beta readers, with about five people in each group. I did this to gauge if I was successfully implementing the suggestions from the first group. I also connected with another historical mystery writer in the Pub Tips subreddit and she gave me some helpful feedback.

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

Jackie McMahon:
I outlined. As I mentioned in an earlier question, I used to write fanfiction when I was in school, and that experience taught me that I need to outline. It helps me stay on track, especially in the middle of the book, and since I write mystery, it makes it much easier to weave in the clues.

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

Jackie McMahon:
For my first book, I queried 67 agents over approximately nine months, sending queries in batches of seven to thirteen at a time. With this book, I sent my first query on October 11, 2024. I queried my now agent on October 15, got a full request from her the next day, and a request for a call two days after that. It was quite a whirlwind.

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

Jackie McMahon:
I sent twelve query letters and also followed up with one agent who still had my material from the previous book I queried.

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

Jackie McMahon:
I was open to any agent who represented historical fiction, mysteries, or both. I got a one-month subscription to Publishers Marketplace to see what imprints agents were selling to and narrowed down my list based on that.

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

Jackie McMahon:
I did not! When querying agents who had requested my previous manuscript, I mentioned that, but otherwise, everyone received the same query.

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

Jackie McMahon:
When I was in the querying trenches, I struggled with comparing myself to other people. I would see other people announcing they had agents or book deals, and while I was happy for them, I would also feel sad, wondering if it would ever happen for me, or if they were better than me. Ultimately, everybody is on their own path, and if you don't get an agent right away, that doesn't mean you won't get one or you're not good. It might take longer, or maybe this book just isn't the book. So many people query multiple projects before getting agented, and timing and luck are major parts of this process. I queried a book for nine months without an offer, then found an agent in one week with this new book. You just never know how things will work out, so if you're passionate about writing, don't give up.