Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Jennifer van der Kleut

Success Story Interview - Jennifer van der Kleut

An Interview with Jennifer van der Kleut (JenniferVDK on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jenna Satterthwaite of Storm Literary Agency.

08/23/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
THE BETTER MOTHER is a psychological thriller/suspense novel. Main character Savannah Mitchell has just barely managed to put her life back together after her fiance left her. Their inability to have a child broke them apart, and now Savannah is convinced she can't have children. Her first time putting herself out there again, she has a casual fling with a man named Max, but it fizzles out after a few weeks. After a month with no contact, she is shocked to find out she's pregnant. She gets in touch to tell him and discovers he has already gotten back together with his ex, Madison, who is wealthy, beautiful, cruel, and manipulative. She acts like she wants to be supportive and help Max be a good co-parent, but really she has a sinister hidden agenda of her own.

I was inspired by a captivating thread on Reddit's "Am I The A**hole." A woman found herself in Savannah's situation and the ensuing drama of the father's new wife trying to take control of her pregnancy and raising of the child was so intense! I immediately thought, "this would make an amazing book!" But naturally I had to take it to a frightening new conclusion that I hope will really wow readers.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
I have been writing my whole life, but in many different capacities. I studied Journalism, Mass Communications & Public Relations in college and went on to have a 10+-year career in journalism, writing for everything from print newspapers and magazines to digital news sites, and eventually getting a job at WJLA / ABC7 News in Washington, D.C. managing the website and social media. After that job ended, when my kids were young, I freelanced from home for many years writing online content like articles and blogs, and helping small businesses with social media content. But I've always had the burning desire to write a novel in the back of my mind.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
In early 2023, I started messing around, making notes of a few different novel ideas and then trying my hand at writing a few chapters of each, and thought--I might not be half-bad at this. But I really wanted guidance and a professional opinion to help me decide if my writing was "good enough" to pursue seriously. So I signed up for the Algonkian Writers Retreat with Michael Neff in March 2023. It was a wonderful experience. I told him my idea for THE BETTER MOTHER and over the five-day workshop, he and his faculty helped me flush out the idea more solidly, write an outline for the whole novel, and write a pitch for whenever it would be ready to query. I went home and finished the first draft within five months. I kept in touch with Michael and he recommended editors to help me polish it, and by April of 2024, I was ready to send out my first queries.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
Honestly, never. I fell in love the instant I started writing this book, and from that point, I knew that my book was going to be out in the world in some format, even if that eventually ended up being self-publishing. But before I decided to self-publish, I felt I owed it to myself to give traditional publishing the biggest, most whole-hearted try I was capable of.
QT: Is this your first book?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
Yes. Though I messed around writing snippets of other ideas just to see what it was like, this is the first novel I have ever plotted from beginning to end, and finished.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
My formal training is in news and PR writing, but since deciding to write a novel, I have taken various workshops, such as the Algonkian Writers Retreat, the New York Write-to-Pitch, and a couple Writers Day Workshops, as well as some virtual seminars.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
Not a formal one, no. On days when I know I will have some free time, I plan out time to devote to it, but I also don't force it, because when I do, I find my writing falls flat. If I sit down and don't find inspiration, or I am struggling with a scene or chapter, I take a long walk, or--and I realize this sounds weird!--a long shower. It's amazing the threads and ideas I come up with on walks and showers!
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
The first draft I wrote in the five months following the Algonkian Writers Retreat was 122,000 words! But I knew I was too close to it to identify what needed cutting on my own--it was the first time I'd finished something as monumental as a novel, and I was just so dang proud of it, I couldn't bear it. So I sent it out to a handful of beta readers. I gave it to two close contacts (my mother-in-law and a good friend), and then also found two experienced beta readers in the Writers, Editors, Agents, and Publishers Facebook group that I paid, who wrote up reports for me. I specifically asked them what parts of the novel they found extraneous or unimportant and could afford to be cut. It was very valuable advice and it helped me get the second draft down to 107,000 words, but I knew that was still too long. Everything I'd read or heard from professionals said a debut novel should aim for 80,000 to 90,000. So I got in touch with Michael Neff from Algonkian again and he recommended some professional editors. They did a deep dive and critique of the novel, and unfortunately, identified something that was sorely missing from my story--I had the wrong bad guy! It was gut-wrenching, but they helped me re-plot the entire book and add some of the more shocking twists and tension they felt it needed to really "wow" the market. That third re-write took several months, and was really hard work. But everything finally clicked. Then, I knew it just needed one more final polish. A professional editor did a final manuscript critique for me that reaffirmed for me that, with the rewrites, it was in solid shape, but still recommended a few things to help strengthen the first three chapters, which is crucial when trying to attract an agent. I am so over-the-moon happy with the state of my book now!
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
I am very much a plotter, not a pantser. I tend to be long-winded (which every editor I've ever had has told me, especially back in my journalist days), so having a clear outline of the major plot points of the novel helps keep me focused, and also lessens my anxiety about writing something new. If I have a clear picture of where I'm going, it's easier for me to relax and just let the writing flow. However, there have been many times that I've strayed from the outline, and I let it happen, if inspiration struck. Always leave room for that! The most valuable lesson I learned from Michael Neff and the faculty at Algonkian Writers is that, if you want to write a novel with potential for commercial success, plotting it out first to make sure it has all the necessary elements for marketability is key, and it will save you so much time and rewriting in the long run.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
I sent my very first query on April 18, 2024 and got an offer of rep from my dream agent on July 30!
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
Between April 18 and July 25, I sent out a total of 70 queries (in waves, not all at once). However I ended up withdrawing 41 of them that had not yet replied when I got my offer of representation. Out of the 29 that I got responses from, 21 were rejections, and 8 were partial or full requests. Of those 8 requests, 2 ended up being passes, and I had 6 outstanding fulls when I got my offer of representation.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
QueryTracker Update emails were immensely valuable. It let me know when agents that were previously closed to queries opened up again, or when an agent decided to open up to new/additional genres. I made note of any agents that were opening up to queries and accepted Thrillers/Suspense. I also liked to read their Manuscript Wish Lists (MSWL), if they had one available, to get more of a detailed picture of the types of thrillers they were looking for. If it seemed a really good fit, I added an extra sentence or two to my query letter that said I was specifically querying them for that reason. If all I knew was that they wanted thrillers/suspense novels, then I kept my letter the same as always, with my comp titles to give them a better feel for my specific work.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
Definitely get as many eyes on your query package as you can--your query letter, your first 3 chapters, and your full synopsis. I originally wrote two synopses - one with spoilers, and one without, but I found I never used the one without spoilers. I knew that one of my novel's strengths was the really tense, explosive ending with a showdown between my protagonist and antagonist, so I made sure to play that part up in my synopsis. Agents definitely want to know if your ending delivers on everything that leads up to it in your novel! The one piece of advice I heard over and over from professionals in workshops, seminars, and blog posts is "the biggest mistake you can make is querying before you're fully ready." And it's so true - if you have a dream agent, especially, make sure your package is the best it can possibly be before sending it out, because you only get one chance for a first impression.

I also want to put out a plug for the power of social media. I learned so much by following agents and publishers on Twitter/X and Substack. Often I found out days or even weeks before it went out in a QT Update that an agent was about to open for queries, or if an agent was really itching for a specific type of novel, and I was able to jump on it. Because of that, I got quicker responses to many of my queries than I probably would have otherwise, because I was catching them at just the right time. Agents also tweet out other valuable advice or even pet peeves that helped me, such as formatting my paragraph indents, making sure my comps and word count are at the top of my query letter rather than the bottom, etc. Plus, it gave me a really good feel for the agent as a person before I queried them. That's what made me fall in love and decide my agent was my "dream agent." I could just tell by her personality and the way she spoke about her clients that she was someone that really cared about writers, and was in love with her job, and I knew that was exactly the type of person I wanted to trust with my book baby!
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Jennifer van der Kleut:
Of course! Below is one of the earlier versions of my query letter that I wrote during the Algonkian Writers Retreat, and is the version that attracted my eventual agent. Two months later I went to the New York Write to Pitch conference and wrote an even better version that led to me getting several more full requests, and I'm including that version as well. The faculty at NYWTP advised me to include a sentence about the full requests I had received so far, and the live pitches I'd done to editors at publishing houses that had resulted in full manuscript requests.

EARLY VERSION (THE ONE MY EVENTUAL AGENT READ):

Success Story Interview - Jennifer van der Kleut

Query Letter: