Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Joshua Talmud

Success Story Interview - Joshua Talmud

An Interview with Joshua Talmud (Josher464 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Rebecca Lawrence of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

08/11/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Joshua Talmud:
My book is called Delirium Furiosum. It's a story about wizards who race cars. When Liz Levi's father dies, she reluctantly leaves her quiet university life to go to the funeral, only to find herself stranded with tremendous debt and, most troubling, a race car. Along with her childhood friend, Dale, and a mysterious, handsome stranger, she uses the car to enter the Solstice Circuit, a grueling 24-hour race across treacherous terrain laden with natural, mechanical, and fantastical dangers. If Liz wins, she'll get enough money to pay off her debts and more. But as the miles speed by and a motley crew of competitors closes in, Liz realizes that the real challenge is in coming to grips with her friends, her family, and most importantly, herself.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Joshua Talmud:
I've been writing my whole life, starting on my mom's typewriter back when I was 6 years old. I've been a professional writer in advertising for over 20 years, and I've worked on novels in the background pretty consistently throughout that time.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Joshua Talmud:
I started work on Delirium about three years ago, but there were a lot of false starts before I got to a workable story that I could really fall in love with. I started on what would be the actual manuscript in October 2024.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Joshua Talmud:
There's always going to be self-doubt on any project and I certainly faced a number of low moments. That said, I gave myself an artificial deadline of a writer's conference in March 2025 and that forced me to keep working so that I'd have something to show. I also found that setting small, accomplishable goals helped me along. Maybe I don't feel like writing today, but if I can write one good sentence, that's enough to keep the momentum.
QT: Is this your first book?: Joshua Talmud:
No - I've worked on multiple books in the past, each one helping me learn and grow as a writer in different ways. Delirium is my sixth book, give or take.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Joshua Talmud:
Like any activity, I need to write daily in order to maintain my skills and craft. For whatever reason, I generally find it easier to write first thing in the morning, so I try to keep that habit.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Joshua Talmud:
For me, editing is an ongoing process that happens as I write. I'm almost always going back to what I previously wrote and editing it before moving on to new content. That said, I also did two full edits after finishing the manuscript, including one where I read the entire book out loud. I find this helps me catch errors and fix awkward writing in a way that just eyeballing the words does not.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Joshua Talmud:
I've learned that if I figure out a book in its entirety before I write it that I quickly lose interest in the process. I'll have a general sense of the major plot beats in my head, and then I'll discover the story on the page as I go.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Joshua Talmud:
I've been querying books, overall, since roughly 2015. I began querying Delirium in March 2025.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Joshua Talmud:
I ended up doing all of my querying either in person or virtually. I queried 11 agents before getting an offer.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Joshua Talmud:
I looked at agent profiles, their wishlists, and read websites from their respective agencies. If they had a social media account, I followed that, as well. The main thing was making sure they'd be interested in my genre, but I also wanted to get a sense of how the agent likes to work and what they value to make sure we'd have a good, collaborative relationship.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Joshua Talmud:
Because my pitches were live, I was able to insert my background knowledge of them into the conversation. So, for example, if the agent's profile mentioned a book I liked, I brought it up. I also made sure to tell them why I thought we'd be a good fit (for example, if they mentioned in their profile they're looking for a type of book or have a certain working style that matches mine).
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Joshua Talmud:
It's a looooong process and you need to be down for that. But what (might)can feel like a failure (at first)is actually just another learning experience, another opportunity to come back and bring something better. Success often isn't about talent or skill, but rather dedication, effort, and a little bit of luck.

Success Story Interview - Joshua Talmud

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