Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Joy Netanya Thompson

Success Story Interview - Joy Netanya Thompson

An Interview with Joy Netanya Thompson (JoyNetanya on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Lindsay Davis Auld of Writers House.

08/18/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
The book is a contemporary retelling of Little Women from the youngest sister Amy's perspective, set mostly at a summer camp! I was inspired to write it after I finished writing my first MG novel, which was historical fiction and was quite heavy, topic-wise. I was not able to get representation for that book and I needed something fun to write. I seriously just sat down and thought about all the things I love, and Little Women and summer camp are two of them!
QT: How long have you been writing?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
All my life. I started writing middle grade fiction around 2019.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
I started drafting it in the summer of 2023. I probably spent a few months before that plotting, doing some research, and otherwise letting my ideas and characters percolate.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
Yes. I was getting pretty down when I wasn't getting a ton of full requests for this book. The last book was historical fiction, which I knew was a tough sell (and requesting agents told me so), so I thought once I had a contemporary novel with a fun hook, I could have more requests, faster. Not so! As I was querying this book, I started thinking about what to write for a new WIP, and part of me was like, "Why bother?" But I'm glad I stuck with it.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
No.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
Nope. I work full-time and have an elementary-aged child. I write when I can steal a couple of hours here and there, mostly on the weekends. I was working part-time for the year I wrote the first two drafts of this book, though, and I don't know if I could have gotten all those words down otherwise! I also took the Just Do It! online course with the Highlights Foundation while I was writing my first draft, and that helped so much with accountability. They hosted a ton of writing sprints and I was amazed how many words I could get down in one of those.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
I think I'm on my fifth draft now.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
Yes, my two sisters and my husband read it first. They are more like cheerleaders than beta readers. Then a friend from an online writing group read it and gave me some wonderful notes. Then I had an 11-year-old family friend read it, and that was helpful, too!
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
I outlined this book. I read Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel and followed the beats pretty closely. Then I used a board on Notion (kind of like a Trello board) to map out each scene between the beats.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
I started querying in August 2024.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
According to QueryTracker, I set out 46 letters. Of those, I received 37 rejections or non-responses, and 7 full requests. Interestingly, I didn't even query my offering agent. I queried another agent at her agency, who requested the full MS but ultimately passed. But when he passed, he mentioned that Lindsay had seen the first few pages and wanted to read more. He asked my permission to send it to her, and of course I said yes! So it was a bit of a roundabout way to an offer.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
I researched the agents to see if they represented books and authors I liked, and had made deals with reputable publishing houses. I found several agents from listening to podcasts with MG authors who mentioned their agent, or from the acknowledgements of MG books I liked.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
I tried, even if it was just one sentence. If I was a fan of one of their clients, I often mentioned that.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
Do your research, send your query in batches so you can adjust if things aren't quite working. Because once you query an agent, that's it. If you have a better query down the line, it's not like you can send it to them again! Also, I don't have proof of this, but I do think personalizing queries when possible had a positive effect.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Joy Netanya Thompson:
Sure. This is the query letter I sent to Steve Malk, who passed my MS to Lindsay Auld, who became my agent.

Success Story Interview - Joy Netanya Thompson

Query Letter: