Success Story Interview - Kalie Holford

An Interview with Kalie Holford (kalieholford on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Alex Rice of Creative Artists Agency.

03/01/2022

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

Kalie Holford:
The book is a YA contemporary coming-of-age about a girl who finds her late country star mother's diary and embarks on a scavenger hunt to find out more about her family and herself! I pitched it as a bi Mamma Mia for fans of Nina LaCour, and I wrote it in the early months of the pandemic when I needed an outlet for all the anxiety and fear.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Kalie Holford:
I've written picture books and short stories ever since grade school, and I started my first novel when I was eleven. I started querying for the first time and writing seriously at twelve, so that's been about seven years now.

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

Kalie Holford:
I've been working on this book since May of 2020.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Kalie Holford:
There were a lot of times I almost gave up, and there were a lot of rejections that hit really hard over the years. I'm so glad I didn't though; my friends and family kept me going and were there to talk about those feelings.

QT: Is this your first book?

Kalie Holford:
No, I've lost count of which one this is!

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Kalie Holford:
I'm currently pursuing an extended minor in Creative Writing, but before this no.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Kalie Holford:
I don't really have a routine or schedule. I try to set goals for myself to finish larger revisions or new drafts, and I do my best to do things within that time. However, I don't really write at a set time or on set days. As a full-time student, writing for me tends to work best in the spare moments.

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Kalie Holford:
I think this was the fourth or fifth draft, and it's now on the seventh!

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Kalie Holford:
Yes, I did! I had a wonderful reader who read the very first draft and helped me so much, and I had so many writing friends/critique partners read and give thoughts and support this book and journey.

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

Kalie Holford:
I did outline, but it shifted a LOT as I wrote it. The ending in the outline didn't feel right once I neared that point, and it ended up going completely differently than I planned. Funnily enough, so far it's the only part of the book that's hardly changed once it was written. When revising, on the other hand, I had cue cards galore.

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

Kalie Holford:
I've been querying since I was twelve, so I queried for roughly six and a half years. I started querying this book in June of 2020 and signed with my agent in June of 2021.

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

Kalie Holford:
I think I sent out about 40 queries for this book.

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

Kalie Holford:
Having queried multiple books in the past, I tried to start with agents who had been kind about previous WIPs or said to keep them in mind. My now-agent was the kindest rejection I'd ever received on a prior book, so I queried her as soon as I felt the book was fully ready.

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

Kalie Holford:
I tailored the queries that I had found very specific MSWLs for and ones that were from requests to see future work or pitch contests. Otherwise, I just started with the story.

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

Kalie Holford:
Please don't give up. I know that sounds pretty standard but it was what got me through the query trenches. Your story matters.