Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews LE Todd

Success Story Interview - LE Todd

An Interview with LE Todd (letodd7 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Rebecca Friedman of Rebecca Friedman Literary Agency.

09/30/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: LE Todd:
The book that landed me an agent is called Claret. It’s an adult vampire romance inspired by my love of dark romance, love triangles, and French Canada. It follows through the eyes of a vampire named Claret who has been in hiding for eighty years after killing the leader of his coven. Unexpectedly, Claret falls in love with a human woman just as an old friend and lover—a vampire man—comes back into his life. He is then faced with the difficulties of his self-imposed isolation as he attempts to choose between the two people he loves, but time is cut short when the leaders of his coven find him and his life, and the lives of those he loves, are on the line.
QT: How long have you been writing?: LE Todd:
I’ve been writing since 2007 when I was midway through college.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: LE Todd:
I started writing this book in February of 2023.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: LE Todd:
Yes. In fact, I did give up, but not on this specific book. I’ve queried three books in total starting back around ‘08. After a few years of rejection, I shelved that manuscript (and it remains shelved for now). It wasn’t until 2020 that I actually went full-force back into writing fiction and attempting to publish.
QT: Is this your first book?: LE Todd:
No. This is the fourth manuscript I’ve written and the third I’ve queried. I also have one book published, which I sold unagented to a small press. That book is called The Spoiler and it released in June of 2024.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: LE Todd:
I do not.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: LE Todd:
Not particularly. I usually find that once I’m writing a story, it’s all I want to do. I use every spare minute to write, research, edit, take notes, etc.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: LE Todd:
I went through edits here and there before beta reads, then some more after. Then, with the guidance of my now-agent (and after receiving a revision request from an editor at a publishing house) I rewrote the opening chapters of the book and the ending.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: LE Todd:
Yes.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: LE Todd:
I do a combination of pantsing and plotting. Usually, I get an idea and certain lines, voices, feelings, etc. will come to me. I’ll sit down and start hammering words out until I have maybe a chapter or three. Then, I’ll work through where the story is going in a very loose way. It isn’t until I’m maybe 1/3 of the way through that I put more thought into the plotting process and start creating an outline of sorts.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: LE Todd:
I started querying this book a year ago. I had been querying since late-2020/early-2021 (I believe) this time around. I had also queried starting back in ‘08 when most of the queries were sent via snail mail.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: LE Todd:
82 total.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: LE Todd:
I did a combination of things (as I always do). I started by filtering on QT by genre (and subgenre), then going through and searching names on #MSWL and manuscript wishlist sites to see if any of them were interested (and specifically NOT interested) in vampire stories. Then, I queried those I felt were a good fit.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: LE Todd:
Only a little. Most of my queries were not tailored to each agent. I found, over time, that this process was largely useless and overly time-consuming. Most agents didn’t seem to care, and I even read a thread on Twitter wherein many agents agreed that it didn’t matter. I believe only one said it was something that often made them request.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: LE Todd:
Honestly? Network with people and see if you can get referrals. Ultimately, cold querying didn’t land me my agent. I went through years of this process only to find someone who was the agent of my friend’s friend and who was open to helping me revise my manuscript after receiving a revision request. However, I would also tell people to use QueryTracker because it’s a phenomenal tool. Being able to track everything, find agents using filters, etc. is beyond helpful, especially considering how things used to be done!

Success Story Interview - LE Todd

Query Letter: