Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Lindsay Allison

Success Story Interview - Lindsay Allison

An Interview with Lindsay Allison (lindsayallison on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Natalie Sun of HG Literary.

03/05/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Lindsay Allison:
My book is an adult contemporary romcom about an amateur violist who must overcome her vomit-inducing stage fright with the help of a grumpy music teacher when she agrees to play a concert solo as a favor to her childhood crush, the orchestra's conductor.

I was inspired by my real-life community orchestra experience and as a violist myself for the last 26 years.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Lindsay Allison:
I have always loved writing and blogging, and my undergraduate degree is in journalism. But I have been writing fiction since August 2024.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Lindsay Allison:
I started my first draft in August 2024. I did several drafts, rounds of beta readers, and two major rewrites, including one in the summer of 2025 right before I started querying.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Lindsay Allison:
The joke in my writing group is to GIVE UP because several of us ended up with major querying breakthroughs after we resigned ourselves to shelving the project.

For me, I knew my book was the best possible thing I was capable of at the time of its completion. I knew in my heart I couldn't go any further without professional help and that if it could only find the right person, they would read it and love it. But after more than 100 rejections, I had accepted maybe this book was just supposed to teach me how to write, and the next book might get me an agent. I decided to send another batch of queries to anyone opening in early 2026, but then I would move on to write the next thing. And that's when Natalie pulled it out of the slush pile!
QT: Is this your first book?: Lindsay Allison:
Yes
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Lindsay Allison:
I majored in magazine journalism and have taken a few fiction writing courses over the last year with agent CeCe Lyra.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Lindsay Allison:
When I am drafting and editing, I try to squeeze in writing whenever I can -- during lunch breaks from my day job and after my kids go to sleep. I wrote most of this book from 8 - 11 PM or occasionally for a few hours on the weekends while my kids watched a movie.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Lindsay Allison:
My document titles say I did 5 drafts, but I've lost track!
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Lindsay Allison:
Yes, arguably way more than anyone would probably recommend, but it worked for me. I love critical feedback. I did 3 rounds with more than 10 readers for each round, though some readers read for more than one round.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Lindsay Allison:
I had a very loose outline to start, and probably my biggest outline happened after my second draft (really my first real draft) when I reverse outlined everything. Then when I did my final big rewrite for draft 5, I did another outline mapped to Romancing the Beat and Save the Cat.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Lindsay Allison:
I queried this book almost exactly 6 months.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Lindsay Allison:
I sent roughly 200 queries.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Lindsay Allison:
If they took romance, I probably queried them, though I tried not to query those with MSWLs that didn't feel like a good fit (i.e. they wanted LGBT stories, high-angst or high heat romance, since mine is straight, closed-door, and cozy).
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Lindsay Allison:
I tailored some but not all. I ended up with 2 offers -- one query letter had been personalized and the other had not been.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Lindsay Allison:
I don't know that I would recommend this as a strategy for everyone, but I will say this is what I did, and it worked for me. I approached querying more as a numbers game with a scattershot approach. I knew my book did not have a huge hook (it's quieter with more emotional stakes), but if the right person (someone who liked music, perhaps) found it, they would like it. Both my offering agents had a personal connection to music programs at the collegiate level, but I had no way of knowing that before I queried them -- it was not listed anywhere publicly. My book found the right people at the right time.

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong shared on a TikTok live to not stop querying until you'd sent 150 queries, so that was my goal. I also tried to query agents as soon as they opened when possible. Most of my full requests came from newly re-opened or just new agents.

I would also say don't compare your stats to someone else's. I ended up with 10 full requests, but 6 of those did not come until after my offer came. It only takes one yes!

Success Story Interview - Lindsay Allison

Query Letter: