Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Lindsay Beck

Success Story Interview - Lindsay Beck

An Interview with Lindsay Beck (becklindsayj on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Rebecca Angus of Howland Literary.

01/03/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Lindsay Beck:
It's an adult romantic fantasy! The semi-unhinged but mostly accurate pitch is Stranger Things meets The Hunger Games. The concept came to me one night as I was falling asleep, as many ideas do. I bolted upright and slammed a bunch of shockingly coherent ideas into a note on my phone
QT: How long have you been writing?: Lindsay Beck:
Writing seriously since fall 2023.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Lindsay Beck:
I got the idea for this book in Feb 2024, drafted and edited it through the spring and summer, and began querying in August 2024.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Lindsay Beck:
I never felt like giving up on writing as a whole. But I did fear this book might get shelved as time went on. Friends kept me going, encouraging me to push through the rejections. Drafting my next project also helped take my mind off of what was going on in query world.
QT: Is this your first book?: Lindsay Beck:
It's my second.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Lindsay Beck:
I do not!
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Lindsay Beck:
I don't have a set schedule. I'm a mom of three so I have to make due with 15 minutes here or there. If I have a little crack of time, I'm probably writing!
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Lindsay Beck:
I did four drafts!
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Lindsay Beck:
Yes!! Each and every one of them had invaluable feedback that helped shape this book into its best possible version.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Lindsay Beck:
A little of both. I wrote the first 40k of this book from the hip and then worked out a detailed outline so I could make sure I was keeping track of all the plot threads. My first book had a detailed outline, but my third I wrote with just a bullet point list to follow. It just depends on my mood I think!
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Lindsay Beck:
My first book I queried for a couple of months before I realized I'd need to pivot away from a fantasy series. I still love that book and hope to come back to it but I had to be honest with myself that it probably wasn't going to get picked up for a debut. This book, I queried for about four months!
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Lindsay Beck:
100
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Lindsay Beck:
I looked for agents who represented fantasy and prioritized ones who also represented romance.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Lindsay Beck:
Only if the agent had something specific on their MSWL that matched my book or if we'd interacted in some way (pitch events etc)
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Lindsay Beck:
Don't be afraid to rework your query dozens of times (I did). Be in community with other writers going through the querying process. Focus on what you can control: your query and pages, the next project, and your mindset.