Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Lori Brand

Success Story Interview - Lori Brand

An Interview with Lori Brand (cultivate_hunger on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Amy Bishop-Wycisk of Trellis Literary Management.

04/21/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Lori Brand:
THE BODY SWAPPER is speculative psychological fiction. I got the idea when I injured my shoulder and could no longer snatch (type of Olympic lift) and found myself coveting other people's healthy shoulders. Some even lamented that they wished they had the time to lift weights. And it all just seemed so terribly unfair. Like, why couldn't I take their body to the gym and get my fix (I LOVE to snatch) and they could hang out in mine and eat Greek yogurt? I figured some people might even pay me to do that, like a personal trainer, but more convenient. Then I thought that if people would pay me for that, what else might they pay me for, and THE BODY SWAPPER was born.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Lori Brand:
About six years.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Lori Brand:
From first sentence to polished manuscript, maybe six months.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Lori Brand:
Not for this book, but prior to this book. My previous agent and I were not in agreement on the direction of another book I'd been working on. Writing was no longer enjoyable, and I felt like I was losing my voice. So, we parted ways and suddenly the words flowed and my voice came back and I vomited up this weird little book.
QT: Is this your first book?: Lori Brand:
No.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Lori Brand:
Many years ago, I took one creative writing class in college and got an A-.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Lori Brand:
Yes, I work on it (either drafting or revising) at least two hours a day on weekdays in the evenings (I have a day job) and usually put in more time on the weekends.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Lori Brand:
Hard to know. Maybe six?
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Lori Brand:
Yes, four.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Lori Brand:
Very rough outline at the beginning that got flushed out as I went.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Lori Brand:
This book was about 3.5 months.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Lori Brand:
About 100.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Lori Brand:
Agents who were interested in my genre and selling in my genre.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Lori Brand:
I tailored maybe 10% of the queries, and only if it really made sense (ex: I thought my work was similar to another author's they represent, or something on their Manuscript Wishlist was bang-on for my book). Of note, I didn't tailor my query to any of the three agents that offered. And of the 22 requests I received, only a handful of them were from agents whom I tailored my query to.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Lori Brand:
Find a top-notch hook, write a banger of a manuscript, and edit that thing until it screams.

Success Story Interview - Lori Brand

Query Letter: