Success Story Interview - Taylor Hobbs

An Interview with Taylor Hobbs (TaylorKHobbs on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Michaela Whatnall of Dystel Goderich & Bourret LLC.

01/24/2024

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

Taylor Hobbs:
I wanted to write a book that all sibs with disabled siblings would understand. It is the book I would have loved to have while growing up.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Taylor Hobbs:
Almost a decade at this point!

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

Taylor Hobbs:
It only took about 10 weeks to complete. I was awarded a fellowship for a short story I wrote earlier that year, and I decided to expand it into a novel. I was also in a rush to have a new book to pitch at a conference!

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

Taylor Hobbs:
All. The. Time.
But the stories wouldn’t stop, so I kept writing and hoping one would strike the right chord.

QT: Is this your first book?

Taylor Hobbs:
Nope. This is my seventh book.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Taylor Hobbs:
None! Self-taught. Hence the reason for, oh, 600? or so rejections over the years.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Taylor Hobbs:
If I’m drafting, my minimum is 1,000 words per day until the book is done.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Taylor Hobbs:
A few close friends and family

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

Taylor Hobbs:
I queried this book for about six months, but I have been in the query trenches for six others for nine years! I’ve actually been dreaming of the day I’d get to write my QueryTracker interview.

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

Taylor Hobbs:
About sixty.

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

Taylor Hobbs:
Don’t get too attached to one project. It might not be the time for it yet, and that’s okay. Write the next book. And the next. The stars will align eventually. Then you’ll also have a killer backlist!

Query Letter:

Dear Agent,

WHAT I WOULD DO FOR YOU is a 70,000-word YA contemporary novel that takes two sisters, the older of whom is developmentally disabled, on a madcap road trip against a ticking clock in order to fight for both their futures.

Growing up is hard when you’re living it for two people. Kaley needs to cram in as many milestone experiences as she can—stellar grades, parties, and first love—while balancing the responsibilities of her disabled and medically fragile older sister, Zoey. When Zoey needs a new kidney and is out of options, the sisters and their mother embark on a frantic journey to track down their estranged father in Oregon and bribe him into giving one up. However, the cost might be more than Kaley is able to sacrifice once the people she loves are exposed in a harsh new light and she realizes the bonds that tie aren’t as unbreakable as she was raised to believe.

This novel is what would happen if Meg Cabot wrote My Sister’s Keeper. Filled with humor, voice, and unconditional love, WHAT I WOULD DO FOR YOU examines what it means to have a role thrust upon you at birth and the journey to find your own identity amid an unconventional coming-of-age.

I am the middle of three sisters and my older sister has severe disabilities. My family is involved in supporting L'Arche, an international volunteer organization that is dedicated to the creation of homes, programs, and support networks for people with intellectual disabilities. I have two traditionally published romance novels with The Wild Rose Press—Cloaked (2018) and Sonder Village (2019). I was recently awarded the Pen Parentis Fellowship for my piece Contingency Daughter—the short story that inspired this novel—which was published in Dreamers Creative Magazine in December 2023.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Taylor Hobbs