This query is part of the Be an Agent for a Day contest. Rules and Regulations here
Please post your rejection or manuscript request in the comment section!
Dear Agent for a Day:
My novel Paranoid starts out in the familiar classic mode: an innocent person stumbles onto a conspiracy so huge and terrifying that he can’t go to the police without proof: they would just assume he was insane. So he has to fight a shadowy, diabolical organization — alone and on the run — while the conspirators chase him down. It sounds like any one of a dozen thrillers, from North by Northwest to Three Days of the Condor. But there’s a crucial difference: the hero of Paranoid really is crazy. Three quarters of the way through the book that becomes undeniably clear. The President of the United States has not been ‘replaced by an impostor’; the President’s son is not the only one who can rescue the country from a Devil’s bargain with the mafia. No, the President’s son is actually a paranoid schizophrenic. He also happens to be a trained killer with an intimate knowledge of the life and habits of the leader of the free world. In the other words – the perfect assassin.
For the reader, this revelation punches every expectation inside out: the hero is suddenly the villain; the sinister agents trying to bring him down are in fact the Secret Service … the good guys. And of course the final twist, revealed through a few bars of music whistled during a televised interview with the President, is that even paranoids have real enemies. And sometimes it takes a crazy guy to save the world.
The novel is complete at 92,000 words. I’ll be happy to send all or any part of it, if you’d like to take a look.
Thanks,
Author
STATS: 5% request rate
Anonymous says
Dear Author,
Thank you for considering me. I can see this being picked up elsewhere, but unfortunately I have to pass. Reason for rejection – personal taste.
Best of Luck!
Agent X-9
Kendra says
Dear Author,
Thank you for submitting your work. Concidering my current workload, I can only take on projects I feel truly passionate about. While the idea of the President’s son being the crazy out to get him sounds great, I didn’t have a clear enough understanding of the plot of the book or how you would pull it off. I have to pass. Good luck in your writing.
-Kendra
abouttothunder says
Dear Author,
Thank you for the opportunity to represent your work. Unfortunately, it isn’t a good fit for me. Since you deserve an agent who will fully support you project, I will have to pass.
I wish you the best of luck in finding representation.
Sincerely,
Agent-for-a-day Sara
P.S. The plot sounds interesting and taut, but the query is too abstract. I would have read sample pages if they had been included.
Rik says
Thank you for submitting your book – Paranoid – for my consideration. Regrettably, I do not feel that I am able to represent this work for you. Best wishes for your future endeavours. Agent Rik.
EJN says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your submission. Although your premise is intriguing, the writing style of your query just didn’t grab me. Please remember that there are many other agents out there with different tastes and sensibilities, and there could be many who feel differently about your manuscript. Keep trying and keep writing.
Best of luck,
Agent EJN
GuyStewart/DISCOVERCHURCH says
Dear Author:
Thank you for your query, but I’m going to have to pass. I do not feel strongly enough about your story to represent it well.
Sincerely, Guy Stewart
SuzieQ Agent4U says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, I do not feel this book is right for me. Good luck with your search.
Best,
S
AndrewDugas says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query, but I do not believe I would be the best advocate for your novel. I wish you luck in finding representation elsewhere.
Sincerely,
Andy
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I think this is a great idea for a novel, but the query makes me doubt if this author is capable of pulling it off.
Madhat says
Dear Author:
I’m going to have to pass.
-Agent
Why: You present it as a unique angle, but I think the “he’s really crazy” trick has been played too many times.
donnas says
Thank you for your submission. While your story is intriguing I do not feel like I can get it the attention it deserves at this time.
Best of luck.
Dawn says
Dear Author,
Thank you for contacting Dawn Ink. Unfortunately, Paranoid is not what we’re looking for right now.
Best of luck in finding representation.
Sincerely,
Dawn
—–
It’s an interesting premise and would be a blast to pull off, but the writing and structure of the query concerns me.
ludwig snarf says
i’m sorry–we cannot help you
Anonymous says
Dear Author,
Thank you for taking the time to submit your query to me.
I found your premise interesting.
At this moment in time, however, I choose to pass on your project. This does not automatically mean your query is not good enough. It simply means that I am not the right agent for this project. This can be for a number of reasons.
If you would like to know why, you can send a reply to this mail. Please change the subject line to: FEEDBACK / PARANOID / YOUR NAME. I will respond to your request within two weeks.
Good luck with finding representation and keep on writing!
Kind regards,
Nicole34
Anonymous says
You have some interesting ideas here, but the telling tenor of the query makes me hesitant to take it on. Good luck!
Anahita says
Dear Author:
Thanks for sharing your query. Sorry I can’t represent your work. Good luck!
Anahita
Sara J. Henry says
Form rejection[Reasons: The President’s son is a paranoid schizophrenic assasin. Wouldn’t want to try to sell this one.]
Diana says
This sounds really interesting, but I wish the query had been better constructed. There were great moments in it, but it felt very loose and hazy, and thus indicates that the story might be so too
That Girl says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, I will have to pass at this time.
Best of luck,
That Agent Girl
Enusan says
Thank you for your query. I like the twist you’ve given the story, but am hesitant to represent a title based on the twist alone. A little bit more about why you say “And sometimes it takes a crazy guy to save the world.” would be nice. I’m afraid I will have to pass for now, but good luck.
Kathy says
Thank you for your query. I’m going to have to pass on this project.
Best of luck to you.
Sincerely,
Kathy
Saint_Fool says
Dear Author:
Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, I do not feel that your story is the right fit for me.
Best of luck.
Saint_Fool
R. Markiam says
Dear Author,
Thank you for your query letter and for thinking of me for representation of Paranoid. While your novel sounds intriguing, I’m sorry to say I won’t be able to pursue it further with you. I wish you all the best in securing other representation.
Regards,
R. Markiam
MonkBoy says
Thank you for your query submission, but I’m afraid we’re not interested in your material at this time.
Best of luck,
Placebo Publications
Laura Martone says
Dear Author:
Thank you for submitting your query for consideration. I appreciate the time, energy, and passion that it required to complete “Paranoid”.
Unfortunately, given the thousands of queries that I receive annually, I can only request a small percentage of manuscripts for possible representation. While I find the subject matter of your novel intriguing, it does not meet my editorial needs at this time.
I am grateful for the opportunity to consider your work and wish you much luck in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Laura Martone
Livia says
Thank you for your query, but it is not a good fit for me. Best wishes.
Livia
Linta says
Dear Author
Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately I’m not the right agent for you. Best of luck in finding your novel a home.
Regards
Agent for a day
[reasoning: i don’t want to be told why this is a good book, I want to be shown. This makes me feel the writing will also be distant. Also, if the reader only finds out the twist three quarters of the way through, they’ll need more of a hook at the start to keep them going.]
chris says
Thank you for your query, but your project isn’t right for us at this time. Best of luck in your endeavors.