The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
The Craft of Specificity: Why Vague Kills Queries
07 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the significance of specificity in query letters?
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What's up, everyone? This is Cece. So I recently grabbed lunch with an acquiring editor from HarperCollins who told me that the number of submissions she's been getting has nearly doubled.
Chapter 2: How do agents perceive the volume of submissions?
And I wasn't surprised at all because every agent and editor I know has been talking about how the volume of submission keeps increasing. So personally, that is a wonderful thing, because it's more reading for me, but it also means I have more chances of matching with authors. I consider it a privilege to review queries on Books with Hooks, and of course, in my submissions inbox.
But at the same time, I talk to writers who tell me that they wish agents would read more than a few pages because... And I quote, my story gets better in chapter two. I have to be honest, this kills me. It's like me wanting chocolate chip cookies to have the nutritional value of kale. It's just not realistic.
Like it or not, no agent, no acquiring editor is going to stick around to see if a submission gets better. It's not because we're mean.
Chapter 3: Why is making opening pages irresistible crucial for authors?
It's because we get dozens and dozens every day. I know it's harsh, but ambitious writers embrace harsh realities. So here it goes. It's your job to make your opening pages irresistible, to make agents crave it, to make agents want to read more. That's why I'm so excited about my upcoming course, Starting It Right. How to begin your story in the best place and in the best way.
I created this course after studying hundreds of books. I've mapped out elements that are present in the beginning of all successful novels and memoirs. And I've designed checklists, actual checklists, that you can use to ensure that your story's beginning is seducing your reader.
we'll cover how to write a great first line different types of beginnings and how you can choose the best one the best place to start and the best way to start yes these are totally different things when it makes sense to add a prologue and when it doesn't how to frame your inciting incident in an appealing way
how to balance exposition and mystery, how to include context but not weigh it down with too much backstory, and what to do if your story has more than one POV or timeline. Most of all, I'm going to show you how to make readers want to turn to chapter two. Join me for this multi-day course designed to help you break through the noise.
You'll leave with a clear, actionable breakdown of exactly what goes into a terrific beginning. If you've already signed up, come prepared to take lots of notes. We're talking hundreds of slides with real-world examples and specific techniques, plus a super fun surprise that I can't wait to share. I hope to see you there.
Welcome to an episode of Books with Hooks.
As you guys can see, if you're watching us on YouTube, it is only Cece and I here today. Sad.
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Chapter 4: What are the common mistakes in query letters?
Yeah, it is sad. She's under the weather. And so those of you who have been around a while know that when it's just Cece and I doing books with hooks, we can't really stick to a script. We go too long. We're all over the place, which makes it very fun. And we like being a bit mischievous. Is that the right word? Mischievous? Mischievous.
Yeah.
We like being mischievous.
Well, because Bianca is like the parent in this dynamic, right? Like she keeps us on schedule. She doesn't allow anything to go off the rails. Whereas if you put Carly and I alone in a recording room, who knows what will happen? It's a mystery.
I know. And this is also a bye week for our Monday episode, our shooting the shit episodes. We only get to see each other once this week. So this is our time.
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Chapter 5: How can authors effectively convey their story's stakes?
That's true. That's true. Okay.
Do you want to start with your query letter today or mine? Yeah, you know, we were just chatting really quickly before I hit record, and these are very strong pieces today. So I'm really excited for you guys to hear these. So I will start today.
Dear Carly, Cece, and Bianca, I would blow my word count if I tried to describe how invaluable the shit about writing has been for me as I ready my book for submissions. So I will simply say to all of you a very warm and heartfelt thank you. I am seeking representation for my historical YA debut, Milk Carton Girls.
Milk Carton Girls, 58,000 Words is a coming-of-age story that combines the first love and family dysfunction of Eleanor and Park with the atmospheric missing girl story of God of the Woods. It's 1985 in Maplewood, Massachusetts, and 14-year-old Tash O'Connor faces another summer alone.
As the youngest daughter of an eight in a chaotic household, Tasha feels invisible and longs for the connection she cannot find with her family. She escapes her family's neglect on her bike, riding around town alone, doing her paper route and feeding her obsession with kidnappings by collecting milk carton pictures of missing children.
Tasha meets the new kid Jeff on a bike ride, and their burgeoning friendship upends her boring summer. They rebuild a dilapidated treehouse in the town forest and explore this place Tasha knows so well. When local girl Bitsy goes missing, the teens embark on a search for answers in her disappearance, unearthing eerie parallels between Tasha and the missing girl.
As Tasha and Jeff's investigation and their relationship intensify, Tasha's guarded, solitary world comes under attack and Tasha must face her own fears before she too is lost forever. I have studied creative writing at the Bennington MFA program, Tin House Summer Workshop Grub Street, and Hugo House Yearlong Book Lab program and others.
My scientific articles have been published in Circulation and the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
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Chapter 6: What makes a query letter stand out in a crowded market?
I've written short pieces for the Atlantic Online. Milk Carton Girls is my first novel. I've attached the first five pages below. May I send you the manuscript? Thank you for your consideration.
Warm regards, Redacted. See, I forgot Bianca was in here. So it's already started, the shenanigans. Thank you, Carly, for reading that query letter. What was the word count? And what did you think of the query letter?
All right, this one clocked in at 331 words. Very tight and concise. I think everybody who's listening can hear how strong this is. It's really, really well done. So I think the title is great. I didn't do, you know, a sweep of the internet to kind of make sure there's not something else named like that. But I can really see the package.
I could really see the opportunity for what the design would look like here. So I think this is a super strong title.
Chapter 7: How do different narrative styles affect reader engagement?
Word count 58,000. That's a tight novel, which is great. You know, this is for a YA audience. This is a coming of age story. So I definitely think we're kind of in a really great word count here. So I think that's super strong. Eleanor and Park, though, it's a bit of an older novel. I want to say, is this novel 15 years old? Potentially 10 to 15 years old. There has to be.
Is it that old? Oh, wow.
Sure. I'm sure we can do a fact check. I'm going to do a fact check right now.
No, I'm not. I'm not even doubting you. I'm just like surprised that time went by that fast.
Yeah.
Yeah.
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Chapter 8: What insights can be drawn from the sample pages discussed?
It was published in 2012. Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. So yeah, so 2012. So it's a bit older, which, you know, it's a very iconic novel. Definitely. I mean, some would argue really popularized the YA category, especially YA crossover novels. So I can see why it's relevant here, but there has to be a more modern YA comp that we could use, especially because your other comp is adult, right? God of the Woods.
So I would love to see like a slightly more up-to-date comp for the YA comp because it really has to ground it in the category. You know, I think it probably has some crossover potential. You're not saying the word crossover. I'm saying the word crossover, but you definitely have to have a YA comp here because it is YA. So overall, as I said, it is very strong.
I think one of the things I struggle with slightly is the familiarity. You know, unfortunately, as much as it sucks to hear these words coming out of my mouth, a missing girl story, unfortunately, is a story that we have read before, you know, and we know we see it in the news. And I think that's part of this, what this book is trying to do is kind of talk about that and confront that.
But what about this story is unlike any other missing child stories? What is so special about Tasha for telling this story? the structure, the twists. I don't know. It seems like this author is very capable. They wrote a very good pitch and will obviously get to the pages. I'm just wondering where the why of this all is to make it really stand out here.
I'm also a bit confused on how much of a thriller this is. I will be honest, I have started God of the Woods. I have not finished it yet. And I know it's a great novel and I can't wait to finish it. But it's a classic case of Carly picking up a book and
having to put it down because i have other things to do so i don't know how much of a thriller god of the woods is my understanding is that it is a bit of a thriller cc have you finished god of the woods oh my god 100 i love it it's i would say it's more mystery suspense than okay it's not like it's amazing though you must finish it like it's my favorite novels
Not only do I have to finish that, I literally, before jumping on recording this, started putting together my order for my local independent bookstore, Mill Street Books. I just put like six books in my cart. Yay! Hooray! Excellent habit. So listen, I have a lot to read. Okay, coming back to God of the Woods though.
So this is not being pitched to us here as a thriller, mystery, or suspense, and yet you're ending with Tasha must face her own fears before she too is lost forever, which makes me wonder, is she being kind of hunted down? What is happening with the missing girls? Because it is a mystery in the sense that they are trying to figure out what happens to this girl.
So they are trying to solve a mystery in this kind of like teenage way, which I love, which is very strong. I guess I'm just little, I'm wondering. what is the special sparkly factor in this pitch? And I'm not really seeing the sparkliest. It's very, well, this is a classic case of this looks great.
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