Successful Queries: Liza Fleissig and “Far From the A-List,” by Stephanie Burns

Welcome back to the Successful Queries series. In this installment, find a query letter to agent Liza Fleissig for Stephanie Burns' debut novel, Far From the A-List.

Stephanie Burns holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a BA in Theater Studies, both from Emerson College. When she’s not dreaming up stories of her own, she is championing women authors as the COO of the award-winning Tall Poppy Writers. She lives on the south shore of Massachusetts where she plots by the ocean with her almost-famous beagle, Ollie Twist. Far from the A-List is her debut novel.

Dear Ms. Fleissig,

I’ve heard such wonderful things about you from Ann Garvin and Amy Impellizzeri, and based on your strong roster of women’s fiction authors, I hope that my novel, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, might be a good fit for your list. It’s Fleabag meets I’m Glad My Mom Died set against the tabloid culture of the mid-aughts, ideal for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid. I would be thrilled to submit my manuscript for your consideration.

Michaela Turner wants you to know one thing: she is not Daisy Breyer, the character she played as a child on the hit TV series Breyer’s Town. Who she is apart from that, she hasn’t quite figured out.

A decade and a half after her show’s cancellation, Michaela is doing her best to prove that she has escaped the trappings of former child stardom. She’s paid to party at New York’s trendiest clubs and she’s dating the hottest guy in baseball—even if she only sees him when his team passes through town. No one needs to know that behind the role of Queen of the Social Scene, she’s a girl who looks for life’s answers in reruns of her old TV show, a girl who can tell you every detail of Daisy’s history, but can’t tell you her own favorite color or her father’s name. After a fall from grace in the tabloids leads to an embarrassing public breakup, Michaela must face the fact that she may not be fooling anyone, least of all herself. When her newly engaged rock star of an ex seeks her guidance with an identity crisis of his own, Michaela finds her chance to rediscover the girl she once was—even if that means opening herself up to the one person she ever revealed her true self to, the one person who smashed her heart in return. It’s really not the ideal time for her estranged stage mother to resurface, looking to cash in on her genetic lottery ticket, but nothing about her mother has ever been ideal. Torn between everyone’s concepts of who she is meant to be, Michaela faces a crossroads. Will she continue to let her past define her, or find the strength to step out of Daisy’s shadow and create her own path, unscripted?

I have an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, and I am the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Social Media for the Tall Poppy Writers, the only cross-genre, cross-publisher women’s author collective. Along with Ann Garvin, I launched the inaugural Tall Poppy Writers Perfect Pitch Contest and taught at the Tall Poppy Writers Retreat in Italy. For eight years, I blogged about all things books at bookperfume.com, which allowed me to develop wonderful relationships with readers and authors alike.

I would love the opportunity to send my 100,000-word manuscript to you. While Where Everybody Knows Your Name is a stand-alone novel, it leaves the door open for a follow-up. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Burns

Bookshop | Amazon

(WD uses affiliate links)

To borrow from The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing podcast, it all boils down to the hook, book, and cook. Stephanie nailed them all.

First, the hook. She grabbed me with an excellent pitch that immediately gave me a sense of the genre and story, with comps that told me where it would sit on shelves. Next, the book. She provided a solid back jacket summary that piqued my interest, set the scene for what sounded like a compelling novel, and instantly made me want to read more. Finally, she sold herself as the “cook,” with a strong bio conveying her experience, dedication to her craft, and all the ways she’d been engaging in the industry. Having a referral didn’t hurt, either. It showed me that she had been building meaningful connections and had established a great reputation for herself among colleagues, but none of that would have mattered without her talent.

Her query was super polished and inviting, and I knew if her writing was half as good as her letter, it would be a home run—and it was. As soon as I started reading her manuscript, I couldn’t put it down. Her book was timely and original with a captivating voice, and I was thrilled about the prospect of working with her.

When I was querying, I repeatedly heard, “It only takes one yes” and “The best agent you can find is the one who is passionate about your book.” I thought these were just platitudes to make the passes more digestible, until I got the call from Liza.

I’d heard amazing things about Liza from some of her other clients, and I’d been following the agency for years. I queried her just before Thanksgiving and she requested my full manuscript right away. I didn’t expect to get a response until the new year because the other thing I always heard when querying was, “Nothing happens in December.” Two days before Christmas Eve, I was in the supermarket shopping for the holidays and I got a message from her asking if we could chat. I nearly left my cart in the middle of the dairy aisle!

When I spoke to her that evening, her enthusiasm was palpable. She fully understood the heart of the novel and loved all of the things I loved about it, too. She already had a plan in place for going on submission with it in January, and while her reputation and strategy spoke volumes, it was her excitement over the book and my writing that made me certain there was no one I’d rather have in my corner.

I received plenty of “no”s in the query trenches, along with some close calls with agents who loved my writing but didn’t share my vision for the book. I’m so glad I didn’t give up. Liza’s “yes” was the one I’d been waiting for.

________________________________

Liza Fleissig is a founder of the Liza Royce Agency, a cross-platform company providing development, representation, and strategic career management in media. LRA’s goal is to represent clients in all stages of their careers, from the most established to those still developing their craft. A former trial partner in a NYC based litigation firm, Liza brings decades of negotiating experience to the field, and along with strong connections rooted in publishing, film and television, she provides bespoke services on a multi-dimensional level.