Success Story Interview - Ally Wiegand

An Interview with Ally Wiegand (allycwiegand on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Saskia Leach of Kate Nash Literary Agency.

07/25/2023

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

Ally Wiegand:
THE PERFECT SHOT is a sports romance that is right around 79,500 words.

Maggie Redford has given up on love. After losing the person in her life she considered her one true soul mate, the only romance she experiences is with her favorite movies. Her only plan is to focus on climbing the ladder as a photographer within professional baseball. But when the Chicago Cougars pick up a new hot shot player, Tommy Lyons, whose career is at stake because of his image as a ladies man, Maggie’s life is turned upside down. A picture of the two of them is splashed across the tabloids, making Maggie look like just another one of Tommy’s girls. In an effort to save face, the publicity team for the Chicago Cougars make a plan to have Maggie and Tommy fake a relationship to help change Tommy’s image from a player to a tied down man. Things get tricky when real feelings come into play. The two must navigate a public relationship to avoid losing what matters to them most: their careers.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Ally Wiegand:
For a career, just over 2 years. However, I've been writing stories since my childhood.

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

Ally Wiegand:
I started this book in July of 2022.

QT: Is this your first book?

Ally Wiegand:
This is the first book I queried.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Ally Wiegand:
I got my bachelor's in English Literature from Illinois Wesleyan University.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Ally Wiegand:
While writing a first draft, I will shoot for 3,000 words a day. While editing, I will break it down between 1-3 chapters depending on how much time I have that day. I do not write full-time, so I write around my day job.

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Ally Wiegand:
I went through 3 rounds of editing with this book so far.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Ally Wiegand:
I had one beta reader. I had them read it after the first round of self-edits. I used their feedback as a second round of editing before sending it off to someone to look at for a larger scale of editing (pacing, plot holes, etc.)

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

Ally Wiegand:
I outlined my book through ten steps: the hook, the inciting incident, the first plot point, the first pinch point, the midpoint, the second pinch point, the second plot point, the crisis, the climax, and the resolution.

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

Ally Wiegand:
I queried this book from October of 2022 to June of 2023.

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

Ally Wiegand:
Just over 100.

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

Ally Wiegand:
Agents that represented my genre and had interests that matched different characteristics of my book.

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

Ally Wiegand:
To not give up. Just when you feel like you've run through your options, something might just come around the corner for you.