Success Story Interview - Bailey Evers

An Interview with Bailey Evers (baileyevers123 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jane Dystel of Dystel Goderich & Bourret LLC.

12/03/2024

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

Bailey Evers:
My book is a new adult suspenseful romance about an American girl running away from her troubled home, and finding a new life in Italy as an au pair for an extremely wealthy family. This book was partly inspired by my own experiences as an American living in Italy, interviewing to be an au pair for the richest family I've ever come across. I didn't get the job, but I kept wondering: what if?

QT: How long have you been writing?

Bailey Evers:
I wrote my first fanfic when I was fifteen, and once I started, I didn’t stop. I only stepped away from fandom like last year, and I’m twenty-nine. Haha.

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

Bailey Evers:
Two years! But I’ve had the idea cooking in my head for maybe five.

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

Bailey Evers:
I took a break from writing for like six months last year, I think partly because I was a little depressed, but also because I’d never written anything without immediately publishing chapter updates and getting that sweet, sweet dopamine hit from reviews and kudos. This was the first time I ever had to sit with my work, wondering if it was any good, or if I was just kidding myself.

What inspired me to get back on it was a conversation with my longtime friend and mentor, who pushed me to keep going. She had a published author friend she introduced me to, and being able to talk to someone in the literary world made me realize that it wasn’t so far-fetched after all!

QT: Is this your first book?

Bailey Evers:
First original work, yes!

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Bailey Evers:
I took some screenwriting classes at Colorado Film School during my post production major, but beyond that––literally nothing. I learned how to write from reading. (And playing in the sandbox of fanfiction, obviously.) I will say that film school taught me about important story beats; the hero's journey, a character’s want vs. need, every scene having a narrative purpose, and all that good stuff.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Bailey Evers:
Unfortunately, no. I just write when inspiration strikes, even if the timing isn’t great. I probably wrote half of this book on my phone with google docs, haha. I feel a little guilty for all of the dinners I’ve attended with my head down, tapping away at my screen.

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

Bailey Evers:
The little tweaks are a constant thing. I don’t know why every time I open my MS I change one little word here or there. I’ll delete a sentence or two, or write a few more. It’s almost like an impulse. In terms of proper drafts––as in big changes, substantial word cuts and developmental adjustments… I want to say maybe three sturdy revisions.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Bailey Evers:
Yes! I’m very fortunate to have a dedicated following on instagram. A group was willing to read my book in batches before answering survey questions! I had about 15 of them. They helped me a TON to figure out what wasn’t working and what was. I also hired a developmental editor to catch any loose ends and take a look at the big picture. I wrangled my high school writing friend in as a critique partner, and two sensitivity readers for my LGBTQ characters, as well as how I handled Italian culture / stereotypes.

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

Bailey Evers:
When the storyline finally came to me I did a rough bullet point list of all the story beats. Of course, when I go back to the outline I laugh, because so much ended up changing. The only thing that stayed the same was the love triangle and the climax.

OH! I just remembered, the first scene I ever wrote was actually the climax. I had a very strong vision for that, and it literally didn’t change. I ended up writing the rest of the book up to the scene and everything fit perfectly.

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

Bailey Evers:
This is my debut novel and my first query journey. I tested the waters with a few agents in July, got no bites, and I realized that I had a lot to learn. (My query was a DISASTER, my genres were all wonky, and my word count was 16k words too long. I’m embarrassed that I queried some really promising agents with that package.)

After that, I read and watched everything I could about query letters and comps and the first 300 and such, and I rolled up my sleeves to try again in September. It’s November now, so… 3 months. Maybe 5 months if you count my first sad attempts, but I’d rather not.

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

Bailey Evers:
Around 35 through query tracker, more through email. Could be closer to 45. By the end I had 1 partial, 8 full requests, and 2 offers of representation.

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

Bailey Evers:
Honestly? I first looked to see if they represent New Adult. I realized early on how tricky voice can be within the adult fiction space, and my writing voice skews young. From there, I checked for contemporary romance, or thriller/suspense, and in the best case, both! If they didn’t explicitly say they represent New Adult, but I felt they may enjoy it anyway, I sent it along! And thank God I did, or I wouldn’t have sent it to Jane.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

Bailey Evers:
Sometimes yes, if I felt strongly about the agent. If I really liked their vibe I would throw in a reference that indicated I read their MSWL carefully. “Perfect for your taste in _____ stories that ______…”

One agent said they’re looking for something like Crazy Rich Asians, and even though that book is over 10 years old, I comp’d it since my story has a lot in common with it.

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

Bailey Evers:
Please, please, please get as many sets of eyes on your query letter and first 300 as you can. (as well as your entire manuscript.) I used the pubtips subreddit and paid one former agent to take a look at my letter. When you first start, their feedback may seem a little harsh, but most of it is good, important information. Put your ego aside and listen to the folks who have been doing this a lot longer than you have.

Also, if you think your word count can’t be cut down, yes it can. I don’t care if you think it’s impossible, I thought the same thing too. When I went through my manuscript and critically analyzed every single scene for its narrative purpose, I managed to cut around 10k words, and after that I went sentence by sentence, cutting reiterated ideas or uselessly wordy prose, and managed to cut 6k more. My story is so much more powerful because of it.