Success Story Interview - Christina Hennemann

An Interview with Christina Hennemann (literarypoet on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Maria Whelan of InkWell Management.

09/05/2024

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

Christina Hennemann:
My book is a literary mystery. It's inspired by Ireland’s vast bogs and its many archaeological discoveries, my hometown in Germany with its folklore and ghost stories, eating disorders and the size zero hype in the noughties, as well as abuse scandals in the Catholic Church in both countries. I wanted to write a dark book with a spark of glamour and humour to it and really capture the era in which me and my fellow millennials were socialised.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Christina Hennemann:
I wrote my first book of poetry in primary school and read my short stories to my younger sister as a kid, but my professional journey only started 4 years ago in my late 20s, with poetry. I wrote my first novel in 2021 and have been developing my craft since then.

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

Christina Hennemann:
I guess it's bad advice to follow my example, but I started working on this book in March. It took me 6 weeks to complete the first draft. I then got some feedback in the summer, edited a little in July and sent it out to agents.

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

Christina Hennemann:
Yes, after I received 18 full requests for my previous project, plus 5 requests for my poetry collection but none of them led to an offer, I was slowly despairing. With only a few fulls out left, I wanted to distract myself and have something new in the pipeline, and so I began to draft this book. But over the summer months I felt very hopeless and questioned if I’d ever get an agent, and if I’d ever be able to write a book that resonates with someone enough to take me on. It was the first time I found myself wondering how many more books I’d need to query, and if there would be a time when I’d give up and just stick with poetry and small publishers. The querying process can be draining and impact one’s mental health, and I’m so happy I’ve now found someone who believes in my work.

QT: Is this your first book?

Christina Hennemann:
No, this is my third novel! I found that with each one, I understood more what a good book needs in terms of concept, plot and polished writing on a line level.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Christina Hennemann:
No, I have a degree in English Literature & Linguistics, but I don’t have formal training in creative writing. However, I do attend poetry workshops regularly.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Christina Hennemann:
When I’m working on a novel, I try to commit to writing ca. 1,000 words every day. Some days I go over or under, but it’s important for me to not have long breaks in the writing process of the first draft. I'm a bit more flexible with edits and poetry, but I’m afraid of losing my thread if I don’t work on the first draft consistently.

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

Christina Hennemann:
I read each chapter to my sister a few days after writing them. That way, I got her immediate feedback and I also spotted typos, inconsistencies, plot holes, badly phrased sentences and odd transitions right away. So I did small edits “on the go”, and then another round of minor edits in the summer. With this book, I didn’t feel like I needed to do any massive structural edits as I’d laid out most of the plot in advance.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Christina Hennemann:
No, just my sister as a beta listener!

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

Christina Hennemann:
I wrote a short synopsis of 300 words before I started, which outlined setting, main characters and the big plot points. This way, I still had enough freedom to be creative while writing and I also went “off script” a few times and changed the synopsis afterwards.

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

Christina Hennemann:
With this book, the process was fairly quick and straightforward: I started querying a first query letter draft in May, found that it wasn’t quite working yet and rewrote it, and continued with the new version and edited opening pages in August. I got an offer just three days after submitting to Maria, so that was quite a whirlwind!
My previous project was out with agents for a long time, across multiple drafts, from January 2023 until now. I also had full requests for my poetry, but often the agents didn’t like my novel and didn’t take me on for that reason. My very first novel got a full request, too, although its concept was very literary and a hard sell. Overall, the agony of waiting and being ghosted on a number of fulls was real. That just shows how unpredictable the process is, and that one “yes” is enough!

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

Christina Hennemann:
I queried quite widely in both the UK and US, but I made sure that the agents represent my genre and potentially other genres I’m interested in. Another important aspect is to check that the agency / agent is legit and has a good track record of sales or, if they’re new, an experienced mentor in the agency. There are a number of red flag agencies out there, and I find being on Twitter and QueryTracker very helpful for staying in the loop about those things.

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

Christina Hennemann:
No, I stopped doing this after my first few queries with the previous book. I find that most agents don’t require it and will request the full manuscript if they see potential. If there’s a connection, definitely mention it, but other than that I don’t think it’s necessary.

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

Christina Hennemann:
Don’t give up and don’t be afraid to get help! Querying is a skill that needs to be developed, and it takes some time until you know how to write effective query letters. I paid for query letter critiques, got a free critique on the "Books with Hooks” podcast segment, and read a lot of the free content online. Also: stay true to yourself! While I do believe that as an unagented author I had to pay attention to marketability, I also wanted to write something with my own style and authenticity behind it and trust that the right agent will love it.