Success Story Interview - Elvira Legrand

An Interview with Elvira Legrand (ElviraLegrand on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Alice Martell of The Martell Agency.

08/06/2024

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

Elvira Legrand:
This novel is a commercial women's fiction with a satirical edge that explores the dark side of influencer culture, obsession, and online fame. I drew inspiration from my own experience as a social media creator—I’ve been blogging, instagramming and now tiktoking since 2012.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Elvira Legrand:
I’ve always been writing. As a child, I loved making up little stories, and as a teenager, I had a blog where I wrote daily.

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

Elvira Legrand:
I wrote the first draft in six weeks, then polished it for two additional months

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

Elvira Legrand:
There’s been more than one time! This novel is actually the second one I wrote and queried. After I failed to get a literary agent for my first manuscript, every instant of the writing experience for this second novel was laced with doubt. I was afraid it wasn’t good enough and that nobody would 'get it.' My biggest fear, though, was that if this second novel failed to get representation, it would drain all my joy for writing. Reading about success stories here on QT, or listening to them on social media, helped me a lot and reminded me that sometimes it truly only takes one 'yes' from an agent.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Elvira Legrand:
I studied French and Russian literature in college (I live in Switzerland). But other than that no.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Elvira Legrand:
I don’t have a specific routine, but I prefer to write in the mornings. I also set a strict daily word count goal that I aim to reach.

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

Elvira Legrand:
I did two rounds of edits before sending my queries.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Elvira Legrand:
Yes, I had three beta readers for this manuscript.

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

Elvira Legrand:
I had a complete chapter-by-chapter outline before I started writing

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

Elvira Legrand:
I queried this book for 6 weeks before receiving my first offer of representation.

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

Elvira Legrand:
58

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

Elvira Legrand:
I didn’t personalize my query letters except for two agents: one I knew from social media, and another who specifically asked for stories about the dark side of influencer culture in her manuscript wish list. My agent was not one I had customized my query for.

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

Elvira Legrand:
Do not give up! Querying can be disheartening, and it’s easy to lose hope, especially when form rejections start piling up. But as many people have said before, it only takes one agent, one 'yes.'