Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Katie Abdou

Success Story Interview - Katie Abdou

An Interview with Katie Abdou (KAbdou on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Keir Alekseii of Jennifer Azantian Literary Agency.

05/16/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Katie Abdou:
The book I signed my agent with is called THE BRINE PRINCE. It's a YA historical(ish) adventure book about a young Viscount named Kit who runs away from his arranged marriage and accidentally becomes a pirate. While on his misadventures, he learns about a dark family secret, and discovers the value of found family over blood relations. I was inspired to write it after watching Treasure Planet on repeat for a few weeks, but then the comedic elements and additional themes were inspired by Our Flag Means Death.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Katie Abdou:
I've been writing seriously for about 6 years. I always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn't until 2017 that something clicked inside me, and I thought "I could really do this" and decided to give it a go.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Katie Abdou:
This book was started in January of 2023, but a month later I had a miscarriage at 18 weeks, and I spent months recovering from that before I could write again. I picked it back up again in October of 2023, and finished it the day after New Years. So, in total I spent about 5 months writing it. I've never written anything quite that fast before!
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Katie Abdou:
Losing my son definitely made me want to give up everything. I lost interest in everything around me, but my writer's group and one particular alpha reader (that's you, Courtney!) really encouraged and inspired me to keep going. In the end, writing this book was one of the things that helped me heal from his loss.
QT: Is this your first book?: Katie Abdou:
This is my second novel, but I have a novella that I wrote and self-published as well!
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Katie Abdou:
No. I took a creative writing class in college, but it was only the one and I ended up dropping out of college after a few years to work full time.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Katie Abdou:
I don't have a schedule at the moment. I generally write whenever I can, or when inspiration strikes. I have a full-time job and am a full time Auntie... so my free time can be limited, but every once in a while I find a nice chunk of time to myself and try to get as many words in as possible.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Katie Abdou:
Ohh... no one is going to like this answer, but I queried THE BRINE PRINCE as a totally rough draft. I finished writing it and just didn't touch it. I waited a little while before I started querying, but I never actually read it or did any edits outside of some minor editing WHILE I was writing it. (Don't try this at home, kids!)
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Katie Abdou:
Yes! Though, I suppose technically they were alpha readers. They read as I was writing. One particular reader, author Courtney Collins, was INSTRUMENTAL in the writing of this book. She literally read the chapters as I wrote them, and her commentary would help me correct problem areas or inspire new ideas!
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Katie Abdou:
I usually write from the hip. In the case of this book, I did something a little different, which might be why it came out so fast. I wrote my query letter and synopsis before I wrote the book. It helped me a lot to figure out the direction of the story before I wrote it!
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Katie Abdou:
I only actually queried this book for three days before I got my first offer. From beginning to end it was 2 weeks exactly from my first query being sent to me signing a contract. My first book, THE DAFFODIL WITCH, I queried for exactly one year to the day before I got my offer, but I lost my agent a few months later and then the agency she had worked at ghosted all her clients.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Katie Abdou:
I sent a total of 8 queries for this book. I WOULD have sent more, but after I got my first offer, it felt wrong to send out more queries.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Katie Abdou:
First and foremost, I selected agents who felt like they could be my friend. I wanted someone I could trust, and someone who's political values aligned with mine so there would be no issues down the road. After that, I checked their MSWLs to see if they might like what I write. I made sure anyone I queried would like both of my books, not just the one I was currently querying.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Katie Abdou:
I didn't, though I did tweak my query letter after a few queries to mention that I had been previously agented, since I didn't think to include it in my original query.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Katie Abdou:
My advice to writers seeking agents is to keep your query in the same voice as your book. If you're writing a comedy, make it funny. If you're writing a horror, fill it with tension. AND most importantly, don't take yourself too seriously! When I wrote my query letter, I initially wrote it as a joke and ended up deciding to just use it because it felt true to me and my book. Also, your agent is your equal--so don't write to them as if they are your superior in some way. Remember that agents are people, and in the end you two will be working side by side to sell your work. You don't work for them, and they don't work for you, it's a partnership. It should feel like that right off the bat.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Katie Abdou:
Absolutely!

Success Story Interview - Katie Abdou

Query Letter: