When my then-fiancé and now-husband got into design school in NYC, he had to find an apartment. He looked for a long time, desperate to find a living space that was larger than an oversized closet. His search brought him to Brooklyn, and he finally got in touch with someone looking for a roommate who had a promising apartment. Our conversation went something like this:

Him: I’m meeting with a guy today about becoming roommates.

Me: Awesome! Does he seem nice?

Him: Yeah. He’s an editor at [insert name of Big 5 Publisher].

Me: …

Him: But we’ll see. The rent’s a little over my budget, so I may—”

Me: TAKE THE APARTMENT.

Okay, I wasn’t that extra :)

But I was super excited to meet the editor. We’ll call him Fred. At that point, I had already written my first book, a YA dystopia that will never again see the light of day because it is terrible. Around the time my husband moved in with Fred, I’d started writing a new book. I planned to query it, and had begun researching the strange and wonderful world of traditional publishing. Meeting a children’s book editor? It was like meeting a celebrity! Feeling star-struck by publishing professionals is common for aspiring authors. But as these professionals like to say, and as I eventually learned, they really are just normal, down-to-earth people. Thankfully, I had enough social grace to know I shouldn’t shove my book at Fred and ask him to publish it (PS…don’t ever do that). But I was able to pick his brain about the writing industry. He was even kind enough to read a few pages of my new book and gave me encouraging notes about my voice. I’ll always be grateful for that, and for the advice he gave me on how to get traditionally published.

His number one suggestion?

Find a critique group and build a community of critique partners (CP’s). He said every author he worked with had one. I knew it was important to share my writing with other people, but I’d never heard of a critique group before. It seems silly to admit that now…but we all start somewhere, right?

What is a critique partner? A CP is someone, preferably another writer familiar with your genre, who reads your work and gives you feedback. If your writing is going to be the best it can be, you need feedback, period. And you need it from multiple people. You can ask someone to read your work without reading theirs, but that’s pretty rude. CP’s usually exchange their work. It’s a good way to develop a collegial relationship with someone and hone your skills as a writer. Good writers are good readers, as they say. You can request different levels of feedback, too.

Cheerleading Read: You can ask your CP to only point out the things they like. Some writers prefer this type of feedback with early drafts so they know what’s working. It’s also a great way to ease into the process if you’re feeling nervous about sharing work.

Don’t-Hold-Anything-Back Read: Conversely, you can ask your CP to point out all the problems in your draft. They can focus on what’s confusing, boring, or poorly written. If you’re going to ask for this type of feedback, it’s best to give your CP targeted questions so their criticism can be constructive vs. plain old mean.

Goldilocks Read: I call middle-of-the-road feedback a Goldilocks read. Not too harsh, but not too rosy either. Most CP’s I work with give this kind of feedback and it’s also my default. This type of feedback includes what’s amazing and what needs work. This is great for any stage in the writing process as you get boosts of encouragement with pointers on how to revise.

Regardless, most writers email their CP’s with questions they’d like them focus on i.e. “is my protagonist believable?” or “how’s the pacing in chapter 1?” Knowing what to ask about a draft means you’re taking a critical eye to your work, and that’s essential!

So, if you’re like me six years ago and need tips on how to find CP's, here are some reliable and easy ways to get started.

SCBWI local critique groups
One of the benefits of being a member of the * Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is you gain access to all the local chapter resources. That includes listings for critique groups! You can filter groups by genre, location, meeting times, and more. Reaching out to critique group organizers is easy, and it’s how I connected with a few local writers.
* SCBWI recently received criticism re: their interactions with a Palestinian writer. Their apology is linked here. I only share this so that writers, minority writers in particular, can have access to information they might otherwise be unaware of. As always, use your best judgement and do what’s best for you.
Author Mentor Match, Pitch Wars, and The Write Team
Writing mentorship programs require applying and sending in material, but if you get into one, it’s an incredible way to find CP’s amongst fellow mentees.
- As a former mentee of Author Mentor Match, I can’t recommend this program enough. Run by author Alexa Donne, it matches agented or published authors with aspiring authors. You not only get matched with an incredible mentor who helps you perfect your book, but you also get access to current and former mentees with whom you can exchange work. I met my best writing friends through AMM.
- Pitch Wars is a similar (and extremely competitive) program that matches aspiring authors with industry professionals. I’ve never participated, but several of my writing friends have. I’ve only heard good things.
- The Write Team, as described on their website, is “a sister program to The Write Cohort, [and] focuses on community and support. We strive to provide writers with a support system as they move forward in their writing journey.” This program is specifically designed to help writers build connections via Twitter. A good friend of mine Kalie Holford has mentored several writers.
Sub it Club on Facebook

If you’re still on Facebook, Sub it Club is a private group for writers to connect with each other, ask questions, and share stories about their writing and querying journey. I met my first writing friend and CP through their sub group, Sub it Club Critique Partner Matchup. Angie Thomas was also a member of Sub It Club early in her writing journey. You may have heard of her :)
#CPMatch on Twitter

You can use this hashtag on Twitter to search for writers who also need CP’s. There’s no guarantee anyone will see or respond to your tweet, but writers regularly use the hashtag.
Local Writing Workshops

Depending on where you live, you may be able to find more structured critique groups through local writing workshops. I completed two workshops through Lighthouse Denver, and it completely changed my life! I would never be the writer I am today without the encouragement and feedback I received in those workshops. Unfortunately, most workshops like this do cost money, but dig around to see if there are scholarships or discounts.
Critique Match
I haven’t used this site, but after doing some digging, I’d feel comfortable signing up if I were starting from scratch and needed to find CP’s. This website also has a great list of ideas for where to find critique partners. Full disclosure: I haven’t vetted all of these organizations/events/etc. or used them, so make sure you do your due diligence and research!

Not every option outlined above will work for every writer, so take the time to do your research and figure out what’s best for you. Specific Twitter hashtags and events offer writers many amazing opportunities to connect with like-minded people: check out my previous blogpost on Twitter Etiquette for more info!

Bottom line: No matter where or how you find CP’s, the most important thing for you to do is get to know the person first before sharing work. The one caveat is if you’re sharing work through a professional workshop or mentorship program (see #2 and #5 above) you don’t really need to do that. I wouldn’t have walked into my first Lighthouse workshop and been like, “wait, before you read my chapter I need to know your favorite pizza toppings.” But if you’re meeting someone on Twitter or Facebook, it’s a good idea to get to know each other before diving in. The best CP’s are people you like and feel comfortable with, so make sure you vibe with each other and have the same expectations when it comes to delivering and receiving feedback.

Happy CP hunting!

Lindsey Hewett

June 10, 2021

My Journey

How I Got My Agent

Lindsey Hewett

June 10, 2021

My Journey

“When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you…”

No offense Jiminy Cricket, but that’s some grade-A baloney. It took more than simply “wishing upon a star” for my writing dreams to come true. It took years of hard work, hundreds of hours of research, tens of thousands of words, dozens of rejections, countless hours of revision, and many, many cups of tea and coffee.

But it happened—I got my agent! Are you ready, folks? This is my “How I Got My Agent” post!

It’s not a Cinderella story (guess I’m going with a Disney theme here). Nothing happened for me overnight. I have some friends who did have a quick journey (and they’re amazing!) but while their stories deserve celebrating, tales of quick success can leave other writers feeling discouraged. So, if you’ve been in the query trenches for years, I hope you find comfort in reading about my journey. Cause friends? It was hard. Querying is hard. Getting an agent is hard. And it took me a long time to reach success. But it’s okay! This is what I’ve learned—whether you’ve been writing for one year, ten years, or twenty years, there’s no norm when it comes to getting agented. You’re exactly on the journey you’re meant to be on, and it will look different for everyone.

For now, we’re gonna take a stark look at how arduous it was for me to get an agent. I’m gonna get into the nitty-gritty, dirty reality of what the process was like. There will be no glamour here, no glitzy glass slippers. Nope, we’re gonna put on our galoshes and get down to earth. Like, nose in the mud close. And in the end, take heart that if you put in the time and work, your dream WILL come true, just like mine did!

Quick query stats

Years writing full-length novels: 10
Number of books written: 4
Years querying (off and on): 6
Number of books queried: 3
Months querying my Agented-Book: ~10
Agents queried: 75
Partial requests: 4
Full requests: 12
Offers of rep: 1

It took ten years of writing and six years of querying to get an agent

I’ve been a writer my whole life. I wrote “picture books” about my family vacations on computer paper before I could even spell. Eventually, I graduated to short stories in grade school and very bad poetry in college (though I did produce some gems).

But it wasn’t until my first year of graduate school that I decided to write a book. I was earning my MA in English Education and took a class on teaching YA literature. That class changed my life. Inspired by the incredible books in the curriculum, I started reading YA books voraciously and fell in love with the genre. One day, while driving home from class, a strange idea for a YA dystopian book popped into my head. As someone who had a bad habit of starting ambitious projects and never finishing them, I shrugged off the idea. I couldn’t finish scrapbooking my study abroad trip, so what business did I have trying to write an entire book? But I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and so I decided to do it. I was completely naive about the process and didn’t do much research. Subsequently, that first book has moments of great writing, but as a cohesive narrative with compelling characters, proper plotting, thematic development, etc.? Ummm…yeah, it was trash. No one read it except my lovely and supportive husband, who said he loved it. It took me four years to write that first book. Four. But it was an exercise in proving I could finish something. And I proved myself right.

Fast forward a few months. Another random idea hit me while on summer vacation with my family, this time for a YA contemporary. I wrote that book in just a couple years, taking time to dig through writing blogs and work on my craft. I decided to query the book and was determined to get published. After a few months of reading every entry on Query Shark and other querying blogs, I wrote my letter and discovered the unique torture that is the querying process. I got a few bites for that book, including a full request from a now prominent agent. I’ll never forget a line from her rejection along the lines of, “you’re a talented writer and clearly passionate about this topic.” Her kind words gave me the fuel I needed to write another book and not give up.

As a side note, agent rejections are painful, but I’ve found some of the most encouraging feedback in personalized rejections. More on that below! Long story short, that YA contemporary did not get agented, so I wrote another book, which brings me to…

I found critique partners and joined a mentor program

When I moved to Denver, I was drafting my third book and decided I needed a critique group. I literally Googled “how to find writing critique partners,” and ended up joining the Facebook group Sub It Club where I connected with a fellow Denver writer (Hi, Jamie!) As someone with anxiety, the idea of sharing my writing with a complete stranger freaked the crap out of me. I also Googled, “do critique partners steal each other’s stories?” Yes, I know. Please don’t judge me. But Jamie was, and is, wonderful, and by her recommendation I signed up for a YA writing workshop through Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop. It was the kind of class where a group of ten or so people gather around a table and critique each other’s writing. I did two rounds of the workshop as I finished my third book. It was a vulnerable and terrifying experience, but one that toughened my skin, honed my craft, and gave me the grit I needed to develop relationships with other critique partners. I should add I tried out other critique groups through my local SCBWI chapter. While the people I met were lovely, it became too difficult coordinating schedules and driving distances. This is to say, some critique groups don’t work out, and that’s okay! Keep searching until you find one that fits.

All of this led up to Jamie introducing me to the online mentor program Author Mentor Match. My manuscript got chosen by the incredible Jessica Kim, and over the next year, I revised the book and got ready for my second round of querying. Alas, my AMM book did not get agented, but I found the most amazing group of critique partners who were also in the program. It was because of their support, friendship, and incomparable feedback that I wrote and revised my fourth book, a MG contemporary, over the next year and a half. It was, as my close writing friend Janice said, my “heart book.” This one felt different. Many of my experiences and passions are woven into this book, and the writing simply poured out of me.

I queried my “heart book” and found my agent

In the summer of 2019, I entered the query trenches for the third time. I wasn’t sure what to expect, what with the COVID pandemic. But I figured if there was ever a time to embrace escapism and spread joy through literature, it was then. I workshopped my query letter with my CP’s and a few professionals, then sent it out in batches.

In the meantime, I participated in #DVPit on Twitter and my pitch got a lot of attention. One of the agents who requested a partial from that event ended up rejecting with thorough feedback. I went out on a limb and replied that her notes resonated with me, and would she consider looking at the book again after I revised? To my surprise, she said yes, and I did an overhaul on the book. By the way, you don’t have to do this if you get feedback during the querying process, but her notes really were spot-on. Revisions took me a few months. Then I dove back in again, sending off the revised manuscript to the original agent and more. Soon after, a different agent requested the full and summarily rejected with a long personalized letter full of suggestions and things she loved. This was a hard rejection, and I let the feedback marinate for a few days. After thinking it through, I realized the book needed more work. So for the second time, I postponed querying to revise.

After that round of revision was done, I started querying again and participated in a second #DVPit event. Rejections trickled in.

Finally, at the end of February, I submitted to Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Birch Path Literary. She’d recently started her own agency after working at Trident Media for a long time. I was impressed with her sales history, and charmed by the fact that her new agency name was partially inspired by one of my favorite books of all time: Anne of Green Gables. Kindred spirits, anyone? Anyway, at this point, I was totally numb to querying and submitted with zero expectations. I mean, Alyssa’s a rockstar agent and I was nearing the end of my query list. I’d resigned myself to the idea that I’d shelve this book and had already started working on my next one. Then Alyssa emailed me back only a few days later, asking for the full. I was surprised and excited, knowing that quick responses can be a good sign. But I’d been burned so many times before, I had already mentally prepped myself for the “inevitable” rejection. Except…that didn’t happen.

About a week after sending Alyssa my full, she emailed me back asking if I wanted to get on the phone for “The Call.”

I remember opening the email on my couch. My mouth fell to the floor. My body went a bit numb. My husband was in the middle of a work call, so I called my mom—the person who has been reading my stories from day one. I paced all over my living room in excitement, wringing my hands and confusing my poor dog. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I kept shrieking to my mom, “I can’t believe it!” I called my sister next, and afterwards, I finally ran upstairs and showed my husband the email. When he hugged me, I started crying.

I then immediately jumped into my CP group chat on Twitter, shared the news, and posted, “what do I do!?” One of my friends, Finn, replied with, “uh…set up the call!”

After several hours of screaming and celebrating with my writing friends, I replied to Alyssa’s email. Obviously, our call went great, and I signed with her about three weeks later. I’m so grateful to have her as a business partner and advocate, and I can’t wait to see what we do with this book and all my future ones.

Everything I did led me to where I am. Nothing was a “waste of time”

There are times I wonder what my writing career would look like if things had happened differently. If I’d say, gotten an MA in creative writing, or if I’d gotten an agent for my second or third book instead of my fourth.

But I’m glad things happened the way they did. I didn’t need an MA in creative writing, and I wasn’t ready for an agent for my second or third book. I needed to develop my craft by doing the work. I needed to find Jamie, and Lighthouse, and eventually the AMM community.

If I hadn’t done that Lighthouse workshop, I wouldn’t have learned that my “YA” book was actually a MG book, and that my voice is geared towards younger readers. Yeah, that was a hard critique! The instructor, Victoria, looked at me at one point and said, “you’re a MG writer.” I was like, “are you sure, though?” I remember driving home that night feeling confused and anxious, but I eventually embraced the idea. And I’m so glad I did. If I hadn’t joined AMM, my writing skills wouldn’t be where they are now. And without my CP’s cheerleading and support, I might not have written the book that got me my agent.

I don’t remember where I read or heard it, but there’s a quote that has stuck with me all these years.

“Never, ever, ever, give up.”

That’s it. Simple and lacking in figurative language, but powerful all the same. No matter what stage you’re in with your publishing journey, never give up, friends. And happy writing!