I'm not sure how much of a breach of etiquette/confidentiality this is, (or how much extra work it would be,) but one of the things that has really helped me is to see where other queries fall apart. I love query blogs for the dual purpose of teaching ("Oh! I had no idea that was a turnoff, but now that you mention it, I can see where it would be!") and ego boost ("Ha! At least I'm getting THAT part right!") It might be helpful -- and fun? Maybe? -- to dissect a few queries and explain why one is great, one is meh and one is OMG NO.

:D That is encouraging. Thanks!

You addressed this to a degree, but is there a good answer to the flip side of this coin? How do you know when it's time to stop querying a given manuscript because it just isn't going to fly? 10 form rejections? 40? Never, just keep tweaking and trying again?

Thanks very much!

I hope the window on this offer hasn't closed yet, and I have two questions, which I hope isn't cheating...

1: Aside from lovely bonuses like what you're doing here, how does one approach an agent with questions that aren't a query, but might be related to a query? (See: Many of the questions posed in these comments.) I realize agents are pressed for time, and that not all agents are created equal, so some will respond where others might not. But generally speaking, what's a good way to approach an agent for advice on future pitches?
2: Count me among the genre-confused. How much of a particular element does a book need to have before it counts in a given genre? Take last year's Captain America movie -- it's all over the place, so where would that fit? It's historical, it's sci-fi, it's fantasy, but it's mostly adventure with a few dollops of romance. If you were pitching this, which aspects would you factor in -- or out -- when considering what agents are looking for? Would the "weird medical procedure making him a superhero" mean you should avoid agents who won't read sci fi? Or is that single plot point not enough to rule it out because of the story's larger framework of fighting Nazis with fantasy-based reality-altering cubes? Thank you so much for any clarification!