Success Story Interview - Patrick Barb

An Interview with Patrick Barb (pbarb82 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Pam Gruber of High Line Literary Collective.

04/08/2025

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

Patrick Barb:
PAST THE PLAYGROUND is a small-town supernatural horror novel. It flips the kids-on-bikes vs. supernatural evil subgenre (think IT or Stranger Things) on its head by making the kids just as bad (if not worse) than the evil they face. It's also about the generation gap which is something I've wanted to tackle for a while.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Patrick Barb:
I've wanted to be a writer for almost my whole life. However, I didn't get serious about it and make a sustained effort until around 5-6 years ago.

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

Patrick Barb:
About 2 years. I started it in a writing class aimed at producing a novel in a year and had been querying it since then.

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

Patrick Barb:
Setting small achievable goals for writing and submitting is really what helps me get through any rough patches. Doing a little bit each day can really add up.

QT: Is this your first book?

Patrick Barb:
No. I have published with several small presses without representation. Primarily novellas and two short-story collections. I did also sell a novel without an agent. However with this current novel I felt that having representation would make the path forward somewhat easier.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Patrick Barb:
I earned a concentration in Creative Writing during my undergrad years. In addition, I have taken multiple online writing courses.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Patrick Barb:
Yes, it is an essential element of my process. Typically I write for 1-1.5 hours each week day. Consistency is key for me.

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

Patrick Barb:
I will edit and re-write the work from a previous writing session each time I sit down to write. So if that all counts as one great big stretched-out editing session, I'd say 2-3 revisions overall. With more to come as we prep the novel to go out on submission.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Patrick Barb:
Yes. My classmates and my teacher.

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

Patrick Barb:
Very very loose outline but I'd say the majority of it was pantsed.

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

Patrick Barb:
This is my first book that I queried for representation. I came up just shy of 2 years from the start of querying to when I landed my agent.

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

Patrick Barb:
87

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

Patrick Barb:
People I knew, genres represented, representatives of favorite authors, and agents whose names appeared in Pub Lunch announcements related to the genre I write in (horror).

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

Patrick Barb:
Yes, in the opening of the query I try to make a connection with the agent and explain why I think they'd be a good fit to represent the project. This can be a personal connection, a professional one, a mention of a past project or social media post, etc.

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

Patrick Barb:
Patience is the watchword. At the same time, don't overlook networking and past connections as a means to make connections. You never know when something like that might lead you to a rep.