'Special Knowledge"... TMI?

[Sleeping Beauty]

Hi Nathan,

I'm querying my YA manuscript at the moment. Many of the agencies I like tend to ask for 'any special or relevant knowledge' to the book to be included in the query or cover letter. I've heard it's always a good idea to try and show you know what you're talking about in regards to your book's themes - to give your opinion a little weight.

My manuscript deals heavily with youth mental health. I wrote the story as I was diagnosed and underwent treatment for major depression. Something tells me it's not a good idea to write in my pitch 'by the way, I'm clinically depressed, just like my MC' - unfortunately, stigma surrounding this issue still exists. But on the other hand, it gives me a certain authority to write about what I'm writing about.

I already have quite a few writing credentials - short stories published in journals, writing awards, competition placings - so I'm not sure I need it, at the end of the day. Your thoughts? Anyone's elses?

[Nathan Bransford]

I think in this case you probably need to think of it as a job interview - I'm not sure you'd reveal that to a prospective employer, so I don't know that I'd reveal it to a prospective agent. At the end of the day it's not your knowledge of the topic that's going to carry the day (or how you came by it), it's the execution of the story. So I would think much more about making the project come through than going into anything that could potentially distract from it. Hope that helps!

[Sleeping Beauty]

That's pretty much my thinking exactly, Nathan.
Thanks!