What I Wish I Knew Before Querying
Ah, querying. There’s something about it isn’t there? You spend hours – sometimes days, searching for the right agent, polishing a beautiful, compelling query package, and combing through the agency’s submission guidelines with a fine-toothed comb. Finally, when you’re certain that everything is in order, you press that submit button. Your heart’s racing as your mind gets lost in a ‘what if’ daydream. Days pass, then weeks, then months, and you’re faced with the harsh truth that you did all of that shit for nothing. Your inbox is so desolate that you feel lucky to even get a rejection letter. I mean hey, at least they had the decency to tell you ‘no’.
It's a high stakes journey, the querying process, because once you hit the submit button – that’s it. You can’t follow up. You can’t resubmit. It. Is. Done. Given the life or death nature of querying, I’ve decided to talk about what I’ve learned so far. I’m hopeful that these simple tips will help other writers avoid the mistakes that have left me hopelessly lost in the slush. Of course, take my advice with a grain of salt. I’m still an unpublished writer after all. ;)
Cut to the chase: My first few query letters made the fatal mistake of rambling on about inspirations and hobbies, before even getting to the plot of my manuscript. The most important line of your query is the first line. Agents read through thousands of queries. I can only imagine how braindead they must feel after their five billionth query of the day. I’ve come to the conclusion that the first line should summarize the book, sound sexy, and demand their attention. Get to the comps and bio later, after you’ve ensnared them in the trap of your brilliant story. Agents want to know they’re taking the time to read a query for a story they might actually like.
Don’t spam: Do not be like me. Do not be like me. Do not be like me. Do not blast through all of your top agents with a letter that is obviously a cookie cutter query, that in no way, shape, or form suggests that you actually have a genuine interest in the agent or their work. I’m not saying every single query has to be custom written for every single agent, but carefully selecting the agent and researching their preferences properly, will go a long way in capturing their attention.
Have good comps: I’ve been listening to podcasts where different agents give advice to aspiring writers. I definitely recommend doing this if you’re currently querying a book, by the way. Who can better tell you how to query an agent than an actual agent? One of my favorite pieces of advice is to have good comps in your query. Meaning, find popular books that are comparable to your book. If the agent sees their favorite book, or even a book they appreciate on the comp list, it will pull their attention. Remember, at the end of the day, you’re just trying to catch their eye, and break out of the slush pile.
Query in blocks: Think you have an awesome amazing query letter? That’s great! But hold your horses for a second. Before casting it all over the literary world, do a test run. Query around 5 agents and then . . . wait a bit. I know. Its torture. It feels like you're doing nothing when you should be hustling, sending your query to anyone who will read it, but seriously wait. If 8-12 weeks pass without a response, take it as feedback! It’s feedback that the query didn’t stand out and needs work. Better to send a dud of a query to 5 agents than 25. Remember, generally speaking, you cannot resubmit, so do what you can to make every query count.
Keep a spreadsheet: You will be, and should be, querying multiple agents at the same time, which can get super confusing. Have a spreadsheet detailing the name of the agent, their agency, if you can resubmit to another agent from that same agency after being rejected, date of submission, and whether or not you were rejected. Trust me. This helps a lot!
Always be polishing: Remember when I was a monster and told you to wait after submitting around 5 queries? Well, this is what you need to be doing while you wait. Polish your manuscript. Polish your query. Maintain your website and social media. Keep writing new books. Take writing classes. Turn yourself into the writer that every agent wants. You can’t control whether or not an agent bites, but you can control how ready you are when they finally do.