Tips for Querying An Agent
I thought it time to cover a topic I know a lot of writers have questions about as well as look upon with extreme fear and excitement—querying an agent. I, personally, hated the querying process. I would have gladly re-written an entire book from scratch than figure out how to sum up my 80k – 100k manuscript in a few titillating paragraphs. But alas, this is a big hoop most must jump through, so let’s get into it.
If you’re in this stage of trying to find an agent this most likely means you’ve completed writing a book. First, CONGRATS! You’ve written a friggin’ book! Not many people can say that, so be sure to take a moment to celebrate. After popping all the bottles you’ll likely be thinking about next steps. If you are trying to go down the traditional publishing route, you’ll need an agent. If you are looking to self-publish or have already self-published books, you can still obtain an agent with them, but it can be a slightly different process. I suggest listening to the podcast episode I was interviewed in above. I go into detail on how self-published authors can get agents for their back catalogue (previously published / self-published work). This is called Subrights Management, or subsidiary rights management, which can include the rights to publish different formats of the same work (i.e. audio book, hardcover, translated editions for foreign publishing, etc.) There are a lot of literary agencies out there that represent subrights for authors. This is actually how I eventually got fully represented by my awesome agent. But for the sake of this newsletter topic, I’m going to be suggesting tips and steps for querying an agent with a brand new manuscript.
Tips For Querying:
1. Make sure your manuscript is edited and proofread to perfection.
Seriously. You should act as though this book is ready for the printers should it be published tomorrow. Your story could be the best story in all the land, but it won’t matter if it’s riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. The worst thing to ding yourself on is a sloppy manuscript. Agents care about this because it shows that you care. So clean, clean, clean, until your manuscript sparkles!
2. Find agents that represent your genre.
I always advise looking at authors who write in a similar genre as you and researching who represents them. It’s often in their book's acknowledgements. Going to your local library or bookstore is a great place to start. Flip to the back of all the books in your genre and the agent’s name or literary house will usually be in the author’s note of thanks.
Another amazing source for finding agents is Agent Query Connect. I admit, the site is visually dated, but the well of knowledge surely isn’t. You can make an account to access their literary database, research agencies by genre and find out if any are accepting submissions. You can also create a list in your personal profile of agents you’d like to query and update it as you submit as well as if they’ve responded. Agent Query Connect also has an amazing forum to interact with other writers, pose questions, and get critiques on your query letter.
3. Do your research on the literary agency’s submission process.
One of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is querying incorrectly. Every agency has specific submission requirements. Some may only want a query letter, others want a query letter and the first ten pages of your manuscript, etc. Be sure you are thorough with who wants what and query properly. Otherwise, a lot of agencies will not even glance at your submission. Think of it as the first little test to getting in the door.
4. Write a perfect query letter.
Sounds easy, right? Right? Nope. Again, this is my opinion, but writing the query letter is probably the toughest part of it all. If there are any out there that love this stage, please, make yourselves known so you can help the rest of us who find ourselves rocking in corners.
Query letters need to be clear and concise with a flare of your writing style. But fear not, there are a TON of resources out there that go into amazing detail for how to write a good query letter. Agent Query Connect is one of them along with these that I have linked below:
• The 10 Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Query Letter
• How To Write A Perfect Query Letter
• The Complete Guide to Query Letters
5. Don’t submit to every agent on your list all at once.
It’s best to submit in batches. My recommend is groups of three to five every few months or once you’ve heard back from your first batch. Agents work at different speeds so you’ll be getting responses sporadically or, annoyingly, not at all. For those that do write back, it’s best to send queries in groups in case any give feedback, either on the few pages you’ve submitted or if you get asked for a partial (part of your manuscript) or a full (your complete manuscript). You’ll then have the opportunity to possibly tweak parts of your manuscript based off of their comments (if you agree with them, of course). It’s also good to spread out querying in case you don’t hear back from any agents at all. This most likely means you need to revisit your query letter and see how you can make it more enticing. Once you query an agent, you won't be able to query them again with the same manuscript (unless they ask to see revisions), so submitting in batches is a good way to test the power of your letter.
6. Don’t lose hope.
I’m not going to sugar coat it; querying agents is a hard process and can leave you feeling dejected. I queried for a whole year with no real bites before self-publishing and waiting five more years to have the courage to query again, eventually landing my agent. But, and this is a big but, every single successful published author out there has had their fair share of rejection letters but kept writing and querying to eventually become successful published authors. Famously, J.K. Rowling had gotten twelve rejection letters for Harry Potter. Dr. Seuss was rejected twenty-seven times! The list goes on. In fact, here’s one to peruse anytime you need to feel better. Just know it’s hard for a reason, to cut out those who aren’t as serious and passionate about writing and sharing their stories as you. Keep at it, be patient, take breaks, and know you are not alone. The writing community is an amazing one, filled with many helping hands.
You are awesome!