3 Things I’ve Learned from Querying Agents for My Novel
Querying has got to be one of the most challenging things an author has to go through to publish their book. You have to make it personal when you query agents. You have to have all of the material. You need to know the market. The list just goes on and on. Here are three things I’ve learned from querying agents for my novel!
Do Your Research
So much research goes into querying agents for your novel. From finding out specific things that the agent likes (social media stalking, anyone?) to seeing other authors that the agency represents, the research never ends. While the research is heavy, it isn’t impossible. Certain websites make researching literary agents easy, but before you even come close to submitting, you need to have all of the material prepared (think synopsis, query letter, and a spreadsheet).
Rewrite When Necessary
Rewriting is so important when you are querying agents. If you’ve queried fifty agents with the same query letter, synopsis, and unedited first chapter without any requests for the full manuscript, something isn’t right. What I did when I first started querying for Words We Never Say was I’d send ten queries out at a time every two to three weeks. Then, I’d send out another ten with a rewritten query letter. Then, I’d try editing the first chapter to make it more interesting. All of this takes a lot of time and a lot—and I mean a lot—of patience. You can’t query without thinking about the potential that you may need to have several drafts of your query letter and first chapter to see which one sticks.
Don't Get Discouraged
Get ready for a lot of rejection. You thought dating was hard? Querying is even harder. Most of the responses from agents are form rejections (which sucks on a whole other level), but there’s always that glimmer of hope when one agent tells you something specific that they liked about your query and story. Those are the ones you need to focus on. When agents offer suggestions, take them seriously! They know the market and the business, so you can’t go wrong with taking their advice. Another huge problem with finding an agent is the fact that the market changes. All. The. Time. In a market that would once pick up vampire/werewolf books in a heartbeat, wouldn’t even think about doing it now. Love triangles were once the way to go. Now? Not so much. Sometimes you could get rejected for the simple fact that—even though your writing and story is good—the market wouldn’t buy it. So, please, if writing is your passion, don’t ever let a little rejection stop you from doing what you love.
