Hi folks! First let me thank anyone who has taken the time to listen to my ramblings and let me assure you that, though I may not be an expert on this subject, everything I am about to put in this blog is based on countless hours of research over the last year and an epic internet hunt for the most reliable information available on how to query an agent.
About a year ago I started getting close to completing my first full-length novel, CHANGERS, which is designed as part of a SpecFic trilogy (for more please see HERE). As the end drew ever nearer, I started thinking about the scary world of being published. I entered this world as a wide-eyed, naive hopeful (read here as uninformed idiot). Of course my first step was what everyone's first step is when they want to know more about something: I typed it into my trusty search engine and began the trudge. Google is my search engine of choice (tres cliche, I know), but soon I realized that my time was being wasted in the sludge of scams, self-publishing dead-ends and inaccurate information. So I did the same thing I used to when I had to write twenty page research papers for school-I vetted my sources. I chose only reputable websites to do my research (most notably Writers Digest, published author forums, the blogs of notable agents, and literary agency websites). What follows is a compiled list of all the information I found and a bit of my own experience.
Complete Manuscript
The first step in being published is to complete your manuscript. This was my first error. When I was close to being done, I (being the ridiculous overachiever that I am) decided to start the query process early since I knew it would take a while for agents to answer my Query. I thought that if I gave the agents/editors/publishers a mostly finished product I would give them plenty of room for notes and show that I am more than willing to edit to satisfy their needs. FAIL!
Never, EVER, send a query letter without having a complete, revised, rewritten, edited and FINISHED product. It's like sending out a partially working prototype-you're not putting your best foot forward. You may have the luck I did and blow it royally, but more on that later. The point is you only get one chance to make a good impression, and agents are looking for someone who will require the least amount of work. If you give them a product they can put on the shelves TODAY (or as close to it as you can get) then they may be more inclined to take you on as a client.
Do Your Research
You don't go into a job interview without some basic knowledge of the company and its vision. The same goes for querying an agent. If you get the yearly publication of the Literary Agents Directory, start with "A" and work your way down, you're doing yourself a great disservice. First you have to do your research. You need to define the genre your novel fits into and ONLY query agents who are actively seeking that particular genre. Agents have their own specializations just like writers do, they have their own niche they're passionate about. An agent that represents Historical Fiction, will hit the dreaded "trash" button should he/she receive a query for a SciFi story. Most agents will let you know exactly what they are looking for and if they are in fact "Actively Seeking" on their websites.
NOTE: "Actively seeking" is extremely important. If an agent indicates on their site that they are currently not looking to represent new clients, DO NOT SEND THEM A QUERY, they won't thank you for it even if you are the next Dan Brown. No matter how brilliant your work is, if an agent is too swamped with current clients, you have missed the opportunity and probably created a negative impression on that agent who is thinking: "Didn't I say I wasn't looking for anything new?" The down side to all this, is your brilliant novel may have had a chance with that agent had you waited for a time when they were taking on new clients. As it is, they will remember you as that one guy who couldn't follow directions.
Follow the Rules
On every agent's website they give you the guidelines of how exactly they want to receive queries. FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES EXACTLY. Most commonly, agents require the query be sent by e-mail, though some accept it through the mail. My advice is go ahead and use e-mail, it's cost effective and more professional. Some agents require only the query letter (the details of which we will discuss in a minute) while others want a synopsis as well. The query should be no longer than a page and the synopsis is generally one or two pages long (single spaced). Some agents also require sample chapters to be submitted along with the query. These are generally the first five or ten pages of your work (thus why you should have a complete manuscript before you query). What does this tell us? That the first ten pages of the book better be PERFECT. (We'll talk more about the sample chapters in a later blog). Moral of the story is, make certain you know exactly what each literary agent wants in a query and give them exactly that. An agent is more likely to pay closer attention to a well formatted query than a brilliant work that doesn't follow the guidelines. Remember this is exactly like a job interview, why would they want to hire you if you can't follow directions?
CARDINAL RULE: Never, ever, EVER send your query letter, synopsis, or
sample chapters as ATTACHMENTS to an agent. Because of security reasons,
they refuse to open unsolicited attachments and this can cause your
letter to go unread.
The Query Letter
So this by far was the hardest thing in the world for me to write. I could write a million novels and be happy if I never had to write a query letter again. How are you supposed to be memorable, make a connection with the agent and present your book and yourself in the best light in under five paragraphs?? To a writer that sounds nigh impossible, but if you ever want to be published, mastering the art of the query letter is key! My next blog will dissect the perfect query letter and I will share with you mine for CHANGERS as a discussion piece. Until then, however, let me give you the basic mechanics. There are three parts to a query letter. In the first paragraph, you normally introduce yourself, and try to connect with the agent in some way. More often than not this is the part that will change from agent to agent. No, you don't want to tell the agent you're their third cousin once removed from another aunt (even if you happen to be), nor to tell them how you both love Game of Thrones (generally agents will put personal information tid-bits on their website). Though these things can serve you later in the letter.
What you MUST have in the first paragraph of your query letter is the NAME of your work, the WORD COUNT, GENRE, and how it RELATES to what the agent is looking for. The best way to flatter a literary agent is to show them that you understand what they are looking for and why and how your novel fits perfectly in with that.
The next part of your letter should be one to two paragraphs describing your work. DISCLAIMER: This will be the hardest thing you ever have to write! Somehow, in two paragraphs you have to describe your main conflict, the character that drives it and the outcome of the story. This is where your talent comes in and honestly a lot of peer review. I spent hours, days, WEEKS agonizing over these two paragraphs and forced them down the throat of a million writers forums and I still think they could be rewritten. The only thing I can tell you about this part is EDIT. Take out even a single word that is superfluous and unnecessary, and make sure you need every bit of those two paragraphs. Nothing should be wasted. I will discuss more of this on the upcoming Query Letter post.
The third part of your Letter should discuss the marketability of your work and your qualifications to write it. An agent appreciates a writer that comes with their own marketing plan. Do you have 25,000 twitter followers? A million YouTube viewers, a popular website or blog? All of these things are assets, and this marketability will be the bulk of your work. Long before you get representation you should start building your own marketing platforms and getting your name out there (exactly what I'm doing with this blog). Interract with other writers and self-promoters, learn everything you can and put it into action. Also, in this part of your letter, you should describe your qualifications as a writer for this particular type of story. Are you writing a travel book and have been all over the world? Have you won any contests or awards with your writing? Have you been published anywhere? Do you have a degree? Whatever qualifies you as an expert on the subject matter of your work and writing in general will go here. Again we will discuss more of this in detail on the next post.
Querying Multiple Agents
The classic rule is only query one agent at a time to prevent conflict, but let's face it we all live in the real world. Do you have the time to wait 3-8 weeks for every literary agent to tell you NO only for you to start all over again? I normally query ten agents at a time and keep my fingers crossed. It's a numbers game, and it takes a while to get an agent to notice you, mathematically you have a higher chance if you give yourself more options. Some agents will forbid seeking others at the same time, but honestly, they should be lower on your list close to the "desperation" section. Now, if you are lucky enough that an agent requests a full manuscript, this is when multiple querying can get iffy. Many literary agents require exclusive viewing rights to the full manuscript so you have to decide on your own if you are willing to cross that boundary. If you do, my advice is speak to the second agent and let them know another agent is currently viewing your full manuscript as well. You don't want to get caught in a lie, so do your best to be as honest as you can in this department.
Full Manuscript Submission
So you are fortunate enough to have an agent request a full manuscript from you, congratulations! This step is pretty simple and yet insanely complex. Before you send the manuscript you will need to re-read it one final time. The agent is trying to decide whether or not to promote your book to a publisher, which means you need to make their lives as easy as possible. Most likely you will only have a few days between being requested a full manuscript before you have to send it in (DO NOT KEEP YOUR AGENTS WAITING, because of sheer volume of queries they may forget you from one day to another), and you need to use those days to do a final read-through of your novel. You don't want to forget some obscure note in there that says "this part is really stupid" like I did, or glaring grammar mistakes. This needs to be a finished product!
You will submit the manuscript, generally by e-mail (do NOT send the manuscript as an attachment unless specifically asked by the agent to do so), though some agents accept manuscripts through the mail. If you decide to go the traditional route and mail it, make sure you include and SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) in with the manuscript unless you want it to end up in the shredder. Most agencies will mail you back your precious manuscript, sometimes with notes on it, but only if you make it easy for them. Once you have sent the manuscript in STOP CHANGING IT. If an agent decides they love your story and by the time they get back to you (it can take months) you've changed who the main character is, you're not delivering on the product you promised. Some writers like to keep different versions of their work labeled with the batch of agents they sent it too.
Dealing with the Waiting and the Rejection
I started college not as a writer but as a Theatre major. On the first day, in my first class, we were told by our very wise teacher that we had all made a terrible mistake in choosing such a difficult path in life. She told us for every ten auditions you go to, you may get one call-back and that's not a guarantee at a part. There are too many actors and not enough space on the stage for all of them. After years and years of this kind of rejection I felt well prepared for receiving rejection letters from Literary agents. Imagine my surprise when the first one came in and I was CRUSHED. I tried to tell myself all those great sayings about how you need to dust yourself off and get back on the horse, but the truth is I was heartbroken. The only thing to do when this happens is to let yourself feel it. Sure it sucks, and you feel like a massive failure because you expected to blow everyone away with your brilliance right off the bat, but this is a process. The second rejection letter will sting less and less, until it becomes manageable. Then one day you will only expect rejections letters, and lo and behold! Someone asks to see your full manuscript! The point is to never stop having faith in yourself and your story.
As for the waiting on responses, the best way to deal with all that, is to KEEP WORKING. Have something lined up right away, start thinking about your next story even before you finish the first. Even if you've written what you think is the best story in history and nothing will ever top it, you probably can top it. The point is: keep writing. Throwing yourself into a new and thrilling story is the best way to keep the rejection and worry demons at bay.
I hope this was helpful, albeit long and ramble-y, but this is the concise information I wish I had found in one place rather than searching all over the internet for it. Now it's your turn. Please share with me your querying stories, best practices, and if you happen to be a literary agent, please give us all some advice because sometimes it feels like stumbling around in the dark. Tune in next time when I discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing and how everyone seems to disagree on this fast growing trend. Until next time:
WRITE ON!!
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