Book Progress and Querying Agents
At this point, most of my friends and family know that I’ve written a book. Cue excitement and panic. So of course, I keep getting that *big* question: When can I read it? I wish the answer was simple. That I could share my work with the world soon – or ever. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I’ve made it past one of the biggest hurdles by getting my story on paper, but I’m still far from publishing. One step closer… but very. very. far.
After sitting on my manuscript for months, I’ve only recently taken the next step in the long, winding journey for anyone hoping to have their book traditionally published: querying literary agents.
I’ve felt paralyzed until this point. Having experts in the industry potentially read my book and facing rejection after years of working on a story that has become so close to my heart? Yikes. But it’s happening. I’m doing the big scary thing.
I’m currently in the midst of querying, and as I expected, it has been quite the emotional roller coaster already. So for anyone interested in hearing about my book progress and what it’s been like writing my book query letter, continue on friends!
The Book Query Letter
I thought writing the book would be the hard part. But wow, let me tell you… the query trenches and writing a book query letter are no joke. Ever written a cover letter for a job application? (Don’t lie, we all dread it.) It’s like that, except that you’re summarizing your entire manuscript and why an agent should take you on in ~300 words. Fun!
All agents require a “query letter” when you submit to them. This typically includes the hook, comp titles and an author bio. More on all of this below.
The hook: The hook is what pulls a reader (and agent) into your book. What will compel them to stop and read your story – or in an agent’s case, ask to see more? This should be concise and offer them high level information about your plot without too many spoilers or an information dump. I can’t tell you how many book jackets I’ve read in the past few months to help me as I crafted both the hook for my query letter and my extended synopsis. How would I get my story to stand out amongst hundreds of other submissions? It’s no easy task.
Comp titles: Typically, comp titles are books that are similar to yours to help agents see where your work might fit in the current market and on their list. 2-3 recent titles are recommended. I’ve also seen others use movies and TV shows as their comps.
Author bio: This is where you should include information about your writing and publishing history (if any). E.g. Have you had an agent before? Have you self-published any books or the one you’re currently querying? Why are you the right person to tell this story?
I took about a month to write my query letter – partly because of that paralysis, which manifested in the form of procrastination – and had my critique partner and a few others read through it. After a couple revisions, I finally had something I felt happy with to begin querying.
Literary Agent Research
Next? Researching literary agents. Doing your homework on the agents you’re querying is SO important. (Shout out to the many authors, writers querying, and publishing resources I’ve looked to who provided this guidance.) I researched dozens of agents, read through their websites and manuscript wish lists, and made sure I felt like they were a good fit for my manuscript before I compiled my final list.
What does it mean to be a good fit? Well, in my case, if they’re seeking adult romance novels, that’s a start. But it’s much more layered than that. Do they prefer high concept stories? Are they looking for beach reads? A millennial focus? Deeply flawed characters? The type of books that agents are seeking varies widely. I’ve learned now how crucial it is to make sure you feel like you’d be a good match for them and vice versa. Long story short: do not pitch agents at random.
Manuscript Reception and the Dreaded Rejections
When I first started writing this, I considered discussing what the feedback on my query letter and manuscript has been like. However, I don’t want to go into too much detail about this at the moment, as I’m still seeking agent representation and want to be respectful of the agents I’ve queried so far. Maybe I’ll write about this another day! And maybe (fingers crossed) I’ll even have a story to share about agent representation in the future. I’m speaking it into the universe now so it will happen – that’s how this works right?
However, I will say that as expected, querying has not gone without its rejections. I knew it would happen, and I also know that this is such a subjective business, but the first rejection stung. A lot. Amazingly, there were no tears, but it still hurt.
I’ve poured myself into this story and dedicated so much time to it. Yet as anyone who’s gone through this process knows, finding agent representation is tough – and sometimes it can take years. All I can do is keep moving forward, work on my next project, and hope that soon I’ll click with the right person. As so many others before me have said, all it takes is one yes, and I’m determined to find that yes whether with this book or the next – or the one after that! Onward!