Inside the Search for a Literary Agent

 

Back in May I shared that I was about to begin the querying process for my latest novel. After several rounds of revisions and one professional edit, I moved on to creating my submission package, which included a logline, an author bio, a one page synopsis of the book, a list of comparative titles, and the potential target audience. I created a QueryTracker account, a separate Excel spreadsheet for my own records, and began sending out queries. 

At first, I struggled with the query letter. I spent a lot of time trying to personalize each and every query letter and the result was a rambling version I wasn’t happy with. After the first few agents politely turned me down, I approached my writing accountability group and asked if they would take a look at letter and give me honest feedback. From those suggestions, I had a version I was much happier with and moved on to the next agents on my list. QueryTracker lets you sort agents by book genre. Instead of starting with the agents whose last names began with an "A," I went to the end of the database and have been working my way backwards from "Z."

The process has been slow, but I’ve had surprisingly positive results. Since April, I’ve sent out 25 queries. Twelve agents have not yet responded to my queries. I’ve had eight rejections, and most of them have been a standard form letter. One agent passed but said I was welcome to query other agents at her agency. One personally thanked me and said she had a small client list and wasn’t able to take on any new clients, but she liked my concept and sample and had a feeling another agent was going to request the manuscript. She was right—when I received her message, I had already received two full manuscript requests from other agents. That’s something that’s never happened to me before in the querying process. 

QueryTracker keeps track of all queries you send out through QueryManager, but not the ones you submit by e-mail, which is why I’m keeping a separate spreadsheet for my records. I also noticed Query Tracker marks submissions as “stale” after ninety days, so as of right now, I have three I sent this past spring that are marked out in the system. That doesn’t mean those agents won’t eventually reach out, just that QueryTracker considers them stagnant. 

So now I wait. One agent has had my manuscript since mid-July and the other requested it in the middle of last month. The first agent did tell me to give her a nudge if another agent offered me representation, but that was before she read the book. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and trying not to be impatient. Fortunately, I have freelance work and podcast production to keep me busy. Right now, I’m trying to use the method of sending a new query out immediately after receiving a rejection. In the meantime, I keep telling myself I’m going to outline my next book idea, but it hasn’t happened yet. Wish me luck! 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and host/creator of the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.