{"id":566,"date":"2016-09-30T19:27:26","date_gmt":"2016-09-30T19:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/?p=566"},"modified":"2022-05-30T15:41:23","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T15:41:23","slug":"how-to-query-a-literary-agent","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/articles\/how-to-query-a-literary-agent","title":{"rendered":"How to Query a Literary Agent"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve\u00a0researched your agents<\/a>, and you\u2019ve set your eyes on a specific one.\u00a0Pitching him in a writing conference<\/a>\u00a0doesn\u2019t work out for you for whatever reason. It\u2019s time for the dreaded query. How do you approach this daunting project?<\/p>\n

The Process<\/h2>\n

When you query an agent, you send them a brief letter of introduction along with samples of your writing. If the agent likes what they\u2019ve read, they will ask to see some or all of the completed manuscript. You\u2019ve got one chance to make a good impression. Here\u2019s how you can nail it.<\/p>\n

The Submission Packet<\/h2>\n

Always check an agent\u2019s submission guidelines to discover what they want to receive in the initial submission packet. They will ask for one or more of the following:<\/p>\n

A Query Letter<\/strong><\/p>\n

A query is an introductory letter to the agent telling them the important points about you and your book. This includes the book\u2019s title, genre, and word count. If you have any\u00a0professional\u00a0<\/em>publishing credits, mention them here. NEVER apologize for a lack of credentials, and do not say things like “I won my first-grade essay contest.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there are many sources available for learning to write a query, they are extremely difficult and require lots of practice. Expect to write several drafts. You can get help at the\u00a0Query Letter Hell section of Absolute Write<\/a>, and the forum on\u00a0Query Tracker<\/a>.\u00a0Query Shark<\/a>\u00a0is another excellent resource to help you see what piques an agent\u2019s interest and what doesn\u2019t.\u00a0Kristen Nelson<\/a>\u00a0often features successful and failing queries on her blog.<\/p>\n

A Synopsis<\/strong><\/p>\n

A synopsis is a brief overview of the book\u2019s main plot (That includes the story’s\u00a0end.<\/em>\u00a0No cliffhangers!), central characters, and theme. Not every agent will require you to submit this, but it\u2019s good to write one anyway. There are a myriad of opinions on what makes a synopsis good, so spend a few days reading about different ideas and formats. Again, you can expect to write multiple drafts.<\/p>\n

Sample Pages<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some agents will treat the query letter as your writing sample. Others will ask for an excerpt from the book itself. This can be anywhere from the first five pages to the first three chapters. Every agent will indicate if they prefer to receive these pasted into the body of the email or attached as a separate document. Follow their directions to the letter. And no matter how long or short the sample, make sure it doesn\u2019t cut off mid-sentence or mid-paragraph.<\/p>\n

A Technical Note about Emails<\/h2>\n

To send the query, you will either use the agent\u2019s online submission form or draft an email to the specified address. Type your query letter, then paste or attach the sample pages and synopsis. Take a moment to do a final spell and grammar check. Hit send, and you\u2019re done! Some agencies have an automated reply function and you\u2019ll get confirmation that your query was successfully delivered. If not, wait a few minutes to see if your email reports an error. If nothing happens, you can be pretty sure that your message arrived.<\/p>\n

Standing Out from the Slush Pile<\/h2>\n

The average literary agent receives about ten thousand queries each year. The slush pile might as well be called the slush\u00a0mountain<\/em>. It’s ginormous. Rejections are inevitable, no matter how much time you spent editing the book or prepping the submission packet. But there are a few things you can do to stand out.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Personalize Your Query. Agents can tell if you don\u2019t know anything about them or what they represent.\u00a0Never<\/em>\u00a0address your query letter as \u201cDear Sir\/Ma\u2019am,\u201d or worse of all, \u201cDear Agent.\u201d Use their names. Mention the reason you chose to query\u00a0them<\/em>\u00a0instead of someone else.<\/li>\n
  • Follow the Guidelines. This might seem like a no-brainer, but according to Jenny Bent, nearly 30% of all the queries she receives in a given day are rejected because they do\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0follow the rules. Send the agent exactly what they want. No more. No less.<\/li>\n
  • Check Your Email. Some agencies have reported problems receiving messages from a particular email provider. They will mention this on their website, and if you use the service, you\u2019d be wise to send your query from an alternate address. Make sure that the agency\u2019s email is not blocked so their reply won\u2019t end up in your spam folder.<\/li>\n
  • Never Phone an Agent. Agents\u00a0do not<\/em>\u00a0take queries by phone. It won\u2019t get you ahead of the queue. It will mark you as an amateur. If an agent wants to talk on the phone, they\u2019ll say so and schedule a time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

    Querying is a tough part of the writing business. It requires a lot of patience. Agents are inundated with thousands of submissions every year. Don\u2019t be surprised if you have to wait six months or longer for a reply. You will get plenty of rejections\u2014 that\u2019s inevitable. Keep in mind that every rejection brings you one step closer to that acceptance letter. So stick with it and keep sending those letters!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[18],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/566"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}