Queries: Prepping For Inevitable
I’ve completed a serious revision of my WIP. It’s with my editor for a second look-see. While I don’t expect it to come back clean and unscathed, I am hoping the corrections and comments will be minimal and easily accomplished—I’m hoping.
If that’s true, the next hurdle is to gird my writing loins and prepare for a serious round of rejecti queries. Yes, it’s query time in Albuquerque. As this has the potential to reduce even the most stout and strong-willed to a dollop of Jello, I’ve tried to organize and plan for what’s likely to ensue. Allow me to share that with you. If you see areas I should modify, please comment accordingly.
- Find Agents/publishers. Not as easy as it sounds, but an internet search and lots of perseverance should do the trick.
- Reduce List to my Genre. I think this is a key step. If they don’t represent, action/adventure, contemporary/historical fiction, or thriller/mysteries, then, it’ll be an automatic reject. Why sustain that pain and suffering?
- Organize List. Determine whom to query first, when, and record the details of date, type letter, etc. This will also avoid the embarrassment of querying the same person twice.
- Tailor Letter. I’m thinking there isn’t a one-size-fits-all query letter. What I need, and am developing, is a core query that can be tailored to stress what a given agent represents. My MS can be legitimately considered in any of the genres mentioned above—a blessing and a curse, by the way. For example, for mystery agents, I’ll stress the mystery aspects.
- Query Widely. I recently read a blog where an author had queried 150 agents, 150!!, before landing one. Wow. I’m glad I read that because I was thinking more like…25 or 30. So, that was a good eye-opener and reality check.
- Pace the queries. I’ll not send out 150 queries at once. Why? See the second bullet below.
- How to handle rejections. No, I’m not being a defeatist. Realistically, there will be rejections—a bunch of them. I accept that.
- While it’s best not to walk around in a depressed state, assuming every response will be a rejection, I won’t expect acceptance either. I’ll be neutral, avoiding the big—and repeated–let downs and associated ego crushing. I’m hoping this will stave-off becoming embittered.
- Where possible, learn from the rejections. Occasionally, a rejection will contain a constructive tidbit or suggestion. I’ll consider it carefully and learn from it. These might be anything from editorial changes to comments on the query. I’ll mine the responses for suggestions to improve the query/MS/whatever I’ve sent.
What will I do after 150 queries and no one wants the story that I think is pretty darn good? Dunno. Honestly, I just don’t know. It’s tough to let a project go after so many years and so much effort—not to mention expense. I’ll save that quandary for a later post. Right now, first things first. I’ll cleanup my MS—nearly done, establish a core query—getting close, get my web site updated with the good Betrayal info—as opposed to the bad/not current stuff that’s there now, and go forth. We’ll see what happens. Of course, I’ll let you all know if the information merits sharing.
Thanks for stopping by, see you again on Friday. Galen.
Themocracy
I think you’re doing everything right.
I remember a story that was on 60 Minutes or something…about the Danes being the happiest people on earth. They were all pessimists…or maybe realists. Then they were pleasantly surprised when good things happened. I think it’s a smart strategy sometimes. I know you’ll get your pleasant surprise soon.
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
I think you have the right attitude. You might also consider attending conferences where you have the opportunity to speak to agents and publishers one on one. Wishing you success way before you send out that 150th query!)
Galen – this is about where I am so thanks for the carefully thought out approach. I tend to be too scattered about it. As to rejections, I have done something about the sinking feeling. I’ve changed it to feeling good in that I know I need a certain amount of rejections before I’m snapped up and I have just gotten closer to my goal. It is the same thing I did when I went on this health diet and am only allowed to drink water which I had hated. I just said to myself every time I poured a glass of water how yummy and refreshing it was. Now it is that way to me! The other thing I do, is send out a query whenever I get a rejection. So today, I have to do that because I got a rejection yesterday. Little ways to keep sane in the process.
Here’s hoping you quickly find a perceptive publisher who has good taste. The sooner you find one of these, the sooner your MS will be accepted. Good luck!
Sounds like a good plan all around. A suggestion: When sending out the queries, divide the agents into two or three groups (A, B, C) according to perceived fit (ie, top agents in A, next tier in B, and so on). Then mail queries in batches of ten or twelve (every few weeks), targeting some from each group in each batch. That way, if you find you need to refine your query (or your pages), you won’t have “burned up” all your top choices.
Good luck! And remember, a rejection doesn’t mean your work is bad, it just means your work isn’t a good fit at the moment.
Good Luck!
I’m querying now and working on a new manuscript. So far I think it’s good. That’s the best way to keep your mind off the query process.
I query like Alan Orloff does. And I try to keep 12 circulating ‘out there’. After the first batch, it’s only one to a few at a time.
Oh, and did I say Good Luck!
Galen,
Wishing you good luck with the process. I would add this to Alan’s comment. Being rejected from just a query letter is no reflection on your work as a writer. It’s just a rejection of the query letter. Also, I learned a long time ago that neutral expectations were much better than negative or positive ones. It’s a great attitude.
Karen
You seem to be approaching this from a logical rather than an emotional position, which, in my opinion is the only way to do it! Preparation and research seem to be the keys. Here’s hoping it turns out the way you wish!
Elspeth
I came upon your blog via Crazy Jane. This is so useful – I looked at your website and your blog. I have always thought that being a writer is about sitting down and writing but I am learning that there is a lot more to it than that. Thanks for helping me way find the stepping stones. Good luck with your project.
I remember watching an interview with a SUPER successful author, I’m not sure but I think it was the guy that wrote “In the Line of Fire”, and he said he treated his writing career like a business. He tried to be as detached, informed, and serious about it as he had been in his previously successful career. And it worked for him, a six figure advance and bestseller.
One thing to bear in mind, some of these agents take forever when getting back and some never even respond. So, sending multiple queries is the way to go.
Good luck, Galen.
Worry not – you’re doing everything right, and with 150 queries going out, you’ll hit gold sooner or later. Just do NOT be despondent if it’s later. Rejection letters, as you are learning, are just part of the game.
The Old Silly
Great attitude.
I like how you are approaching it, and agree that tailored query letters are best.
Keeping my mind Karen’s comment would guard the emotions like armour – rejection to query not YOU.
But as someone who applied (and got in) to 12 universites, I would put forth a little extra research on the agent side. Maybe find something extra to make your letter stand out. Something that shows you did your research on THEM, not just their agency. That would show true effort on your part and mean a lot to the agent. And if it doesn’t, they’re probably some Big City Hack you don’t want to work with anyway, right? JK.
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
Thanks for being so honest about this process- especially the rejection part. In the last few months, I queried only about eight I think and had two requests. One I turned down and the other is looking at it, BUt like you, I didn’t want to do too many cause the rejections can come fast–ugh. I don’t know what to do when they are all in but have started a new book that I hope is better! Keep up updated please!
This post is well-timed for me as I’m hoping to start that query process around March for two very different novels. The rejections are just part of the game. I have enough from past projects to paper my office walls.
I don’t think I can handle 150 rejections!
Bargain with the Devil