Querying: Braving the Trenches
My Querying Journey, Querying Tips & Writing a Multi-POV Query
Querying. The word alone may conjure up a complex web of contradictory feelings inside the mind of an aspiring author: terror, excitement, dread, hope. It’s only natural that the idea of handing over something you’ve been tirelessly working on for months, or perhaps years, into strangers’ hands might make you feel, at the very least, apprehensive (and, at most, shitting yourself with fear). Personally, sharing my writing often feels like yanking out a vital organ, one I’ve carefully tended to and diligently grown, only to hope and pray someone doesn’t immediately squash it. Add the layer of knowing the people reading your work could potentially help you in accomplishing your dreams…yeah. It’s a lot.
But it’s not all panic-induced nausea and sweaty palms. Querying can be exciting. It should be! You have, at the end of the day, accomplished something truly remarkable: you’ve written a book! And on top of that, you believe in it enough to make the terrifying leap into the querying trenches. So, if this is you right now, standing at the precipice of this decision, let me be the one to say: YOU CAN DO IT.
Now, let’s move onto the fun stuff. I’m splitting this particular topic into three parts:
1. My Querying Journey
2. My Querying Advice
3. My Experience Writing a Multi-POV Query
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When I first made the decision to query my book, one might have said my disposition was akin to that of a nervous, shivering chihuahua. Don’t get me wrong, I had hope, too. Despite the ever-present imposter syndrome us writers are collectively plagued with, I really did believe in this book. I thought it was good. Like really good. Good enough to believe it deserved to be shared with readers. But still…I was nervous. I knew diddly-squat about publishing and had never known anyone who was an author or a publishing professional. It felt like I was about to enter an alien world. Like stepping through the Narnia closet, but instead of James McAvoy with hooves being on the other side waiting for me, it was gonna be a lot of really cool, intimidating agents reading my book.
Essentially, this was me:
But it was time to put my Big Girl pants on and send my book out. I started off small (thank the Heavens) and sent off 5 reallybadohmygodwhydidIeversendthose queries. Maybe I’m being the tiniest bit dramatic, but they were pretty bad. I had barely edited the letter and I hadn’t had anyone else look at it. Needless to say, all of those agents either ghosted me, or swiftly rejected me. Luckily, I had already come to the realization that I should take a step back and have some fresh eyes glance over my query before sending any more. So, I did! I logged out of Query Tracker, took the next couple weeks to revise my query letter and get it ready for agent eyes, and then dove right back in.
Now…what I’m about to say might be controversial (please don’t come after me with pitchforks) — but I didn’t do small batches after that. A lot of people recommend querying in small batches so that you can revise your query letter according to the rejections and feedback that you get.
I, however, did not have the patience for that.
Now, this might not be the move for everyone! Some people prefer small batches and find it immensely helpful. I just truly think my brain would have imploded if I would have had to wait for all the queries to be answered before sending off another batch. I didn’t necessarily send off all my queries at once, but I definitely sent out a lot of them. I also continued to research agents afterwards, sending off a few more while I waited for others to respond.
I received my first: “can we schedule a call?” message a month and a half after I started my querying journey. I know I’ve said this a million times, but I’ll say it a million more: this is not the norm and I count myself very lucky. Trust me, nobody was more shocked than me. I think I almost did a spit take when I opened the message and read those words out loud. Ultimately, that message did lead to an offer, which led to me nudging all of my unanswered queries, which led to more interested parties! This isn’t to say I also didn’t receive tons of rejections at first. I did! In fact, for the first few weeks it was mainly just rejection after rejection after rejection. And those are never fun, regardless of the timeline. Unfortunately, rejection seems to be a foundational pillar of the publishing industry us masochistic writers are a part of. It lurks at every corner, eager to humble you without remorse. However, there are ways to help mitigate the negativity brought upon by rejections, and I’ll dive into that a bit in this upcoming section.
To finish my querying journey off, here are my stats! Which I don’t believe I’ve ever officially shared:
Queries Sent: 60
Full Requests: 7
Partial Requests: 1
R&Rs: 0
Offers: 3
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STOP REFRESHING QUERY TRACKER AND GO TOUCH GRASS!!!
*ahem*
Anyway…now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about some of the lessons I learned while querying, and a few tips that might be helpful in your journey. Buckle up, soldier!
*NOTE*: Before I give you my tips, it’s important to mention these two crucial resources that will be vital in your querying journey:
Query Tracker: I would say most agents are on Query Tracker and can be submitted to directly through here. Even if you can’t submit directly, most of the time they at least have a profile and indicate where to e-mail the query to. This is also the place where you can track your stats (and agent stats!).
Manuscript Wish List: A lot of agents will have a profile on here with—you guessed it—their manuscript wish list. This was suuuuper helpful with not only finding the right agents for my project, but personalizing my query and making it stand out. Also, if an agent doesn’t have a profile on here (quite a few don’t), you can also type in #MSWL into Twitter (yes I know it’s called X now, but it’s still Twitter in my brain and El*n can’t take that away from me), and find tons of similar info!
Now, let’s move onto the tips!
Pause and do your research. I know it might be difficult to resist the urge to plunge headfirst and begin sending out your query, but I highly recommend taking the time to research agents & agencies. Formulate a list of agents you think would be a good fit for not only your book—but for you as an author. Now, some of you might be thinking: “That’s all well and good, Isa, but how the heck do I research agents???” And if you are, do not fret! I have the answer! There are multiple ways to research agents and find some that might be a good fit for you! The easiest way to find literary agents is simply to go to the acknowledgments of some of your favorite books (or books in the genre you are writing). Most, if not all, writers will mention their agent in their acknowledgments (and if they aren’t…then…that’s probably cause for concern lol). I combed through fifteen of some my favorite YA Fantasy books and jotted down the agents mentioned by those authors. After I had those names, I plugged them in good old Google and found which agency they worked for! I also used the aforementioned resource to research agents, going on Query Tracker and seeing what agents were open to queries in my genre, and then researching them and their agency further on Google before adding them to my “Yes” list.
Personalize Your Query! If you’ve done your research, then you should know the specific reason why each agent is a good fit for your book. For example, I always flagged when an agent was looking for things like “dark, twisty” books or “academic, boarding school settings”, due to the specific themes of my book. And then I would make sure to mention those reasons in my query! “Isa! How do I find out what specific things agents are looking for?” I’m glad you asked, figment of my imagination! Use the other aforementioned resource, Manuscript Wish List (and Twitter), to make note of any specific tropes, themes or genres agents are looking for!
GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR QUERY! I know I touched on this briefly already, but it took a few rounds of editing with a couple of writer friends to really nail down the query and get it in shape to hit the trenches. If you don’t have someone to reach out to, don’t worry. You can edit the query letter yourself! Just make sure you’re taking the time to revise the query before sending it out. (Note: I do recommend making writer friends! It’s scary and awkward and daunting, but connecting with *the right* people can really help you not only learn more about the publishing industry, but also create a solid support group).
I know I screamed about getting off Query Tracker and touching grass earlier, but I was kind of not kidding! It’s soooo easy to get sucked into the online writing world and become bogged down with the constant stream of rejections. I became obsessive about refreshing Query Tracker and it was not good for my already anxiety-riddled OCD noggin. Make sure you are taking breaks. GO OUTSIDE! Breathe in some fresh air! Chat with a real, living human being! Preferably someone who doesn’t know anything about writing or publishing! It’s important to remain grounded and remind ourselves there is a big, big world outside of the little writing bubble we all work in.
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And now, what I assume most of you have been waiting for…here is the *almost completely original* query that I sent out to agents! I’ve made a few notes in the margins. Apologies for how tiny the font is! You should be able to zoom in and read, but if not, I’ve added a recap of my thoughts/comments afterwards.
Here is the general breakdown of what I’ve included and why:
First Paragraph:
First Sentence: The Title, Genre, Word Count.
Second sentence: Two comps w/ specific tropes and themes.
Third sentence: Two Agent-Specific reasons why the book is a good fit for them.
Pitch:
First Paragraph: I started off with a question, which I know a lot of people usually say is a no-no, but I think it worked for my book. I then focused on my chosen “main” character out of the multi-POVs. I made sure to highlight two characteristics about her (this adds dimension to your character right off the bat and helps explain her core desires/motivations). Like I mentioned in the notes, I also now have her age in the pitch, which I think would be helpful for your query, as well. I then included the conflict/stakes, which are primarily surrounding the Decennial trials.
Second Paragraph: August is Wren’s main emotional conflict, which is why I added him first. And then come in the other POVs: Irene, Masika, Olivier and Emilio. I’m establishing their collective motivation (which, in turn, will heighten the stakes since they are all vying for the same thing). I then dropped in the inciting incident: Oh no! Shadow magic! A new student falling from the sky! And what actions will our characters take when faced with these stakes and conflict? They are “forced to set their acrimony aside and work together” - tada!
Bio: This is pretty self-explanatory, but here is where you’d put any writing credentials, academic accolades, pertinent background info, current job, etc etc. Anything you think might be helpful for the agent to know about you!
Lastly, here are some formatting rules for your query as well:
- Keep it roughly 300-500 words
- Black font, Times New Roman, 12 pt
- Single spaced, left-justified w/ a space between paragraphs
And that’s a wrap! I know this was a long one, but I hope it was helpful (or at least somewhat entertaining to read). In case there is anything I didn’t cover, or maybe you simply just have more questions, feel free to leave any and all questions in the comments. I’ll try to get back to you as quickly as I can! And if you’re moments away from taking that leap and braving the trenches, just know I believe in you!
Good luck, soldiers.
Chat soon x
Isa
I love when author’s share their successful and unsuccessful query letters. Appreciate you sharing yours!
I love reading about people's experiences querying, so thank you for sharing!