Query Smart
You’ve spent months (or years) writing your book. You’ve had your manuscript edited and you used the feedback to progress your project. You’ve written the synopsis and query letter and had those edited, too.
Your submission package is ready—as ready as it can be for now …
Now, who to query?
Wish you had a guide to help your work-in-progress come to life? Our expert editors will make sure your project is polished and targeted to your specific audience, from outline to submission package.
QUERY SMARTER, NOT HARDER
There are thousands of agents and editors out there in the query-sphere. You shouldn’t query them all. It can be tough to decide where to start, or even how to start looking for the people who will scoop up what you’re offering.
Think of agents and editors as specialists. They have preferences, and generally stay in their particular lanes. Sending your submission to the wrong gatekeepers is a waste of your time (and theirs). Trust me, they are complaining about those folks on Twitter.
Find the agents/editors who say they’re looking for your book.
Then, take an even closer look to pinpoint the ones who’ve actually signed on clients who write in your genre, or the ones whose lists contain books similar to yours. This is important because a lot of industry professionals are currently broadcasting their desire to advance historically marginalized voices. But I’ve noticed several mouths writing checks their lists aren’t cashing.
In other words, if agents/editors are “looking for” stories like the one you’ve written but don’t actually have any on their lists (come on, people, it’s 2022!), their intentions might not be as inclusive as their assertions.
FIND YOUR PEOPLE
Read recent titles comparative to yours. Check out the author’s acknowledgments. Authors almost always recognize and thank their literary agents and editors. Keep a running list of agents and editors who sign and buy what you write.
Publishers Weekly is an awesome resource for recent book deals. You can identify authors who write in your genre, the agents who sign them, and the editors who buy their books. Check out recent book deals here.
Go find each agent/editor on the agency/publisher website to “get to know” them. Find out what their favorite books are, why they got into publishing, their career trajectory, or even what kind of pets they have. These details might elicit commonality and come into play when it’s time to personalize your query letter.
Check out their manuscript wish list - a comprehensive list of everything they are looking for (and everything they’re not). Click here for more information.
Follow them on social media or search to find podcasts or seminars spotlighting them. Our very own Mary Kole interviews publishing industry insiders for the Good Story Podcast. Check out this conversation with Rachel Orr.
BE SPECIFIC
The first line of your query letter should tell each agent/editor why you chose them. This shows them you’ve done your research and taken the time to get to know them beyond their name and who they work for. You truly are reaching out to them because you believe your project is exactly what they want.
Since you have read their social media posts, seen their manuscript wish list, and listened to them on podcasts, you should have plenty of material to go by. But don’t use it all. Limit it to one or two reasons. Keep it concise but detailed enough to let them know you’ve stalked them a bit.
Your goal is for each letter to be slightly different, tailor-made for the recipient.
Haven’t written that query letter just yet? Want to be sure yours is complete? Make sure your query letter has the essential elements.
BRACE YOURSELF
The query trenches can feel overwhelming and terrifying. They can be brutally defeating. But starting your querying off immediately in the right space can mean the difference between query trench purgatory and query success – partial and full requests, agents and editors offering actionable critique, revise and resubmit letters, and offers of representation.
You will also want to track your queries. Here is an excellent blog post on how to do that.
Good luck!
Look out for upcoming StorySnobs webinars! Get feedback on your pitch and enter to win a free submission editing package. I can’t wait to see your logline!
