Agent Querying Update
This 6-inch snapping turtle was digging a nest in our potty pen. The dogs didn’t disturb her but I don’t know if she successfully laid eggs. Time will tell.
To help normalize this process, I thought I’d give you an update on my agent queries and research. (A few weeks ago I wrote about my query process, including writing the book description and finding a good fit.)
Agent reactions so far
I started querying agents about my middle grade zoo mystery in May. So far 14 agents have passed on it, most with a form rejection saying some variation of “not a good fit for my list.”
The fastest rejection was the same day of the query. The rest came within a few days to a few weeks.
It looks like agents are able to tell right away if my novel is something they want to read. And most are saying, “No thanks.” Which is fine.
I’m not taking their responses as a comment on my writing or my idea or my query. It’s about their personal taste—what an agent likes to work on and what they think they can sell.
If I were an agent, I would not represent horror novels. I don’t enjoy reading them. My husband’s been trying to persuade me to read Dracula for YEARS. I’ve seen enough Dracula movies to know that I don’t want to read it. It’s just not my cup of tea, thank you very much.
As of this writing, I have 12 queries out to agents. I revised my query letter a couple of weeks ago and have sent that to four agents so far in July.
One agent has requested the full manuscript. Yippee! I found her name in the acknowledgements of an MG novel I read earlier this year.
Of the 27 agents I’ve queried so far, 7 accepted queries by email, 1 by a form on the agency website, and 19 by Query Manager.
What agents ask for
10 agents have requested a synopsis along with sample pages. The sample pages requested have ranged from 3 pages to 25 pages and one chapter to five chapters.
Query Manager adds some other wrinkles. Some agents’ Query Manager form is super simple. They want your name, contact info, query letter, and sample pages.
They also want the title of your novel and the word count. One of the fields on the form is a dropdown for choosing your novel’s genre. Presumably, an agent could look at all adult romance queries in one batch, if she wanted to.
Some agents include a few yes/no questions like “Have you ever been represented by an agent?” or “Have you ever published a novel?”
Some want a short bio, a description of the audience for the book, some comparable titles, a pitch.
Even though much of this info is in the query letter, I provide the information in the separate text boxes on the form as well. I try to give agents the information they ask for.
I would bet that agents use Query Manager to sort through queries in some way and that they don’t necessarily read them in the order they were submitted.
A new project
Meanwhile, instead of obsessively checking my email for agent responses, I’ve begun a new novel. Or rather I’m revising a novel idea that I hashed out with my husband during the early days of the pandemic. It’s an adult mystery novel that I’m playing around with instead of a kid novel. Quite the change!
I won’t say more now since the story is still in a vulnerable state.