5 things to consider while querying agents.
This post is as much for myself as for anyone out there considering the long process of agent querying. Just a couple of tips that are helping me finish those all-important submissions. Chances are that this could change your life for good. These five tips are helping me focus and keep faith, though I am nowhere near done yet. I hope they will help keep spirits high, fingers typing and lips pulled up in smiles.
1. The internet is a scary place. Do not let it freak you out.
This is really important both before and during the process of querying. Social media groups, authors' blogs, blogs like query shark can all seem incredibly disheartening. Feeds that say it takes dozens, even hundreds, of queries to get just a single response, theories about "the best way to query agents", horror stories from budding authors who were contacted by fake agencies. It's almost enough to make anyone cry.
But stay strong! Most agents state very clearly what they are looking for in a query letter. Take what you read around the internet with a kilo of salt. Look at who is writing it and why! Agents WANT to find the next big thing. If you have something truly great, then don't be frightened off by other peoples' experiences. Learn from it, write down the most helpful things and forget about that one person who sent out ONE query and was signed the next day.
Just because it doesn't happen like that for you- doesn't mean it won't happen!
2. Do your research!
This is the most important piece of advice I can provide and if you're reading this- you've likely heard it before. We live in a digital age. Information is there to be found- you just have to find it. When you start looking for that one agent who will be perfect for you- you have to know exactly what YOU are looking for. Are you a Romance novelist? A Poet? Do you write Children's literature? For the love of your manuscript- if you are working on a horror story, do not query an agent who specialises in Romance- this much should be obvious. What is less obvious perhaps, is what to do when you have sixty-three agents who all work in your genre. This is when you get into the nitty gritty!
Look at their clients- do you recognise any of the authors on their lists and do they have books published that are similar to your own? Have you read any of their authors (and if the answer is no, then you might want to!) and do you like the general style of their clients. And then you go onto social media or just google even. Who are these people, both the agents and their clients? Will you work well with them? Will you work well together?
For an example let me tell you about my first query. I write for a middle-grade and young adult audience. It has elements of fantasy, coming of age, emotional turmoil, adventure. It takes place in the present-day world, though it has a significant twist.
Okay- let me find mg and ya agents then. Shit- there are hundreds. Okay. I like the Percy Jackson series and my story-arch and theme are similar. Cool- can I find out who represented this? Yes, yes I can. Okay, let me look at her twitter feed. It's great! Funny and relevant. Okay, what if I google? There are articles everywhere. She seems to have the traits I'm looking for. Okay, what is her agency? Are there other agents here that may be even better? And what are her specific guidelines?
Sometimes you'll even find different e-mail addresses on different sites. If you're on something like agenthunter.co.uk then make sure to double check all information, because sometimes they list guidelines and information that isn't quite right! Research, research, research. And once you have done all of this- it is time to write a killer letter- specific to each agent you are querying! Because the guidelines vary wildly! Some want to know loads of stuff about you, some don't give a crap who you are and some just want a half-page pitch about your work.
Make sure to know as much as you can before you start! And when you feel confident in your submission letter- LEAVE IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS and then come back and reread it. It's hard- I know. But it'll be worth it in the end. And while you're resting that query- repeat the process for another agent.
3. Build a solid platform!
I had no idea when I started writing how important this is. I honestly figured that if my story was good enough the offers would come flying in left and right. But frankly these days- you can have the most amazing story in the world but if you have no way of selling it- it just might be overlooked. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, even linkedIn are invaluable sources! Start blogging, talk to your local bookstores about getting some exposure, join pages devoted to new writers (facebook is a friggin goldmine, I tell you).
You want to show the agent that you are worth spending time on! That you will go the distance, will work to spread the word about your amazing writing.
Because if you aren't willing to do that- then why should they be? I can't really put it any simpler than that I'm afraid. I'm an absolute noob at all this. I have no clue what I am doing half the time but the more I work on it, the more confidence I gain! And it's really nice to know that there are others out there going through the same thing you are. Just remember- the internet is a scary place! Don't be put off by the stories you read- just persist.
4. Get started on something new!
Okay, so you've sent out five, six, twelve query letters to your favourite agents. Now get your mind off it. Start something new! A new manuscript in a completely different genre maybe? Start blogging, tell people what you are going through. Watch Stranger Things on Netflix. Catch up on those darned push-ups. Get your mind away from what you have done, because (daunting as it may seem) once you've sent it- there really isn't much you can do to change it. Take a deep breath and start something. Personally- I'm writing a satirical comedy entitled "5 things not to do if you want to make friends with a bartender!"
5. Agents are busy people- give them time!
Last but not least! It's a true test of patience and fortitude. The waiting, the wondering could quickly send any budding author into a spiral of doubt. "What if they just trashed it?", "Shoot, did I attach the right documents?", "Oh my god, my manuscript sucks", "It's been three days and I've heard nothing. It probably isn't good enough!"
But agents receive hundreds of queries every week. Some probably thousands. And many of them do ask for anything between two and eighteen weeks. It's really easy to start doubting your work- I know I do. Especially if you're simultaneously reading established authors' work. But agents are only human. And surely you want them to take enough time to really read through your proposal right? So don't hound them, whatever you do. It will be completely counterproductive. Most will send responses out, positive or negative once they've read what you have written and if you've put in the work, researched all you can and found the ones that you love- then you're in with a shot.
I apologise for the longish rant, but I really feel like these things might help others out there, struggling to keep a level head and not march up to the agencies' front doors demanding an answer. Breath! The answers will come!