First off, many, many thanks to reader Jim Duncan for this idea. I take no credit for it. (I wish I could though.)
Here’s the deal. The commenters who participated in Agentfail expressed quite a lot of angst about agents who don’t respond to queries. Lots of people think we should respond to every single person who queries us.
So. Want to see what it’s like to manage a slush pile for a day? Think you can spot the good queries from the bad? Wondering how the view looks from our side? Think it’s easy to respond to everyone?
Here’s how this will work.
1. If you’d like to volunteer a query for Be An Agent for a Day, please e-mail your entry to querycontest@gmail.com. It can be a real query or a fake query, but if it’s a fake query, please at least make it a stab at a real query rather than a parody. When you e-mail your query to querycontest@gmail.com you consent to have it publicly posted on the blog. It’s an opportunity for some valuable query feedback. (I probably won’t be able to use every volunteer’s query, so I apologize in advance.)
2. Published (or soon to be published) authors: I need you. I would love it if you would share some of your queries for your actually published books. Please tell me who you really are when you e-mail, but change your name and the title of the book in the query.
3. On Monday the 13th I will begin posting 50 queries throughout the day. (This is a light day. I’m letting you off easy.) I’ll automate them in advance to post sporadically throughout the day, so there will be bursts of queries and then dead periods. It would probably be easiest to track the blog through Google Reader or another feed reader to simulate e-mails coming into your inbox.
4. This is where you come in. You will read and respond to as many queries as you can. You will have one week to respond to all 50 queries. You can draft your own rejection letter and manuscript request letter (personalized or non-personalized, your choice), which you will paste in the comments section of each query. You might even provide some specific feedback to try and help the author if you’re feeling extra conscientious.
5. You may request no more than five manuscripts, because hey, you’re not going to have time for your clients if you request more than five manuscripts for every 50 queries.
6. For the purposes of this contest you are looking for queries that demonstrate publishable potential, not necessarily your genres of interest.
7. Now the fun part: we’ll see how good people are at requesting the queries for books that ended up being published. I’ll post the requested/rejected stats for the actually published books on Monday the 20th, and crown the Superstar Agents who request all of the actually published books. The superstars may win a special prize (provided there are not 7,000 winners). Also, if you volunteered your query, you can track your response rate and feedback to see how your query fares.
8. If you subscribe to the blog via e-mail you will need to click through to the blog to participate. DO NOT E-MAIL ME YOUR RESPONSES. I mean it, e-mail subscribers. You must leave your responses on the actual blog. I’m afraid I’m also not able to offer tech support.
9. I thought about being extra mean and making you also do things like compare contracts and follow up on submissions, but I realize people have day jobs as well. So I decided to make it just slush.
10. Keep in mind that the quality of the queries will be far, far better on average than we agents actually receive, because anyone who volunteers their query reads agent blogs and is thus way ahead of at least 50% of the people who query me. And I realize that some of the test queries may be for books that will subsequently go on to be published books. But still: try and spot the already-published ones.
11. Please don’t give it away when you see your query or if you recognize someone else’s. Just respond with a standard rejection or request.
Also a note about this week: Tuesday and Wednesday the blog will be dark as I’m off to Oklahoma to meet the good people at the University of Tulsa. Thursday I will hopefully post This Week in Publishing, and I’m off again on Friday. I’ll start posting the contest queries next Monday.
Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section! As always, rules and regulations subject to change without notice.
Sarah Laurenson says
What fun. I’d love to ‘play’, but work won’t let me see blogs.
Bane of Anubis says
Great idea Jim!
Marilyn Peake says
This is very cool.
T. Anne says
Sounds entertaining and a bit stressful all at once. I can’t wait to play.
John Baird says
This is one of those rare ideas that’s innovative as well as educational. I’m willing to read a mile in your shoes. Thanks.
Anonymous says
Wow. I normally lurk on this blog, but I just had to come out and say, What a great idea! Good Luck to everyone.
Bailey Thomas says
You’re coming to Tulsa? I’ll have to investigate. It’s only a short hour or so from OKC, and I must know what brings you to our side of the country, otherwise known as We’re-Not-All-Rednecks-I-Swear!
This sounds like a fantastic idea. I may even send out a query of my own.
Diana says
Oh, very cool! I will have to be an agent who reviews queries in the wee hours, since it would be frowned upon to do this at work.
Jen P says
Great idea – do you have a deadline by when one must “e-mail your entry to querycontest@gmail.com” ?
Thanks.
Dana says
Whoot! I’m definitely down. We’ll see if I have a good eye though… not sure that my tastes always align with the masses’.
Anonymous says
This sounds like fun and I’m interested in submitting. I’m just wondering if it will have a negative impact if I were to send a real query and then to subsequently send a revised version to your real slush pile based on responses.
My query is pretty distinctive, but I’ve no idea if that’s in a good way or a bad way! 🙂
Horserider says
Sounds like fun! I think I’ll play, even though I’ll be gone for some of the day Monday.
Marilyn Peake says
Nathan,
Are we allowed to submit more than one query?
Bane of Anubis says
PS – more Kudos to nathan, too – pulling double duty… Have fun in Tulsa.
Melissa says
Woohoo! I’m in! Thanks, Nathan!
Though when I tried to do a home version of your first paragraph contest, I ended up curled up in a fetal position under my desk, so I know this will be tough.
Jen C says
Gosh, I love games and such. This is pretty much one of the best ideas ever. I am so all over it like the proverbial fat kid on cupcake.
Solvang Sherrie says
What a fun idea! Although I don’t think I could read 50 queries in a day!
Sarah says
Hi Nathan,
Sounds like a great idea – unsure if I’ll be able to participate as work is cracking down on blogs.
However, something seems slightly confusing (or it could just be I’m getting through my first cup of coffee) — you will be posting 50 queries a day for seven days, if I have understood correctly, of which the participants can only request five per day, for a sum total of 30 queries per participant maximum?
Oh yes, and um… what if, hypothetically, someone is just about to start thinking about writing a query letter and would love to receive all those emails, see how they fare, but won’t be able to take part? Could she still subscribe? *cough*
Thanks in advance, and sorry for any presumption.
Sarah
Elaine says
When my divorce gets finalised my husband will cite this ‘game’ as the final straw – writing being the other one!
I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist the lure of it though.
Now I get it!
knight_tour says
Nathan, you mentioned genres of interest. I noticed that my genre – fantasy – is not listed for you. Does that mean it is a waste of time querying you for a fantasy novel? I have had this question in my mind for awhile, since I am finishing up a fantasy novel, but I haven’t gotten around to asking it.
Soratian says
Coming out of the woodwork to say, wow, this sounds like fun! I’ll do my best to take part (if work allows, that is)! Are we allowed to fall behind and try to catch up?
Elaine says
Nathan
Our 24 hour periods don’t mesh well either
Set a start time so I’ll be sure to work US (San Francisco-style) time
Joy says
Coming to Tulsa? Yay! Just found the info. I’ll be there ready to be inspired 🙂
Tracey S. Rosenberg says
Nathan – do you have anyone to simulate a really annoying querier who repeatedly resubmits? 🙂
Anyway, this is fab. I suspect you’ll get far more than 50 queries, given this blog’s popularity, but I’ll go ahead and throw one in the pot.
John says
Should we include the first five pages of the work, the way you request for real queries, or should we stick to just the query, or is it up to us? Thanks.
Justus M. Bowman says
Interesting, but I’m going to pass on the opportunity. Ha ha. I know it wouldn’t be fun to reject queries all day.
Luisa Perkins says
Cool idea!
Cory says
This seems like such a great way to get feedback on queries. I’d love to send in my query, but I have a few questions:
Are these queries basically pitches, or do we need to go all the way and add in a bio section, publications, personalise it to you, etc.? Does the genre need to be something you rep, or can it be anything?
Thanks!
Sophie Beal says
I don’t have anything against agents (haven’t queried for anything yet), but…
How about getting some agents to write queries for books that are about to be published?
As with most others writing on this blog over your night time difference is going to be a problem, but I’d love to take part.
David Eric Tomlinson says
Nathan, I think you should just give up on the idea of being an agent and go into social media marketing. It’s obviously your true calling … there’s no way your agenting skills could compare.
Sophie Beal says
Sorry, a comma between night and time in my first post would have been helpful.
bookshop says
I love this idea, I can’t wait to feedback the list of queries! 😀
Julia Weston says
I love this. Good thinking Jim. I’m bummed I don’t have time to participate (small children, hour-long commute to day-job, etc.) but I’m going to love watching from the sidelines.
k-macfarlane says
I think the contest is a great idea. I’m looking forward to using it as a learning experience, though as you said, I’m sure the queries will be much better than the ones you receive daily in your inbox.
Rick Daley says
Jim,
Great idea!
Nathan,
Thanks for sponsoring it. Is it a query only, or are sample pages allowed as well? I would encourage sample pages, because most writers prefer to submit 5 pages to show their true voice. It will give the virtual agent an example of the extra work / reading time, and hopefully the tough decision to narrow the 50 down to 5.
Rick Daley says
Hi Sophie,
“How about getting some agents to write queries for books that are about to be published?”
I think this would violate confidentiality agreements between the authors, agents, and publishers.
Even if the agents were to write queries for books that have been published, I’m not sure how fruitful of an exercise it would be. I think that would be like asking a bunch of food critics to swap places with a chef.
It’s easier for the chef to take place of a food critic, because chefs eat, too.
Eva Ulian says
I have yet no idea how I will manage it but I am determined to be an Agent for a day. May I also make a suggestion that the “agent” for the day should reject his/her own query if it comes up- that’s only fair.
Robert A Meacham says
I would like to be agent for a day. Count me in.
You got mail!
terri says
Have fun at TU – my alma mater for law school. I live about 3 hours north of there now in the great (dagnabbit) state of Kansas. Please tell us about the jaunt, we okies would love to know!
Robert Treskillard says
This is really creative. Wish I had time to participate!
How you do much more than this every day is beyond me.
Samantha Tonge says
Not sure i’ll have time – but i suppose in a way, that’s the point – to show how much agents have to wade through every day, on top of their other work.
Hats off to ya…
BookEnds, LLC says
ohmygod Nathan! You and Jim Duncan are absolutely brilliant! I LOVE this.
–jessica
Mira says
How fun! What a great idea, Jim. And how cool that you’re doing it Nathan.
So, I have two questions. The first is how will you count people’s five choices? Should people number them?
The second question is: what do you mean you’re going out of town and the site will be dark? How will I avoid my life this week?
Did you not consider me at all when you made decisions about your life? Well, please try to be more considerate in the future, Mr. I have important trips to take.
Ahem.
Mira says
Oh. Since we’re talking about queries, I did a terrible job with plugging Rick Daley’s blog on Sat.
I didn’t post a link. Of course I know how to post a link. I just don’t know how to make it all fancy, like Mariyln does.
Here’s the link:
https://openquery.blogspot.com/
This is a place where you can get peer feedback on your queries. Good practice prior to the contest!
It’s very helpful.
sex scenes at starbucks says
Absolutely brilliant.
Nathan Bransford says
jen-
You can submit queries for the contest until Sunday.
Marilyn-
You’re allowed to submit more than one query, but I’m going to be picking and choosing and can’t guarantee that one or more will be chosen.
everyone-
Keep in mind that you’ll have a week to respond to the queries. You don’t have to do it in one day (although you can try).
Nathan Bransford says
sarah-
I’m posting 50 queries total. Everyone has a week to respond. I know it’s called “Be an Agent for a Day…” it’s just one day’s worth of queries. You don’t have to do it in a single day.
Nathan Bransford says
Re: 5 pages. I’ve intentionally been vague about what queries I want to see and whether I’m requesting 5 sample pages as well because I’m hoping to post a range of approaches.
Lady Glamis says
Sounds like a great contest! I probably won’t participate, but it sure will be fun to watch!
Sarah says
Thanks Nathan, now that is quite possibly doable!
I thought I was seeing things when thought it was 350 queries.
Thank you so much!