Whoa boy am I getting a lot of queries these days.
In addition to the 400 or so I received over the holidays, I came in this morning to another 100+ that had accumulated over the weekend. To put that in perspective, last year I received about 110 over a three day weekend, and that had been a record.
I’m not totally sure why this all is happening, but I’m guessing it’s a combo of:
– NaNoWriMo novels have been edited and are ready for submission
– Contests tend to bring new blog readers and new blog readers tend to bring queries
– People had some time over the holidays to prep their submissions
– Cylon virus weakening human race by compelling people to spend time writing novels instead of fighting robot uprising
And yet, despite my best guesses there are also some slightly unexplainable aspects to this new deluge. For instance, I’m receiving an abnormally high volume of personal religious manifestos. Why? I have no idea. Certain trends just come in waves.
I also really do believe we’re in a cultural moment where an abnormally high percentage of the population is either writing or thinking about writing a novel.
I’m not complaining about all of this – after all, many of these new projects are quite good! It’s just making for a tricky couple of post-holiday weeks.
Any personal theories about the query deluge?
New Year's resolutions.
Aliens.
Hive minds. It would explain everything.
People are out of work or working lower paying jobs and thinking this is an "easy" way to get money. Ha!
I'm still betting that high unemployment overall, and vast layoffs in the newspaper industry, have given free time to a lot of people who always have wanted to write a novel. How many newspaper and magazine writers have been slowly pecking away at a novel in their desk drawer.
Why this surge after the holidays–probably a combo of the above, plus New Year's resolutions to finally start sending out queries (or more queries).
Don't you think maybe it has to do with your immense popularity? I'm sure everyone wants to hang with you. And also, no one wants to fight robots.
The universe is a sick puppy with an evil sense of humor? A sarcastic fate fairy knew I was nearing completion of my novel and prompted everyone to slap something together and start agent shopping? Hear the upward, questioning inflection in my comment? A little Stewie Griffin perhaps? Could I possibly be a little bitter about the query influx of late? Good luck, Mr. Bransford. Try to keep your head above water, or words. Whatever.
the impending doom of twenty-twelve has fueled people's inner creative childs. now the better question is what percentage of the queries are actually solid ones?
Maybe the religious stuff is from people worried about the world ending in 2012. Actually, that could explain all the novels. You need to get in quick to get it published before the zombie apocalypse of 2012.
I agree, it could be aliens but more likely all of those out of work people taking time off to right the "Great American Novel". What other job can you do sitting at home in your PJ's and watching the judge shows on TV?
Not that that's what I do…I don't even like judge shows.
Wow, Richard and I posted about 2012 at exactly the same time. If that's not proof of an ancient Mayan prophecy coming true, I don't know what is.
Could be the expanding population.
I'm blaming it on the success of the Harry Potter, Twilight, and Dan Brown. People see these books turned into a movie and think "Hey, I should write a book."
I'm going with the Cylons – they're tricky that way. 🙂
After reading 650+, 500 word entries filled with teenage hormones… Everyone is convinced that you are superhuman and can do it all!!!
So what is 100+ queries… I am sure you will be receiving a few more from some of us (wink,wink)
Damn. Now that just sucks. Seriously. I am about a week away from having my manuscript and my query letter polished.
And my book has a theological bent to it.
Damn.
Maybe people that had no time due to a job and then were ‘let go’ from said job found time to write a novel. *shrugs* but who knows, maybe all those changes Doctor Who made over the holidays had an irreparable effect on the time space continuum.
I vote all of the above. (Though I'm not sure the Cylons would be into mass producing religious manifestos.)
Do you know if this is happening to most agents or is it localized?
terry-
Theological bent is totally fine. The projects I'm talking about are more along the lines of "God exists no really I have proof."
I think it's coming from a higher power… The Gods have forseen it!
You mentioned recently that your Blog had received its one millionth new visitor. Most likely, the extensive information about the publishing industry that you provide on your Blog plus the lively discussions you allow in the Comments section, your new Forums and frequent contests place you among the agents writers will query first (and it’s entirely possible that one million writers, many writing multiple books, will query you for each and every one of the books they write). At the same time, more people than ever before are writing books – which
I think is a pretty cool trend in our culture because it suggests that our culture is probably much more literate than we realize.
when times are tough, people seem stumble upon god. if they found god in 2009, along with your blog, that could explain the surge in the religious manifestos anyway.
Kiran
Writing is the new form of therapy. It's cheaper too.
Sometimes it's just the timing. I queried last winter around the same time that agents started seeing record numbers. It had nothing to do with the economy for me (and I hadn't heard of Nano at the time). I'd just finished my book, edited it, wrote a query, and sent it out.
Perhaps email and texting culture has over-familiarized people with written communication. Long, from-the-heart emails get tucked away and next thing you know: RELIGULOUS MANIFESTO! Urgh, sorry, Nathan. Sounds like a real pain.
A combination of things. The internet and your willingness to accept emailed queries. Switch to snail mail only queries and see how many you receive.
And then… what others said. People have more time on their hands than before, and can pursue long held dreams.
All of your theories feel right to me, along with the bad economy having a lot of smart people with time on their hands. Is there any data on the overall number of queries out there and has that number grown? I mean have you just risen above the average query-to-agent ratio, or is everyone increasing? If it turns out that you're getting more than your share, I think we're all clear that it's the Nathan Factor. If all boats are rising, where will we get all the agents?
I agree with the New Year's resolution idea… I think a lot of people have decided it's high time they get off their bums and do something about the novel they've been sitting on.
Or it could just be your charm…
Hmmmm, now you have to ask yourself. Are other agents having the same response?
Oh and I've noticed the religious thing too lately… and I'm on the other side of the world. I actually had a visit from a Jehovah's Witness and I haven't seen one of them since I was a kid. Nice lady, though…
In some combination: (a) increased trend to multiple submission (regardless of agency preference for exclusivity), (b) perceived greater accessibility of agents due to their 'net presence, (c)closure of even more houses to unagented submission, (d)simply more people writing (silver lining of layoffs?), and, of course, (e) the prod of new year's resolutions!
I agree with Sandy Williams. The Stephenie Meyers, I wrote this in just three months and now I'm a millionaire, makes writing a novel look easy and highly profitable.
The economy has made people look for other ways to pay bills. I don't believe everyone who writes really loves it.
I agree that finding God and finding Nathan in the same year could result in additional queries for a certain popular agent. Just sayin'.
This gives you more chances to find that awesome-next-bestseller, right?
I ran into a family friend over the weekend. She's got a couple MS in the works (I didn't know she wrote), is getting a severence from her day job and has decided to take a year off to write. If not now, when? was her general attitude. Can't find fault with that!
Besides the New Year's resolutions and "out-of-work-the-time-is-now- birth-of-an-author," your agency is accepting queries while other agents are "on hiatus." Hope you find a gem in there…
keith-
Yes, those are popular as well.
Thanks, Nathan. Being a total slacker, I posted my question and then read the thread in which you answered the question. This is a good tip for all who are new to Nathan's blog: pretty much anything you can ask has been answered somewhere at some time. Check out "The Essentials" on the left side of the main page.
Maybe lots of writers are afraid they'll miss their shot at an Oprah moment if they don't hurry up and get published before her show ends.
It’s interesting that many writers submit queries about similar topics, and that this seems to go through cycles. I remember learning about this in graduate school in regard to other aspects of human existence. Scientists will often be working on the same breakthrough ideas at exactly the same time, totally unaware of the other scientists’ work. Similar ideas, philosophies and archetypes often arose at the same time in vastly different cultures back when separate areas of the world were completely isolated from each other. Carl Jung referred to this as the collective unconscious. We’re all human. We’re all processing similar information. In isolated ancient cultures, humans were all processing information about life, birth, death, dangerous weather, starvation, and so on. In today’s world, we’re so connected, we’re actually sharing information and processing that information together. Literature evolves, like most other aspects of human life.
Because its the start of the new year and everyone knows editors and agents have returned to work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and that their desks are completely empty because they were cleared of all queries before Christmas. So they're all sending at once in the hopes that their manuscript will be the first one you read.
If it makes you feel any better, I didn't query you. 😉
It's all Sarah Palin's fault. She brings out the crazies from both sides.
I would say that unemployment probably has more to do with in than anything. Not having a job is hard (I am one of the out-of-work masses right now) especially if you are used to having a job. You NEED to have something productive to do with your time. It is also an opportunity to reevaluate your life and potentially follow your dreams.
I hope you're joking about NaNo submissions. I literally haven't read my NaNo novel yet.
your awesomeness.
and possibly the forum.
and your "when in doubt, query me!" deal.
you seem safer than a lot of other agents, meaning warmer and fuzzier. like you won't be too harsh when you reject us.
or aliens.
Got to think it's the high unemployment levels: all people have to lose is time. Despite the fact that the same economy that lead to their unemployment is going to make it that much harder to get publisher, there's always a shot in hell.
Woohoo! You posted a picture of my home! Well, I don't actually live IN the Falls, but I do live in the county. I feel so special. Teehee.
Sooo…are you saying it might not be in my best interest to send in my query to you this month? Duly noted.
I had a feeling my Roomba was planning a interplanetary takeover, thanx for confirming the theory.
Also, Christmas vacation makes us creative types feel restless. While the rest of the world has vision's of sugar plums, we have vision's of global domination. Hey, my Roomba and I are more alike than I thought…
It's all those cheap pens.
My personal theory is that the word has spread- everyone in the world now knows that Nathan Bransford is the greatest agent ever…
(And don't worry, I'm not sucking up, because I've already been rejected by you! haha)
religous manifestos are the new vampire?
Too many people believing all the pop psychology quotes on Twitter telling them they CAN achieve whatever they dream. Even if they haven't learned how.
I also like Whitney's hive mind idea.
New year, new book, new queries, new laptops…
Maybe it's just a coinkydink that my query is ready to go, since two New Years have passed since I started the novel. Watch out!