While I was away on vacation last week I received 327 queries, all of which I have now answered. There are 165 more that arrived so far this week alone, which I haven’t yet gotten to. The queries are massing at the gate! Man the ramparts!
I kept stats on those 327, and here they are in all their glory:
By Genre:
I lumped these into broad categories:
Young Adult (of all kinds): 73
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller: 53
Fantasy (includes paranormal and urban fantasy): 28
Historical Fiction: 26
Literary Fiction: 25
Science Fiction: 18
Memoir: 18
Spiritual Novels: 12
Women’s Fiction: 12
Mangst: 11
Middle Grade: 8
How-to/Self-Help: 7
Misc. Nonfiction: 7
Short Story Collection: 6
Religious Manifestos: 5
Biography: 5
Romance: 3
No freaking clue: 6
Word Count:
Out of the 327 queries, 214 listed the word count of their work:
less than 25,000: 5
25,000-50,000: 16
50,000-75,000: 65
75,000-100,000: 72
100,000-125,000: 31
125,000-150,000: 7
150,000-175,000: 9
175,000-200,000: 7
200,000+: 2
Miscellaneous factoids:
Here are some more random counts. Please note that I don’t automatically reject anything, even if it’s addressed to the wrong agent, and especially if my name is misspelled. I know mistakes happen.
Queries beginning with a rhetorical question: 14
Queries that misspelled the word “query”: 2
Sent query as just an attachment or link: 3
Addressed to another literary agent: 2
Addressed “Dear Literary Agent” or “Sir”: 10
Queries that were personalized: 108 (33%, same as the last time I compiled stats)
And out of those 327 queries I requested 4 (a little over 1%)
Wow! 56 over 100,000 words! Can I ask if you requested any over 100,000?
Thanks for the awesome stats!
I'm guessing your MG numbers were low because you state in your FAQ that you are unlikely to rep MG. But I've also noticed other places (contests, other agents blogs) that the number of MG manuscripts seems lower than other genres (esp YA). I'm curious if other agents in your office are seeing less MG queries come through (if that's what they rep)?
5 people pitched books less than 25K words? I seriously hope those were children's books.
And almost 60 books over 100K? Yipes!
What's the difference between a "spiritual" book and a "religious manifesto"?
I'm kind of curious about the "no freakin' clue" category. Were they at least in English?
What a super duper interesting post. Can it be possible that you are this jovial/polite of a person in real life? 🙂
josin-
The ones where it's not clear what they are don't usually list their word count.
Nathan, I think you've turned psychic on us. You answered my question before I even asked.
😛
Haha… John M., Josin L., I guess you two are linked in my fried brain synapses.
Wow. I guess I didn't think historical fiction would rank that high on the list but it makes me happy that it does 🙂
I'm surprised there are so many fewer middle grades than YAs. Is that par for the course? Looking at the reviews in Publisher's Weekly, it looks like just as many MGs are published. Maybe more.
Here's another vote for seeing what "no freakin' clue" looks like.
Nathan, are the NFCs just so poorly written that you can't follow them, or the concept defies categorization? Or some of both?
Sam, I'm with you on YA/SF. Hoping the wave doesn't come and go before I can write my next (and second, yay!) novel.
mkcbunny-
Yeah, a bit of both. Either that or they just don't describe the project and say "I've written a book please publish it" but the grammar/spelling is so poor it's clear it's not something I'd be interested in checking out.
For GhostFolk…
Okay, this is terribly wrong and silly…
the iPad!
Thanks for the stats. It's very insightful. It's good to know that I am part of the 33%!
I received a rejection from a different agent at your agency earlier this week, and I really appreciated getting the response. Many agents don't respond, even with an SASE.
Nathan –
I’ve been following your wonderful Blog for some time now. I’ve noticed over time that a few people who went on to get agents, publishing deals from big publishing houses, and at least one author whose book is on its second printing, have mentioned receiving a rejection from you for those same books. The natural inclination for many new writers upon receiving a rejection is to conclude that their book, their writing, and/or their query letter is nothing more than a pile of steaming dog poo and that, really, they should give up writing forever. So, just wondered if you could give some ballpark estimates about how many of those recent queries you received were: 1.) well-written queries, but books that just weren’t for you, 2.) books that sounded really good, but weren’t for you, and even 3.) books that you thought were publishable, but weren’t for you. Thanks so much, if you can offer any insight into those categories.
Funny, there's a bubble around the NaNoWriMo winner zone. Seems that quite a few people spent December and January editing.
GhostFolk and Other Lisa – ROFLOL. Wonder if Apple regrets the name it chose. Another company already using the name iTablet had challenged them with a lawsuit, so maybe iPad was a last-minute decision. iTampon was a trending Twitter topic yesterday, and iPad jokes were running rampant on the web. Every time I hear iPad now, I think about the jokes.
Re: word counts:
Nathan,
Now that e books are coming into vogue, do you believe that longer word counts will come back as acceptable with many agents or publishers again?
I love long novels. Harry Potter and Twilight and others take you away. I realize that in a tough economy, that the cost of publishing actual books has come into consideration in this trend, but I have always felt that a story needs as many words as it takes to tell it well.
The trend for shorter word counts has left me unsatisfied in many cases. It has also affected writers, like one in my writing group who just slashed 20,000 words to stay in the 80,000 word range, a consideration he made about being publishable and not about the story.
marilyn-
For a long time I've thought about doing query stats along the lines of what you're saying: good but not for me, not good but properly written, nowhere clse etc. etc.
But I've never done it, simply because it's just impossible to break things down that cleanly. What's the cutoff for "good?" Where's the cutoff for a well-written query? It takes a huge amount of time and energy just to decide whether to request or not, let alone nail down precisely why I'm passing and where the shortcoming is.
I've definitely passed on books that have gone on to be published, some quite successfully. But that doesn't mean that I was wrong to pass on them – if I don't see the greatness in a book I'm not going to be the best advocate for it.
Basically, the only cutoff that is comprehensible to me is the partial request. I think it's good, I think it's right for me, I can't say no.
If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that less than 1% are publishable, 10% are really good but not quite there, 20% are a good effort but not there, 20% are so-so, and 50% would probably be best off writing for themselves rather than publication.
anon re: word counts-
Good question, I'm not sure. I actually wonder if the reverse might come to pass: as attention spans shorten, will readers want swifter pacing and shorter reads? I'm not sure that the trend toward shorter books have been driven as much by physical publishing constraints as by reader taste.
Hi Nathan,
I've just recently found your site and I'm so glad that I did! I'm personally interested, just for curiosity's sake what the rhetorical questions were. "Here's your sign" responses just keep going through my brain.
Thanks for the stats post!
Thanks for responding to my question about word counts.
It seems that the 90 minute movie standard has been pushed and that now longer (and longer) movies are now standing shoulder to shoulder.
When Harry Potter first came out, people thought it was amazing the kids read these thick books. But this generation of kids LOVES big thick reads. They even feel proud of it. They are self-proclaimed "real readers."
My husband and I rarely watch 30 minute television shows -just too short to get our attention. Our daughter has no interest in short stories or short reads.
And I understand that profitability has been a factor in book publishing lengths. But,anyway, it will be interesting to watch. If you see trends in this area changing, either towards novellas or accepting more lengthy works, in the future, it would be interesting to hear your comments here.
Thanks.
Nathan did you give the word counts on the ones requested? Also, once you made a comment about "keeping track" of who people were. I don't know…but were ones you requested…people you were aware of from your blog?
I find it a little surprising how few people seem to do their research when agent shopping. I spent weeks compiling my list and was darn sure that each agent I queried was "interested" in my genre. I'm convinced that's why my request rate was over 50%. It's a waste of everyone's time to "spray" queries. O_o
Nathan –
Thank you so much for such a detailed and thoughtful answer. That’s actually good news. If I’m interpreting your estimates correctly, "…less than 1% are publishable, 10% are really good but not quite there, 20% are a good effort but not there…", that means that a whopping 31% of rejected queries are for books that IF a writer knew how to fix them, might go on to succeed. I’m guessing that sheer determination, a willingness to find out how to fix a book and then do all the necessary hard work to fix it could potentially lead to success. Most likely, many writers give up on a particular project, self-publish or give up writing altogether because they have no idea what should be fixed or whether or not they even have any writing talent whatsoever. Some become angry and frustrated because they sense they have something worthwhile, but can’t find anyone to point out what that might be. Maybe an important key to not giving up is recognizing that there’s a hell of a lot of competition out there, which by its very nature leads to more rejections than acceptances and no possible way that agents and contest judges could ever supply detailed critiques of rejected manuscripts. 31% of queries for books that have some potential is actually very cool.
Marilyn,
Thanks for pointing out the 31%. I was starting to think – 1%? Jeez. That's pretty intense.
And for the record, Nathan, and completely stomping all over what I said before, any agent who passes on my non-existent book which isn't written yet, in fact, I don't even know what it's about yet, is bonkers. The agent is bonkers, I mean, not my unwritten book. When I query with that yet to be written book that I have no idea what it's about, it will be so publishable, it will practically be published before I write it. And any agent who doesn't recognize that is bonkers, bonkers, bonkers.
Bonkers. Don't give me this, if I don't recognize it, I'm not the right agent for it. If an agent doesn't recognize the incredible brillancy of my non-existent book, they are point blank bonkers.
Just for the record.
I'm in a "I believe in myself" mood.
Hope that wasn't disrespectful. I don't actually think you're bonkers, Nathan.
Of course you haven't turned down my yet-to-be-written book yet.
I'm thinking I've posted on this thread enough.
But Mira…
If your book is so publishable, it's practically published before it's written, then how will you deal with agents who don't want pre-published material sent to them.
You've made a book so successful it's destined to fail for its success.
Owww. Paradox makes my brain hurt.
O_o
mkcbunny–Congrats on finishing one! Fortunately, I think YA-SF hasn't really picked up yet. From what I can tell, anyhow.
Those stats are rather encouraging. 1 in 100 are ready to go, and you can help yourself be that 1 in 100 if you simply write a good query.
In fact, if you can write a good query, you've probably vaunted out of the 50% who should just write for themselves.
Mira –
There’s a time travel theory of alternate universes proposed by some physicists that suggests an alternate universe exists for every possibility we imagine. So, you are already published, Mira. Congratulations! Now, you just need to figure out a way to travel to that alternate universe. Of course, you could write your book in this universe, but you're already published somewhere else, with adoring fans waiting for your signature. 🙂
Looks like we should stay away from submitting YA and go for the No Freaking Clue genre in order to give ourselves a fighting chance.
I got one of those No Thank You's this isn't right for me, but you also personalized it too. You are amazing.
Josin – I'm a free spirit. Don't cage me in with publishing requirements. I must fly.
Marilyn – OMG. That explains EVERYTHING. I knew it. Well, my adoring fans are going to have to figure out how to get to this dimension. I wrote the book. I did my share.
And I'm sure Nathan's finger is hovering over the delete button, so with that, I'm off. 🙂
Nathon –
reading those stats make me feel a lot better about my own chances.
😉
Thanks, Nathan. I love reading agent stats about query letters. I'm always linking to them from my blog, and will link to this one too. I think they're a great example to writers how important it is to really work hard on query letters. Plus, it's like a challenge. If an agent usually gives a request from less than 1% of queries received, it's a challenge to be in that 1%.
Marilyn–I heard a quantum physicist explain it as such: "Anything that can happen, does."
He then stipulated that does not mean everything does happen. So. I'm not wholly clear on what he meant.
NO TO RHETORICAL QUESTIONS!
I think you should hook up a cam so we can get video of you when reading some of the queries. Just sayin'.
Interesting reading, Nathan. Thanks.
Hey Sam, die-hard Gooner here. 🙂
Sam –
It depends on what version of quantum physics you go in for. String theory, M-theory, infinite universes.
It's Schrodinger's cat.
A cat is put into an opaque lead box with a cyanide pellet. You can't see the cat, so until you open the box the cat is both demonstrably dead and alive at the same time. You can infer that the kid did or did not break open the pellet; you can infer that the cat did or did not suffocate; you can infer that the cat did or did die of an unrelated and unspecified cause.
Yes, that's a very simplified version of it, but it's the basic idea why everything does and doesn't happen at the same time.
Josin- Yes, the speaker referenced that example as well. I guess, I mean, I understand theoretically where they're coming from. I still… I don't know. I need some sleep.
Scott- You know what's great? We get in position to take control of first place and we draw with Villa. What's that about. I'm so excited/nervous about the two upcoming games.
Haha… There is a No freaking clue category?
Sam – I hear you. Kinda saw it coming, but you have to remember Villa took maximum points from Pool, United and Chelsea this season. That's what's keeping them in it.
We could also use a striker, but if the boss can't find one, we have to hope we keep getting goal production from midfield. Song returning will help immensely.
And let's just be thankful Vermaelen didn't break his fibula. I'll even take 7 points from the next three.
Not one steampunk? or was that swallowed up in the general YA category?
Nathan, I think after going through so many queries you develop an instinct on immediately being able to judge what works for you and what doesn't.
I understand the "I know it when I see it" phrase.
Thanks for taking the time to share the stats.
Best,
Tambra
I hope "No freaking clue" aren't the next vampires. LOL
😉
G.
Hi Nathan, I'm curious – why so few middle grade queries? I get that the market would be relatively small in terms of fewer kids, but I didn't think it would be THAT much smaller. Don't kids still love reading at this age? Or is the MG market extra-extra hard to break into?
Thanks
Elaine
Nathan,
Sounds like the YA genre took over your query pile:)
Seriously though this was an interesting group of stats.
wow, lots of queries, and i understand how few you choose, which is ok, but i feel sorta bad for the others.
Thanks for the stats! I really enjoy them and your comments.
I've seen at least one agent recommend rhetorical questions as a fine way to open a query letter. So I'm not surprised that some people are using that device. All agents are unique (they're human beings, after all), and that's why you must research each agent before you query.
Nathan–
4 out of 327 that you even requested?
Wowsers. Now I don't feel so bad that I (sniff) got the rejection letter.
No. Really. I'm FINE.
(sniff)
JK, of course. Thanks so much for the very prompt response. I'm amazed you could get back to us so quickly!
Janny