Once you’ve written a fantastic query letter, researched literary agents, and compiled a ranked list of reputable agents who specialize in your genre: it’s go time, baby. Here’s my best strategy for sending out query letters.
I also offer online classes with exclusive resources about finding and working with literary agents that you can take at your leisure. They will help you every step of the way!
And if you need personalized help, I can help edit your query letter, or you can book a consultation to ask questions about your strategy.
In this post we’ll cover:
- What to know before you start
- What not to do when sending queries
- Sending query letters in batches
- How to rank the literary agents on your list
- Consider supplementing your query strategy
- What happens after you send your query letter
What to know before you start
The publishing industry can be a bit of a mystifying place. It’s a land with quite a lot of arcane customs and norms that can feel a bit impenetrable to outsiders.
Your questions may pile up. Is it okay to query multiple agents at the same agency? When is it okay to follow up with agents? Should I agree to submit a manuscript exclusively to an agent?
I’m here to help. Here’s a post that covers everything you need to know about literary agent etiquette and how to not to scare off these wondrous and somewhat persnickety creatures:
That said, when it comes to approaching agents, don’t twist yourself into knots trying to get everything perfectly perfect and walk around terrified you’re getting it wrong. As long as you’re operating with good intentions and honesty, you’re going to be fine.
Agents are not delicate flowers who are going to wilt just because you have a typo in your query. No one is going to reject you over a minor faux pas, and if they do, you probably wouldn’t want to work with them anyway.
What not to do
Let’s talk for a second about what not to do when sending out a query letter.
One of the most mystifying ways some aspiring authors go about the query process is to blast an e-mail to every single agent in the publishing industry with a “To My Future Literary Agent” subject line.
When I was an agent, what made me slap my head wasn’t just that it’s poor e-mail etiquette or knowing that 1,000 of my closest colleagues were also considering the project at exactly the same time. It’s just not a good strategy.
What if you didn’t get your pitch right and everyone rejects (or ignores) you? Well, you blew your chance to tweak your query letter a bit and try again with another round. (And no, you can’t just tweak it and re-send it to those 1,000 agents again. That’s a good way to get blocked forever.)
If you rush the submission process you lose the ability to evaluate and adjust as you go. Instead…
Send query letters in batches
It’s much smarter and more effective to send out the query in batches of ten to twelve at a time.
When you get a rejection, send a new one out. If a few months go by and you haven’t heard from an agent, consider it a rejection and send a new one out. Many/most agents these days have no-response-means-no policies, so you should not wait endlessly for a reply.
Take your time. Check your hit rate. If you’re getting a good amount of requests from agents, it probably means your query/submission package is working.
If you’re not getting any requests for more materials with, say, your first 15-20 queries, you might take another hard look at your query and opening and think about making adjustments. Luckily, since you still have plenty of agents on your list, you have leeway to experiment.
As time goes by, you might receive some feedback that prompts you to revisit your approach, but there’s only so much you can learn from rejection letters. Don’t get overly caught up in the verbiage of the rejection letters.
Going at a steady pace can be frustrating and feel tedious sometimes, but it gives you time to look at your query and opening with fresh eyes as your results come in.
How to rank the literary agents on your list
Okay, sure, you might agree with the batch process, but how do you decide on which agents to prioritize?
There are two main schools of thoughts on ranking agents. There’s Camp Force Rank, where you rank the agents from top vibes to lowest vibes and simply move down your list from top to bottom.
There’s also Camp Tiers, where you group the agents into A-Tier, B-Tier, C-Tier, and D-Tier, and pick a few agents from each group to form your batch.
I’m personally in Camp Force Rank, and I followed this approach with my own books. Here’s my reasoning…
If/when you receive an offer of representation, it’s considered good form to follow-up with the other agents who are currently considering your manuscript. It’s bad form to blast new queries out to all the other agents on your list to shop your offer. It’s a small industry, word may get back to the initial agent who offered, and the first agent may well rescind their offer.
Knowing this, I personally wanted my project being considered with as many agents at the top of my list as possible at the time I receive an offer of representation.
However, the thinking in Camp Tiers is that if you initially screw up with your first attempt at writing your query, you’ll still have some agents left from your top tier who you can try, so you won’t feel like you totally blew it.
There are no hard and fast rules here, so choose the approach that resonates most with you.
Consider supplementing your query strategy
Also take note: in this day and age, sending out a query letter is not the only way to approach agents! The days of pitch wars and agents soliciting pitches on Twitter are now largely a thing of the past, but you can meet literary agents at writers’ conferences, through referrals, and pitch events.
There isn’t a “best” way to approach an agent or a secret channel that will give you greater odds. Instead of getting caught up with a method-first to querying, instead just come up with your list of agents and determine each agent’s preferred way of receiving queries.
Don’t limit yourself to one channel, but good old-fashioned query letters is almost assuredly the route you’re going to take.
What happens after you send out your query letter
After you’ve sent your query letter off into the great unknown, you sit back and wait for the literary agent to consider it. And wait. And wait some more.
If you get requests: your query letter has done its job and you have moved on to the next step!
As I mentioned earlier, many/most literary agents have a no-response-means-no policy, so if you do not hear back after a couple of months you have your answer. It is not customary to follow-up if you haven’t heard back on a query letter.
Keep your cool, stay calm, and be professional throughout the process. Patience in the submission process (and life, for that matter) goes a long way.
More query letter resources
- How to write a query letter
- How to find a literary agent
- A guide to literary agent etiquette
- Is there a best time to query?
- How to interpret rejection letters
- Query letter subject lines: Act now!! get it while it lasts!
Do you have a tried and true strategy for sending out queries? Any superstitions? Take to the comments!
ORIGINALLY POSTED: November 13, 2019
Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!
For my best advice, check out my online classes, my guide to writing a novel, and my guide to publishing a book.
And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!
Art: The messenger of love by Leonard Straszyński
Couple more things:
If you’re getting requests then your query is good, but if you’re not getting any offers, perhaps your manuscript needs work. While you’re out on sub, start writing your next book! It helps pass the time.
Check out querytracker.com, it’s a wealth of information. It’s also a great way to keep track of who you have queried and to find new agents.
Thank you again for earlier feedback about query letter dos and don’ts.
Now I have one more concerning query letter etiquette.
I initially meant to stick with traditional mail, but now I found an legitimate agent that requires email to contact him.
In the email subject box should is it best to simply type “Query”, “Query Letter” or is it best to do something else like “Query Letter- [book title]” ?
Include “Query” in the subject line, but I’d make it unique with either your title or name.
Here’s a full post on query letter subject lines: https://nbrans.wpengine.com/2010/03/query-letter-subject-lines-act-now-get
Thanks again for the help.
Great model for the email Query.
Some agents ask for the manuscripts first chapter or 25-pages in the email… (and not as an attachment). Can you recommend how to format this? The cut-and-paste never works. Is there a reference we should go to for instructions?
Thank you.
Just do the best you can, it’s tricky to get the formatting to work properly in an email and agents know that.