On Querying
Getting your book into the hands of literary agents.
This is a sort of follow-up post to my last one on literary agents. I’d suggest reading that first!
Okay, so you’ve got a list of agents that you want to query. Your manuscript is as polished as you can make it. What now?
Every agent, and agency, is different. That’s one of the most important things to keep in mind. It’s tedious work, but you have to tailor every query to the agent you’re submitting work to. The rest of this post will talk about the broad framework of query letters, manuscript wishlists, and answer some questions I got in Notes I posted, but no two queries should be exactly the same.
Often, agents will ask you to submit:
A sample of your book. Some agents will ask specifically for the opening chapter(s), others will not. Sometimes the sample is 3k words, sometimes it’s as much as 10k. Read their instructions carefully!
A synopsis of your book. This, too, will have an approximate word count listed. A synopsis is not like a blurb – don’t withhold the plot twist, and make sure you include what happens in the end.
A query letter. This is where you can tell the agent about you and your book, and, crucially, why you’ve decided to query them specifically. This is why no two queries can be the same! Did you query them because you thought you fit their manuscript wishlist? Because they liked your pitch tweet? Because they represent another author whose work is in some way similar to yours?
This is a great guide to writing a query letter, made by the Liverpool Literary Agency.
If you’d rather not click a link, never fear. We’ll take a look at some samples of the query letter that got me my agent!
First, I introduced myself briefly, and explained why I was contacting her. Pretty simple and straightforward, just giving necessary information right off the bat. Most agents will have a manuscript wishlist (MSWL). Does your book sound like it fits their wishlist description? Let them know.
My name is Kel Menton, and I am a non-binary writer from Ireland. I am writing to you because you expressed interest in my book, "A Fix of Light", during the #PitchDis event on June 23rd!
Then I go on to explain a little bit about the book. This actually goes on for three paragraphs, so I think I could have been a bit more concise with it, but I was trying to smush a bit of plot, theme, and my intentions while writing, into something that sounded interesting.
“A Fix of Light” is a mature Young Adult/New Adult story (literary, big-hearted contemporary, with magical and light horror elements) detailing the blooming relationship of a gay cis boy and a bisexual trans boy in a fictional seaside village in Ireland. It's about finding love for yourself (especially as a queer person), learning to live with severe mental illness, recovering from past traumas, and realising that you are more than the bad things that have happened to you.
Other details to include are the word count, whether the book is intended to be a standalone or part of a series, and who your target audience is. Your target audience should be more specific than just “young adults” or “middle grade” readers – would Percy Jackson fans love your work? Or fans of RF Kuang?
I go on to explain my writing background, the list of pieces I have written, and publication dates. I wrote plays both for teen actors and teen audiences, I published some short stories in local publications, and I was a Young Writer Delegate for the Dublin Book Festival in 2021. All of this helped to show that I took writing seriously, and that I was going to do it one way or another. I didn’t have to win huge prizes or be published nationally every six months, but I did work consistently, and sometimes that paid off.
Do you have a blog, or a newsletter? Have you had pieces published in your college paper? Mention all of these things – they absolutely count towards your background in writing.
To wrap up the letter, I explicitly mentioned the fact that A Fix of Light was also in the hands of other agents.
Please be aware that I have submitted “A Fix of Light” manuscript to other agencies. I will of course update you should I receive any offers.
Some agents don’t want you to submit to them if you’re simultaneously querying other agencies, but others are fine with it. It can take months for an agent to get back to you regarding a query, so I think simultaneous queries are the only viable way to land representation before you actually wither away. I would, however, limit how many queries you send out at a time.
It’s best practice to contact any outstanding queries should you receive an offer of representation. Send an email letting them know you have received an offer, and give them a few weeks to get back to you should they wish to counter-offer.
If you think your manuscript requires content or trigger warnings, I think it’s a good idea to flag this. Agents are humans too, after all.
I have also included a content warning at the beginning of the submitted sample chapters, because of the nature of some of the content in the book. While not directly autobiographical, many of these things are quite personal, and, as said before, not misery tourism. Nevertheless, I feel it’s important to include these warnings, just in case!
Then, I thanked Laura for her time and consideration, and signed off. Never underestimate manners.
Now then, some questions I received.
Most of the time querying agents seems to be a digital process! How do you think that affects the pitch of a book vs in person?
I never actually got the chance to speak to a literary agent in person in order to pitch my book. Most agents now only accept digital submissions, but I do know of some instances (such as the Novel Fair) where writers and agents meet face to face.
Personally, I am much better at being coherent when writing than when speaking. I can polish my letter, my synopsis, my sample – not so with conversation. On the other hand, you do get the feel of a person much more easily when they’re right in front of you. When querying, authors and agents need to think about whether they’ll be a good fit for one another, whether their communication styles are complementary, etc. This can be a bit tricky to gauge properly online.
It’s why, before an agent does offer to represent you, they’ll ask for a call. This is a great video about what to expect on that call, and what kinds of questions to ask.
If you have any insights about querying from abroad that would be super helpful
This is something I can speak to personally, but will obviously change depending on your location, and the location of the agent you are querying!
I’m based in Ireland, while my agent is based in England. I know of authors that are Australian or English with agents based in America, and vice versa. So, the good news is it’s not impossible.
Some agents will specify whether they are open to representing internationally. If you can’t find the details anywhere on their website, I would recommend contacting them about that first.
There are practical things to keep in mind, too – time zones, for one thing, can affect communication. Does the agent/agency only submit manuscripts to publishing houses based in their own country? Do they take a larger portion of the advance if you are based outside of their country? What currency do they use?
It’s good to keep these things in mind, because they could be potential deal-breakers for you. Make sure you’re happy with the terms of the contract! It can be really exciting to get an offer, but it’s important that you’re happy with the details of the offer!
I hope these posts have been helpful. Any other questions I receive will be addressed in my next Q&A!
In the meantime, I wish you all the best of luck. Happy querying!