How To: Querying
Kvita's big bad guide to querying
Introduction
There are roughly one million resources on querying, but I’m throwing my hat in the ring because it feels like a foundational topic that I can’t really skip in this How To series.
If you’re pursuing traditional publishing (publication by a trade house, including the Big 4), you should get an agent. You must get an agent to submit to almost all of these houses. Agents are meant to be your advocate, submit your books to editors, negotiate contract terms, and otherwise support you. To be represented by an agent, you need to query them.
There are resources specifically for writing a query, a synopsis, a Twitter pitch, a one sentence pitch. For nudging agents, for researching agents, etc. My aim here is to give the grand overview, the steps in total. As always, it’s based on my own experiences, and as always, your mileage may vary.
Overview of steps
Write and polish a manuscript
Query, synopsis, pitch
Research agents
Querying strategy + Submit to agents
Requests
Nudging etiquette/withdrawing etiquette
Shelving a book
Receive an offer [skipped]*
*Lookout for a future How To on this step alone!
Write and polish a manuscript
How do you write a manuscript? Well I think only you, the individual writer, can answer that. I’ll focus less on how and more on the polish it step. Once you’ve written a book, you will absolutely need to revise it before submitting to agents. Agents want polished books, books that you have taken as far as you personally can.
When I queried, I revised my books multiple times beforehand. They weren’t perfect—in fact, I majorly redid these books after signing with my agent—but I’d taken them as far as I could personally take them. The plot was coherent, the characters developed, the world explained, and most importantly, they were complete. You need to finish your book before you begin querying. Please.
I also want to emphasize the importance of revision, at least for me personally. All of the magic happens in revision for me. I pull apart plots, cut characters, create characters, etc. This is the time when I have the fullest picture of the story and can rework the words to fit that vision. It is the rare author who can write a perfect first draft. I strongly encourage you to revise your work and seek feedback from trusted critique partners. You can also apply to mentorship programs (here’s a handy list by Sami Ellis, add her YA horror book on Goodreads) that will help you prepare to query.
Query, synopsis, pitch
To query, you will likely need a query, synopsis, and pitch along with your final manuscript. What is a query and how do you write one? Check out this explanation and see examples here. What is a synopsis? Susan Dennard has some advice. How do you write a pitch? Try this for a one liner. You can also browse past Pitch Wars entries for examples. And for a guide to writing a Twitter pitch, swing by Bethany Baptiste’s resource and/or my previous How To on pitch contests.
Here’s how I, personally, typically structure my query:
Dear [agent],
[1 line hook]
[query body, 1: MC’s brief background and original goal]
[query body 2: When xyz happens, MC’s original goal is in jeopardy!]
[query body 3: They'll need to do 123 if they're to save/protect/achieve 456]
BOOK TITLE is a [genre] complete at [#] words. It will appeal to fans of [specific element] in [COMP1] and [specific element] in [COMP2]. I am querying you because [reason for querying, i.e what they listed on their wishlist etc that made you think they'd be a fit.] This is a standalone, [or this is the first in a duology, standalone with series potential, etc.]
[1-3 sentence bio + writing credentials, if any. i.e in my day life I…]
Thank you for your consideration,
[your name]
You can also move the book title/comps paragraph to the start of your query. Agents prefer it in different ways and you’re welcome to customize or just choose one and move forward. Here’s a helpful Twitter thread on queries/sample pages and why an agent might pass on them or look deeper, courtesy of Lauren Bajek. Here’s another helpful Twitter thread by Ernie Chiara on comps.
Get eyes on your query! It’s extremely hard to be objective about your own work, and while you don’t have to listen to everything a critique partner might say, it is well worth getting someone else to look over all of your materials from query to pitch. They’ll be able to tell you if it makes sense, catch typos, etc.
Research agents
It can feel completely overwhelming to even find agents to query. Firstly, you should only be querying agents that represent your genre/age group, not anyone you can get your hands on. Ideally you’re also only querying agents whose wishlists match your book, because that will up your chances of a full request and offer of rep.
In general, look up who represents your favorite authors/who’s representing books like yours. You can often find this on the author’s website, in their Twitter bio, or in the acknowledgement section of their book. Or if you have Publisher’s Marketplace, where most deals are recorded, you can look up the book deal and see who did the sale.
I also highly recommend that you ask your writer friends who they queried if they’re writing in the same genre as you. For my mentees, the first one who queried made a mega spreadsheet of most of the SFF agents out there (thanks to @SHatiWrites!) and I edited it a bit then passed it onto the next mentee and so on. Each one had to do their own individualizing/research, but had a basic starting point of over 100 agents. Your friends may have already done some labor and if they’re willing to share, it’s a great starting point! This will, critically, also allow you to start activating your networks in case there are agents to avoid, etc.
When I queried, I used Manuscript Wishlist almost exclusively. I opened a new tab with every single person I encountered who represented my genre+age category, then I parsed through everyone’s information and built a spreadsheet. Here’s a template of what a spreadsheet might look like:
Rank = I ranked agents 1 to 4 on fit and track record, i.e rank 1 agents were either huge dealmakers or their wishlist fit my book amazingly or, ideally, both.
Round = I tracked which round of querying I submitted to them for
Agent name + Agency = self explanatory
Date = Date queried, you could also add the date they responded to the query
CQ = Cold query
SQ = Solicited query (from a pitch event, etc)
Partial + Full = considering my partial or full
Rejected = rejected, lol
Notes = You could put wishlist notes in here, submission notes in here, whatever you want.
You can access a templated spreadsheet here. Just hit File > Make a copy at the top left to add it to your Google Drive.
I cross referenced names against Querytracker to get a sense of response times (per Chloe Gong’s querying strategy). You can also track queries in Querytracker and log your responses there. I think Querytracker is best used as an information source and then avoided while actually querying, to save yourself the constant refreshing and spiraling and second guesses, but that’s just me.
Side note: don’t double query an agency. Most will expressly forbid submitting to two agents simultaneously but even if they don’t it’s safe to assume you shouldn’t. Even if you’re submitting two different books to two different agents. Also keep an eye out for “a no from one is a no from all” agencies and respect their wishes.
Side note 2: I don’t know who needs to hear this, but agencies who are all on Query Manager can see when you’ve submitted to another agent at that agency, so don’t bother lying. An agent can also see your submission history with them specifically if you’re queried them before via Query Manager.
Unfortunately, a huge part of researching/vetting agents is activating a whisper network to figure out if agents have been acting poorly and you should avoid them. You can start with Writer’s Beware and any old AbsoluteWrite forums. If you have friends, get them to vet your list.
I didn’t have any friends when I queried, so I just relied on Writer’s Beware and AbsoluteWrite. By the time I signed with my agents 4 years later I had a couple people who could vet my offer list so I could be fairly confident I was signing with an agent who wasn’t going to scam me. Make friends!
Querying strategy + Submit to agents
For round 1, I do 3-5 rank 1 agents, 3-5 rank 2 agents, and 3-5 rank 3 agents for a total of 9-15 people in my first round. Subsequent rounds follow this same recipe. In round 1, I try to make ~half of them quick responders so that if something isn’t going well with my sub materials I know sooner rather than later.
These days, rounds of querying can stretch into the months range. So at the 2-3 month mark I recommend you take stock: have you gotten replies? If you’re getting requests (even 1-3 will do) your query materials are probably working and you can go out to round 2. If you’re getting replies with feedback, this is a point where you can consider revising the book and materials. I don’t recommend revising before this point, both to give yourself a break and to avoid falling into the pitfalls of vague critique, which I’ve already written a newsletter on.
If you aren’t getting requests I recommend you send your materials to a friend for more feedback. It could be that your materials are fine, the market just isn’t right. Or it could be that you can revise your materials to be stronger. That judgment call is up to you.
Once you have your files in place and your spreadsheet set, you can submit to agents! Each one has specific submission guidelines, so make sure to follow them!
Nudging etiquette/withdrawing etiquette
Nudges
A contentious topic, nudging etiquette is the bane of many a writer. Agents will often post their expected timelines for response, and if they pass those goalposts you’re welcome to send a gentle, respectful nudge to see if they’re still considering your work.
On a query, I recommend you wait 3-4 months before sending a nudge and that you phrase it like this:
“Hi there! I hope you’re doing well. I’m writing to see if you’re still considering my query for [book]. Please let me know, and thank you for your consideration! Best, [your name]”
On a partial I recommend you wait 3-4 months after the partial was sent, not after you queried, and phrase it like this:
“Hi there! I hope you’re doing well. I’m writing to see if you’re still considering my partial for [book title]. Please let me know, and thank you for your consideration! Best, [your name]”
On a full I recommend you wait 5 months after the full was sent and phrase it like this:
“Hi there! I hope you’re doing well. I’m writing to see if you’re still considering my full for [book title]. Please let me know, and thank you for your consideration! Best, [your name]”
I never sent a nudge on a query, but I did nudge on fulls. Everyone’s personal stance on this varies, but done respectfully, there’s no harm in nudging on queries, partials, or fulls, and it can be a great way to exert agency over a process where you have fairly little control. An agent should never ding you for nudging nicely after a suitable length of time, and if they do, maybe you don’t want to work with them anyways.
Withdrawing
Now, withdrawing etiquette. You can withdraw your query for whatever reason you want, it’s yours, but maybe don’t withdraw just because you saw a typo you want to fix. A handful of typos won’t make or break a book.
If you’d like to withdraw your query for some blanket reason you can say something like this:
“Hi there! I hope you’re well. I have decided to withdraw [book title] from your consideration and appreciate your understanding. Best, [your name]”
If you’d like to withdraw it because you’re querying a new book you should 1) think about whether you really want to withdraw or if you can just leave the materials where they are in case the agent loves them, and 2) you can say something like this:
“Hi there! I hope you’re well. I am querying a new [genre] [age category] book and would like to wrap up loose threads on my previous novel, [book title], which you’re currently reviewing. Are you still considering my materials? No worries if not! Best, [your name]”
This leaves the door open—if the agent wants to see this new book they’ll ask for it. If they’ve passed, they’ll pass. If they’re still considering your book, you can just leave your materials as is and move on elsewhere with the new book. Remember not to double query an agency! If you’re withdrawing no matter what the agent says, just use the first template.
Shelving a book
When should you shelve your book? Whenever you want to.
You can shelve it because the pain of querying has grown to be too much for you (remember, Misery loves Publishing). You can shelve it because you don’t think the market’s hot for it and you want to go out with a different book. You can shelve it only when you’ve raked in hundreds of rejections and feel there’s no one else to submit it to. You can shelve it when you’ve raked in 50 rejections and feel there are more agents to submit to, but you don’t really want to be represented by them anyways for whatever reason. A bad agent is worse than no agent, so if you run out of agents you consider “good” you aren’t obliged to keep going. This decision is yours, and while it’s always sad, it’s never the end of your writing road unless you want it to be.
There’s no “normal” number of rejections, but if you receive fewer than 30-40 while querying, I’d consider yourself lucky.
Conclusions
As a general resource I recommend the BookEnds Youtube channel playlist on querying. I also wrote a newsletter with some tips for staying in control while querying.
BookEnds covers a lot of stuff, and if you ask a question in the comments they might (maybe) even answer!
I hope these steps, together, help you chart a course through the turbulent seas of querying. Whether your journey is long or short, remember to act respectfully and professionally
All my best,
Kvita