Following through on my mind-numbing research, I submitted five queries for my book this week.
Three via email, as it was the “preferred method” for those agencies, one via regular mail, and one with their “online form” which is that agency’s preferred method. I hated using the online form, however I must confess that it does eliminate a lot of the mistakes it is so easy to make when querying.
Five queries still isn’t exactly a wide net, and it only brings my total since August 2007 to eight, but I figured I’d track them here (much like my short fiction submissions) so you could all share in the anguish (lucky you!).
Of the 8 Queries, they languish in these stages:
My first query, we’ll call it Query #1 (shocker), received a request for a partial. Partial was then rejected within about two months, with a few helpful and some not so helpful comments. Agent did nicely leave the door open for me to send my graphic novel when complete (or further along) which is great.
#2, submitted via regular mail almost three months ago. This agency claims to respond to queries within 3 -4 weeks. Hmm. Did I get lost in the mail? Did they hate it so much that it’s pinned up on some “laughing board” (I made that up…but it totally exists in my paranoid mind). Is it just a mistake…should I re-query? Ah, questions with no answers – love them!
#3, submitted via email 3 weeks ago, no reponse as yet. This agency does not promise to get back to you if they’re not interested. Sigh.
#4, #5, and #6 submitted via email this week. Of those, #6 got back to me within 24 hours with an incredibly nice note and a request for a partial (first five chapters) and bio etc. Nothing yet on #4 and #5.
#7 submitted via regular mail this week to a HUGE agency which I have little hope of cracking.
#8 submitted via “online agency form” this week, which was rejected within, I think, 18 hours. Sarcastic Joy!
So there it is. Of eight agency queries, two have requested partials, one never got back to me, one rejected me immediately, and four are still out there simmering. It’s hard to feel too badly about this when I’ve gotten two hits, out of four…that’s 50% and that’s pretty damn good. If the other four come back as rejections though those numbers will not look so great.
It’s also sad to realize that my strength may in fact be in query letter writing and not in novel writing. *big sigh*
-
Hey, at least you’re doing something with your writing.
-
Yeah, that is the bright side I suppose. It’s exhausting though. It’s sad to think that writing the book is actually the easy part…cause it sure didn’t seem easy.
-
Keep plugging away, you’ll get there. As Keanu Reeves said in one of his better roles: Half of life is just showing up, and I’m amazed by your ability to show up.
Seriously…someone wrote those lines for a movie and some director/casting executive expected Keanu to deliver them without guffaws erupting from the audience.
Nevertheless, the meaning is there. You gotta put forth the effort and go get things, and I think this is you really going after it.
-
Thanks Scott. I’m trying. I sent my partial yesterday, so wish it luck. I also just joined a new writing group. Our first meeting is a week from Sunday. I’m excited but nervous. Who knows if it will be productive and helpful or not, but at least it’s proactive right?
“Half of life is just showing up.”? I’m either ashamed or proud to say I don’t recognize this…
-
Pingback from Query Updates… « 1979 Semi-Finalist… on February 13, 2008 at 5:07 pm
-
Pingback from Query Update… « 1979 Semi-Finalist… on March 31, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Comments are now closed.
6 comments