Let’s Talk About Querying
I’m not sure what’s more gruesome, the first draft or the query letter. Some writers might say the revision and editing process is the worse, but personally, that’s my favorite part. At least with a first draft, you can make it as crappy as you want it without any consequence. With the query, it’s your one shot. (Cue Eminem)
Alright, alright, now let’s talk about what a query is in case you might be unfamiliar with the word. In its most basic form, a query letter is a pitch a writer sends to agents, editors, and/or publishing houses in order to receive representation or publication.
Easy, right?
If you’re a writer, chances are you want to be published. I mean why spend hours up late at night drinking copious amounts of coffee while crying over fictional people you’ve created only to kill them off if you are only going to keep it to yourself? Now, the goal of every writer isn’t always to get published. Some write for themselves. I’m talking to the people who want their work in the hands of others and to join the massive, growing pool of literary fantasy.
I’ve been writing fiction for the past five years now, and I’ve been able to complete two novels in that time while also starting and shelving ideas for other ones. The question I receive most from people is, “when is it going to be published?” My standard response is normally, “soon.” Because every day that passes means I’m one day sooner to getting published than the day before.
What many people fail to realize is how incredibly difficult it is to become published. Yes, you can independently publish and have your book out in the universe quickly, but even then, that is an arduous task and I commend any writer who follows that path. For many writers, they want to go through an agent — myself included.
Since we want agents, we write our queries.
I’m going to give you the rundown here of how the process of sending a query works.
First, pick any genre of book. Your favorite. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, horror, romance, etc. I’m going to pick historical, since that’s the genre I’m currently pitching. Now, is your book targeted for kids, middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students, or adults? Since mine is for kids in middle school and high school, that would fall under the Young Adult category (or YA). Alright, so the genre we’re pitching is a YA Historical. Now, the next part of the process is research. Research agents that represent your genre. This could simply be typing “YA historical agents” into Google, but there are more efficient ways to get better results. You can use a website like querytracker.net or agentquery.com. Go ahead, click on them and see for yourself.
From there, you can start sifting through agents and see who works for you. You want to make sure you can see yourself working with that agent and have a reason why you chose them. Maybe you’re from the same state or you like a book they represent or maybe your book genre fits what they’re looking for.
After you pick an agent, you look for the requirements on their website on how to submit your query to them. You follow the instructions and send it in. Your query essentially is going to be why the agent should be interested, what your book is about, and information about you.
Then, you wait.
You wait for either a rejection or full request (you send in your entire book).
And then you keep doing it again and again…and again…and again…and again.
Easy, right?
Not in the least, but we press on.
Whether you don’t know anything about querying or are a writer trying to query, I hope this helped you!
If you’re not a writer, I hope this shows you the journey it takes for a writer to be published and you can have an insight in the lives of anyone you know seeking publication.
If you’re a writer wanting to query, I hope this shows you the awesome journey you’re on. I hope you are surrounded by loving, supportive people who believe in your book.
And if you’re not, I believe in you.
Type on, friends.
