Literary Agents

I just received a rejection letter from one of the literary agents I queried and decided to focus this post on the querying process. It's probably one of the most frustrating aspects of trying to get published. Obviously, there is the option to skip querying agents and just self-publish, but it's not my first choice. I'll dedicate a full blog to my thoughts on self-publishing versus traditional publishing, but for now I'll just say my first option is traditional publishing, which involves trying to land an agent.

It's not required to have an agent, and I have submitted Relentless Blades to several publishers who accept un-agented submissions but have yet to hear back. While it is possible to land a traditional publisher without an agent, it's much more difficult, hence I am trying to acquire an agent.

Before I get to the responses I've received, let me say the process of querying an agent is exhausting. First of all, you need to search for agents that accept submissions in the genre you're writing in, so for me that is fantasy. Next, you need to narrow down those agents you found to those that are currently open to accepting submissions. Finally, you need to read all the fine details of how each specific agent and agency accept their submissions, and from my experience, it's not at all standardized.

Some agents, although few from what I've experienced, still request physical copies of the query letter and sample. Those were not very common. Most either require an email query letter or the use of the Query Manager submission portal.

Those that require an email, usually require everything to be embedded within the email, including the query letter, synopsis, author biography and writing sample. Most do not want attachments of any kind. However, that is not hard and fast, as I did encounter a couple that did want the sample chapters to be attached as separate files. 

At least half the agents I've queried so far use Query Manager, so nothing is emailed. You follow the prompts and fill out all the information they require. Most are fairly standard to include a place for your name, title of the book, genre, word count and your email address. There is usually a section for the query letter, another section for the author biography, another for the synopsis and one for the writing sample.

Whether an agent accepts submissions through Query Manager or via email the requested writing sample various widely by agent. There were some that wanted the first chapter, some that wanted the first two chapters, some the first three, some only the first ten pages, one that wanted the first fifty pages and a couple that wanted no writing sample, only the query letter and synopsis.

The moral of the story is, if you're an up-and-coming author, be prepared to do your agent research and don't think one query letter or writing sample will fit all. You need to pay close attention to what each specific agent requests.

As I write this blog, I've sent twenty-one queries (21) and have received nine (9) rejections. I'm still new to this, but from what I understand, it's common to receive no responses, so having received an almost 50% response rate feels somewhat positive. Three of the nine responses, including the last one, have a positive tone. I've included them below but have removed the agent's name and agency.

Dear Russell,

Thank you for sending me the manuscript for RELENTLESS BLADES. Unfortunately, this one isn't as strong of a fit for me as I hoped in order to champion the piece. I'm sorry to have to share such disappointing news. The publishing industry is so subjective, so what may not be working for me could be just the thing another agent is looking for.

Remember, this pass is only a pass on this piece of work and not on you as an author. I would be delighted to be considered for future projects.

I'm rooting for you!

Dear Russell –

Many thanks for writing. You have an interesting story to tell and there's a lot to like about your approach. But in the end I'm afraid I didn't come away quite fully convinced this was something I think I'd be able to represent successfully. I'm sorry not to be more enthusiastic but thanks nonetheless for giving me a chance to review it and best of luck in finding it the right home. 

Dear Russell Carroll:
 
Thank you for your query on Relentless Blades which I regret we must pass on.
 
Due to the number of clients that we currently represent we have to be extremely selective on any new project.  Please keep in mind that your work made it to the second round of readers here at the Agency. Although we had to pass on it, given the amount of material we look at on a daily basis, the fact that yours was selected for a closer read speaks volumes.
 
Now, this is the point in the letter where I usually offer some advice.  But I have no advice since I don’t have any problems with your submission; it is well-written and well-presented.  It’s just not the book for me and every book deserves an agent who is 100% in love with it and  I am sad to have to say that I am not that person for Relentless Blades.  Other than that, I don’t have any advice other than if you aren’t already a member of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, I highly recommend them. They have a lot of resources for both the beginning and also the experienced writer:  www.sfwa.org . 
 
We wish you every continued success with your writing career and keep on writing!

All three have some positive things to say about my work, particularly the last one, which was actually the first received, but are also frustrating in the sense that they don't give me an idea of what I can do to edit the work to improve my chances of publication. 

I understand that agents are extremely busy and do not owe an author any explanation of why they are passing. However, each of these agents took the time to respond personally and offer some form of encouragement. It seems like minimal effort to write one or two more sentences (nothing detailed) giving me some idea of where I can focus my attention to improve my work. 

That’s my plea to any agent that might happen to read this, please give authors any tips you can as to why you’re not accepting the work. Any feedback is very helpful and appreciated.

I’m not giving up. I’m going to continue sending queries until I get the right agent who will be excited to represent my work.