A brief announcement before we get into the publishing question of the week: I am CLOSING TO QUERIES in the month of August. A couple weeks ago I said I felt like I’d been behind since I opened and the number of unread queries and unread manuscripts is getting to a pretty shameful level. To that end I’m closing so I can get caught up. My apologies to everyone I’ve kept waiting!
PUBLISHING QUESTION OF THE WEEK
If a writer has only received “not the right fit for me” form reply from 30 or so agents, even from those who liked a virtual or in-person pitch and requested pages, what does it mean? Could it really not be “the right fit” for so many agents, or is this an indication that something irredeemably is wrong with the query or opening pages (as indicated by the lack of personalized feedback)?
Without laying eyes on the query and the first pages myself, it’s really hard to say, but I’d say that there’s *something* that’s not working if you’ve received this number of similar responses.
Reading queries is something that I have a lot of practice in. Since joining the industry as an intern, I’ve probably read easily upwards of ten thousand queries. The very first day of my internship, back in the summer of 2010, when the good folks at the Donald Maass agency sat me down at the intern computer and showed me the query account, I gave every query so much attention. I must have combed through and flagged fifty queries as “maybe” that first morning. I remember vividly that after lunch on that first day, my then-supervisor (and now friend) Amy Boggs sat down next to me and went through the ones I’d flagged. “No. No. No. No.” One after another.
The reasons she gave for giving those books a pass are the same reasons I pass on books today; the premise isn’t special. The book doesn’t make me want to care about the protagonist. The book is a cookie-cutter copy of another, better book. The opening pages aren’t compelling. The opening pages have good enough sentence-level writing, but they’re not interesting—maybe there isn’t the beginning of a story there, or we’re not introduced to a character we care about, or it just starts in the wrong place for the story. The query doesn’t say enough about the story. The query says too much about the story. The comps are boring and generic. The query is insane. The opening pages are insane. Both are insane.
All of which is to say: if thirty-plus agents are saying that your work isn’t “the right fit,” that tells me that the opening pages don’t stand out. They don’t draw the reader in. You mentioned that some people who have passed responded positively to the pitch in-person and requested pages—that’s not unusual, for an agent to request something that sounds good, only to have the promise not pay off on the page. When an author describes their work in person, they’re usually giving off an energy and an enthusiasm that changes the way I hear a pitch; if I get to the page and the writing disappoints, I’m disappointed—doubly so because I remember how excited I was to hear the idea described to me in person.
So, what can you do about this? I don’t know what you’ve already done, but here’s what I’d recommend to someone in this situation:
First, find a critique partner or beta reader to look over your “submissions packet” (query, first pages, synopsis if necessary.) Bonus points if that person is already represented or published, even more bonus points if they’ve found representation in the last two to three years. Have them look over your material and give you honest feedback on what’s working and what isn’t.
If you get through this first step and your person says “Change nothing, it’s perfect,” that person is not the person you need. Clearly SOMETHING isn’t working. See if you can find someone else. If you don’t have anyone like #1 in your life or orbit, or #1 turns out to be a bust, consider paying a professional to do an audit of your submission packet (or of your full manuscript, if you’ve been getting requests but no offers.) I used to do this all the time when I was freelancing—I’d charge a set dollar amount to do a detailed in-line critique of three rounds of a query letter and one round of the synopsis and first 25-50 pages.
Try again, with a revised query and submission packet. And while that’s happening, here’s the actual real next step:
Start working on your next project. Sometimes, books don’t go anywhere. Most of the time books don’t go anywhere. As my depressing story from the beginning of this issue illustrates, 99% of queries get a form response (or, as discussed previously, no response at all. Just because a project doesn’t work out doesn’t mean that your time spent writing or querying that project was wasted; on the contrary! It’s a learning experience, and will help you do better next time.
Good luck!!
WHAT I’M READING
I started reading Vajra Chandrasekera’s Hugo-nominated The Saint of Bright Doors last weekend, but I’m stalled out about a hundred and thirty pages in—the writing is very good and the world is cool, but somehow the story isn’t coalescing for me. I’m going to set it aside and try again. I’ve heard very good things about Rakesfall, Chandrasekera’s 2024 release, so I might see if I can dip into that. I’m also very excited for Emma Specter’s new book More, Please: On Food, Fat, Bingeing, and Longing, and the Lust for More, which I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.
THIS WEEK IN HOCKEY
Ugh. Stan Bowman was named GM and EVP of the almost-Cup winning Edmonton Oilers today, after being reinstated the NHL on July 1, three years after the league determined his response to sexual assault allegations during his time at the Chicago Blackhawks was “inadequate.” The whole thing is a mealymouthed, cowardly move from a league that isn’t known for clarity or bravery; the reasoning seems to be that he didn’t work for three years—isn’t that punishment enough? Never mind that players suffered and had their careers ruined. Never mind that staffers suffered. A guy who hadn’t been in charge of a winning team in years took a three year timeout and now we have to reward him. A cushy NHL job is a privilege, not a right; surely there are other people out there that could take this job? Surely we don’t have to keep playing coaching three-card-monte with the same twenty dudes until they die?
HOUSEKEEPING
Do you have any questions about the publishing industry? Requests for advice? Thoughts on your recent reads? You can leave them as comments, replies to this email, or fill out this Google form to ask anonymously!
I am open to queries through 7/31, via QueryManager only, which can be found here. Here is my submissions page on the LDLA website, and here is a more detailed MSWL. I will be CLOSED to queries 8/1-8/31.
My first novel, Marrying In, is available for purchase on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo, and is coming soon to iBooks. If you’ve read it, consider leaving a review—that helps me and the book in the long run!
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This newsletter is a personal project, and the sentiments and opinions expressed here are my own and not those of my employer.