Querying Agents
Here’s a bonus post for your Sunday night, because I am so excited that I have to write about it.
I am finished with my novel! 110,000 words of literary fantasy. This moment has been two years coming, so I feel justified in posting about it. But… now that I have it written, I want others to read it, so… the celebration can’t last long. On to finding an agent.
I have a draft of my query letter, about which I feel uncertain, so I clearly have to improve it. I’m finding Query Shark to be immensely useful, as have been a number of other tools I plan on writing about later, but no one appears to be answering a few questions I have. For example: Do I mention that this book is the first of a series and can’t really stand alone? I know I shouldn’t query about multiple projects at once- but does that mean I shouldn’t mention that this is the first of a series? Would it help or hinder? If you know anything about this, please comment! I’d love the in-put.
Researching agents is turning out to be a complicated process, as Noah Lukeman‘s How to Land (and Keep) A Literary Agent warned me. Writer’s Digest, Publisher’s Lunch, Publisher’s Marketplace…again great tools. I can already tell it’s going to take me weeks, if not months, to compile the information I need, since I am also a full-time teacher.
Anyone have favorite tips, tools, or advice on finding agents, writing query letters, or researching agents themselves? I’d love to hear from you!
Kate, I’m a couple of months behind on following, but I’m so excited that you finished the novel and am looking forward to reading it. Bravo!
Thank you! Believe me, you’ll hear if I get it published! Thanks for all your support
I assume you are attending writers’ conferences and requesting one-on-ones with agents. Often that’s a way to not only get “instant” feedback, but have a more likely chance of an agent reading your material. I’ve done a certain amount of querying (and now have an agent)…I would suggest briefly (briefly) mentioning your work is the first in a series: state it, move on. However, are you sure it cannot be a stand-alone? With the unsettledness of publishing, I wonder if selling your first book would be helped by being open to a publisher viewing it as a stand-alone. If that gets your foot in the door, and they like your writing…good things may happen. The flip side is…if you’re committed to a series, then “stick to your guns” and be persistent with your dreams. If you are rejected because you’re confident about your series, it’s the publisher’s loss. Write on.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I meet with an agent on the 24th for a critique of one chapter, I’ll let you know what wisdom (hopefully) she has to say about query letters.