Querying Faux Pas That Will Lead to Instant Rejection
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- Опубликовано: 18 окт 2024
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Querying your manuscript to literary agents for representation is a slog. There’s no other way of putting it-from the time it takes to perfect your query package, to researching which agents to query, to sending your query and waiting for a response, the process inherently takes a long time. I can totally understand if you feel desperate for a response and want to resort to unorthodox methods to try to speed up the process, but remember: querying an agent is a business act. You’re looking to create a long lasting relationship with a literary agent, so avoid these querying faux pas to stay as professional as possible and boost your chances of success.
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GREAT BOOKS ABOUT WRITING/PUBLISHING:
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer / amzn.to/3VE8dtt
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody / amzn.to/3Vyk2Bn
Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum / amzn.to/3Z4at03
SOME OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS:
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Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips / amzn.to/3CFz4Pt
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MORE BOOK PUBLISHING ADVICE:
Why Querying Right Now Is Such a Hot Mess: • Why Querying Right Now...
What Authors Don't Understand About Agent Rejections: • What Authors Don't Und...
5 Ways to Boost Your Chances of Getting Published: • 5 Ways to Boost Your C...
QUERYING FAUX PAS:
01:32 - Messaging agents on social media
03:08 - Re-querying agents
04:43 - Lying about offers of representation
06:13 - Calling or showing up at an agency
07:35 - Mailing your manuscript
ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with 7+ years of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
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I queried 25 agents last year. Stopped at that point and worked on doing more drafting and polishing this year. Ended up getting a mentorship, so didn’t start querying again until September of this year. I’ve sent out 13. Since most of them are solicited via pitch parties and the mentorship showcase, and it’s the holiday season, I’m waiting until the new year to start sending out more queries. Hoping to get good news from one of the ones out, though.
Best of luck with the querying, Erika!
"I want to enter into a business relationship with you. Here are three LIES to confirm my suitability as a trusted partner."
Yeah, that just seemed bonkers to me. WTF?
This is so helpful, Alyssa, thank you! I was wondering about the etiquette of querying an agent with a completely different project from the one they previously rejected. I wasn’t sure if that was appropriate. Thank you for everything you do!
Let them initiate...let them initiate...why do I feel like I've landed on Santa's naughty list?
You are very great
An agent who responded to my query seemed positive. The agent mentioned in the reply that she didn't have the time to go into personal coaching but if I did a total revision she would be interested in seeing the project again in six months or so. I only sent 10 pages with my query. What might the agent have been referring to by requesting a total revision?
Good video, and appreciate the emphasis on a professional relationship. I'd like to know more about Twitter pitches. Do writers often get representation this way? What are the best ways to find them?
I got my agent through #canlitpit!
Regardless all the rejections I've been getting with every book, most mention I can query them again with a new project.
So far, my latest project has been rejected by every agent I have queried so far. Although many more to query, but i have to sadly expect others may reject it as well. As much I want to write book 2 of the series, I have begun to write a new story and character in hope this may get an agent once it's finished.
what about self publishing?
@@xChikyx Done that. Worst mistake I've ever done. Only lost money. haven't even earned a tenth of what I invested on my first 4 books.
No more self publishing. Done with it. Should have never touched it in the first place.
@@rowan7929 oh, sorry to hear that u.u
Stop sending. If you're not getting requests for pages, the issue is likely your query letter. So start there and learn how to properly create and formal a query letter than has a great hook, blurb, stakes etc. Do that, then start querying again.
@@cherylannwritesI did actually as of writing this.
Already got more personal responses, although still rejections. I have rewritten the novel, rewritten the letter and blurb. Nearly, got an agent who loved everything but still rejected because the story didn't pull her in. In the earlier days, I just queried, and that's it. Now, I'm more cautious and changed betas and editors too.
Hmmm, I read on submission guidelines for one British agency that requering with significant change is possible. I asked a while back about mailing because wordage had things like "we're not accepting XXX manuscripts" where they implied they are taking physical copies once you reach for them for review.
6:13 Well thank Crom I did not try that yet haha
I submitted 20 last year, got 6 or 7 form rejections and the rest didn't answer. I can only presume its either that I'm not a celebrity or my work isn't good enough.
Do you have any tips for querying a graphic novel?
Out of 8,000,000,000 people on this planet, your work is considered a best seller if 100,000 people buy it. So if you have written a best seller 0.0000125% of people are going to like it. That's like what? 10,000 queries to find an agent. I should never have done the math...
This is strangely comforting...
hello! i can’t remember - have you touched on the hcp union? if not, would you consider? thank you!
Querying faux pas number 1. Don't message literary agents. Never met another profession so opposed to doing their salary-mandated duties than literary agents. Parasites and gatekeepers the lot. The end goal of all successful businesses is to do away with middlemen: literature as a medium had enough working against it, but this proliferation of middlemen guided only by greed is the death of it.