The Querying Process
On Tuesday, May 13 I sent off my first query to a literary agent. She's based out of Wisconsin and works with Minnesota author Abby Jimenez.
This first query was quite extensive; I sent my author bio, the query letter that I personalized to the agent, the synopsis, a one-sentence book pitch, the first chapter of my novel, a link to my website, explained the target audience, and a list of comps (more on that coming up).
This was all submitted through Query Tracker, the large database I mentioned last time. I am using it to research agents. It's important to investigate deeply because not all agents are open to submissions right now, and you have to look over their manuscript wish lists. You don't want to query an agent who doesn't align with what type of story you wrote.
Here's an example of what I am finding about agent preferences:
Katie Reed’s Manuscript Wishlist
Katie is actively building her client list and looking for standout projects to champion. She is interested in stories that hit that sweet spot between commercial and literary—where strong, poignant prose, complex characters, and a twisty, high stakes plot intersect. Katie is especially drawn to books with universal human themes that resonate with readers and characters that reach through the pages and grab hold of her heart. She is a sucker for popular tropes and can’t resist anything with a high concept hook she hasn’t seen before, or a twist she doesn’t see coming. Across genres, she tends to prefer edgy, emotional, and sharp to sweet and light. Katie is looking for underrepresented voices in publishing in any genre.
Katie is open for submissions in the following genres:
Upmarket and Commercial Women’s Fiction with a fresh, magnetic voice, emotionally complex narrative, and fast pace (think Boo Walker, Barbara Davis)
Book Club Fiction—particularly drawn to anything with a unique concept or fresh spin, like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis was her favorite book of 2023.
Historical Fiction akin to Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ruta Sepyts, Kristin Hannah, Kate Quinn. She loved Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll and, of course, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by TJR.
Suspense/Psychological Thriller (in the vein of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell, Stacey Willingham); she will also look at thrillers with genre blending elements, like Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter or Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time.
Fiction with a fantastical angle (a la The Midnight Library by Matt Haig or The Measure by Nikki Erlick) or an interesting spin (Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman)
Retellings, similar to Circe by Madeline Miller or Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood
I do plan to query with Katie Reed, and I recently found another agent who aligns with my content. Her name is Jemiscoe Chambers-Black and she's looking for stories like mine!
I am finding a lot of agents on Query Tracker who are NOT open to submissions right now, or are only taking submissions off of referral, which is kind of a bummer. I guess it makes sense though, they can only look at so many stories at a time, and if it's just going to sit in their unread pile, might as well not waste their time. I've also heard summer is not a great time to query, so I had better get my next few sent out before the end of the month.
After I submitted my items I received a note via email that says they do look at every submission, but if I don't hear anything back by the 12 week mark, assume they've passed on my work.
My follow-up meeting with my editor
I met with my editor, Lauren, over a Google Meet on Wednesday. It was so lovely to chat with her and get more direct feedback regarding my story. She feels it is strong enough to go the traditional publishing route, but of course, she can't make any promises. She felt it was a very marketable story with characters people can relate to.
