Querying a Completed Manuscript Pt. 1
Querying a manuscript is a daunting task! In this small series of posts, I hope to clarify some of the process and offer some resources to help you on your way!
Plus, a little of what I’ve been experiencing in my own process.
Well, here we are!
It is now March, which means it’s been about a year since I began work on my paranormal thriller/horror, Maryann. I’ve decided that I’m happy with the state of my manuscript and have begun querying agents (and smaller indie publishers)!
As such, I wanted to share what I’ve learned about querying, because it’s a daunting experience and can feel like there’s too much to keep track of.
So, whether you’re planning on querying your own novel one day, or you’re just curious as to what on Earth I’m talking about, here are some of the top things I’ve learned about querying through my own process!
Query Letters are an Art, not a Science…
BUT (and it’s a big but), there are general formats/information you should include.
The query letter itself is much like a cover letter for a résumé or curriculum vitae. Unlike a genera cover letter, though, you need to be a little specific here and follow closely what each agency (or individual agent, even) requests.
This is where you pitch your book, usually in a mixture of a one-sentence condensation as well as a paragraph or two with a brief and exciting synopsis (more similar to a book blurb than Cliff notes, here!). It’s (in all likelihood) the first thing that the agent will read, so you want to sell yourself, your ability to write/your writing voice, and your book.
Other pertinent information for your letter:
Personalization to your agent — Why are you pitching them specifically?
Comparable Titles to your book — Do you know the market? What readers will enjoy your book?
Word Count and Genre — these are a MUST
Short Bio * — Who are you?
The general rule for w letter length rests between 200 and 500 words. The base letter I’m using is somewhere around 350, and depending on the agent I’m pitching and what else they request to know or what else I have to say to them specifically, I have added up to 40 or so additional words.
*A word about the bio: This is one of the things that isn’t widely agreed upon, and you’ll really want to check what an agency or individual agent asks for. A lot of sources suggest to keep this as short as possible, or even disregard it entirely, unless you have a degree in writing and/or a publication history. Some agents want to know a bit about you regardless of you’ve ever published, and some want a full paragraph or more describing yourself. My base letter contains a one-sentence description of myself addressing the major parts of my personal identification.
All in all, writing query letters are definitely a trial-and-error type of process. I recommend reading as many as you can find (QueryShark, Reddit threads, and some individual authors are excellent resources in this regard) and try to get a feel for what successful letters have contained!
Writing a synopsis will test your fortitude…
But it’s entirely possible.
Look, there are some people that start a book with a synopsis, and plenty of sources say the synopsis should be written before the novel. However, writers who are anything like me, don’t know exactly what happens in their book until, well, it happens! For us, sitting down to write a synopsis is daunting.
For definition’s sake, a synopsis of your book should be no longer than two pages (1.5 or double spaced), written in third person voice, present-tense (regardless of how the book is written) and stick to brass tacks, if you will. It should contain only those major plot points that move the arc of the book along, as well as address, display, or hint at the emotional arc of the story.
Other pertinent information:
Limit the amount of character names — you should only be referring to those characters that move the plot along and/or affect the main character’s development. If you aren’t going to mention the characters more than once in your synopsis, you probably shouldn’t bother with their names.
The synopsis should contain all plot twists and turns and reveal the ending — agents use this as a tool to determine if your overarching novel has chutzpah, a discernible and realistic story arc, and if they’re interested in reading your manuscript or not.
The synopsis will be pretty boring — you’re writing the dry, cliff-notes version of your own book. It shouldn’t read poorly, by any means, but it’s also not a time to show off or sell yourself; save that for your letter. Keep to the point in your synopsis.
I wrote a few different versions of my synopsis and had my alpha reader double check to see if I was hitting the major beats of my own story. It might be difficult at first to condense your whole novel into two pages, but at the end of the day, you should find it pretty easy to identify the plot points that drive your book. After that, it’s just building the two pages themselves.
Of course, there is a little more that goes into the synopsis than all this. There are formatting things like bolding a character’s name the first time you mention them and putting their ages in parentheses beside the name (if the age is pertinent). Similarly, you want to make sure you’re not just writing a book report that sounds childish — stay away from faux pas like, “She went to the store and then she bought butter and then she realized she was out of money.” Although the synopsis is dry, you should still flex your writing muscles to make the plot points flow and use words that sound more lively.
Above all, make sure that your characters are acting in the plot point, not just being acted upon. If something happens to your character, be sure to include how their response or actions afterward drive the story or emotional arc as well.
There is no industry standard…
But you will find commonalities between what materials are requested in a query.
The hardest part about querying in my mind is not the forthcoming rejections, but the fact that it seems a rare thing that any two agents (even within the same agency) will request the exact same submission packet.
What do I mean by this?
Every agent has their own preferred requirements of what they want an author to send them as part of their query. Some agents don’t care about a letter and only want a synopsis and manuscript sample. Some agents only ask for a letter and say they’ll request a manuscript sample if and when their interest is piqued. Other agents want you to send them a letter, a separate synopsis, a separate biography, a curriculum vitae, and a manuscript sample!
And don’t get me started on the different sizes of manuscript samples each agent requests, or how agents want you to submit queries!
There is a LOT of information that differs. The best plan you can make is preparing everything you might be requested to send: a letter, a synopsis, a biography, and several different-length samples of your manuscript in multiple formats (word doc, Dropbox link, pdf, etc).
This all brings me to my next point that…
You need to do your research and be organized.
I suggest note taking and spreadsheets.
The reality is that regardless of the genre you write, you’re going to end up doing some serious research coming into the querying phase.
Not only do you have to research agents who might be a potential fit, you also have to research and keep track of
What genre they represent and any specific stories/plots/tropes they’re looking for
what materials they request
what agency they work for (and whether than agency limits how many agents you can address)
how they want queries sent to them (or does the agency have a specific reader who accepts all queries regardless of which agent you want to address)
whether or not they’re open to queries (or do they only accept in certain windows every month or year?)
pertinent personal information (did they say they love dogs and you happen to have a dog you compete in agility with? Maybe you and the agent can connect on a personal level!)
and how important querying that particular agent is to you.
It’s a lot.
I started just by taking notes of agents as I researched them. For most of them, I put an A, B, or C label next to their information, ranking them by how good of a fit I thought we’d be for each other. Then, I made a spreadsheet with all of the information listed above, plus columns for dates queried, dates responded, and what the response was. Then, I color-coded the sheet in this manner:
Orange for currently closed
Lime green for first batch of queries
Light blue for second batch
Dark blue for third batch
Purple for final batch
The best part about a spreadsheet that’s color coded is that I can filter any of columns to be able to sort through agents at a quick pace!
Find whatever organization method works for you, but I find this the easiest method since I can pull it up alongside all of my documents!
Lastly, querying is a waiting game…
There’s plenty to keep you busy, though!
Waiting for responses for queries is much like waiting for submission responses — slow, tiring, and at times, frustrating.
The biggest thing to understand is that all of these agents see a lot of queries and a lot of manuscripts. Sometimes, they may not even get back to you (check their pages to see if they’re okay with you “nudging” them or not) and that’s a pretty safe bet that you aren’t a great fit.
Don’t worry. Rejection is a part of everything, and “losing with grace” or “being sportsmanlike” are important during this phase, should you decide to take this route in your publishing journey!
During the wait, you have plenty of time to work on new projects, refine your submissions packet, read, etc! Try not to take the wait times personally (believe you me, I know they can be infuriating!).
Just keep plugging away!
Additional resources…
I recommend these places:
Jane Friedman: Query Letters This is just one post on Jane Friedman’s site, but she’s a veritable treasure trove of information and I typically go here first to get answers for my questions.
How to Write a Book Synopsis Followed this link from Friedman’s site, actually, but found it so helpful.
How to Write a Synopsis — With Examples This is pretty redundant after some former links, but I did consult it myself while writing my synopsis.
Query Tracker I primarily used this for my agent research. I found it easy to use and it typically has links to agency sites as well as Publisher’s Marketplace or Manuscript Wishlist, too. Plus, you need access to it in order to query any agents who exclusively use their form!
Many of these links were instrumental to me learning how to go about all of this process. And believe me, the sooner you can start preparing, the better you’ll feel when it’s time to dive into the trenches.
Best of luck!
Feel free to reach out with questions or tell me what kind of project you’re querying/hoping to query!