6 tips to query like a pro
I've read almost a thousand pitches over the past ten years. Here’s what I suggest.
This post is adapted from an excerpt from my conversation with Stacy Frazer on the Write It Scared podcast. I highly recommend listening to the rest of the interview and subscribing to Write It Scared for more thoughtful and value-packed episodes from Stacy and her guests!
When a writer is ready to pitch, how can they be realistic about what to expect out of the query process? Here are my top 6 tips for navigating your first foray into the publishing industry.
1. Get on QueryTracker immediately
I always recommend starting with Query Tracker, a free database that lets you:
Search agents that are looking for the genre and age category you are writing,
Track whether you've submitted queries to them, and
See whether they’ve responded.
Because, even though you promise yourself that you're gonna keep exact track of who you've sent queries to, you will forget if you don't have a method in place. I get clients all the time that are sure they’ve sent 15 queries, but when they go back and check, they realize they’d sent more queries than they remember.
QueryTracker is invaluable and it's especially helpful now as more and more agents are moving toward using Query Manager, where you can submit to an agent by filling out a form. Instead of sending an email, you can tie Query Manager and QueryTracker together and it'll automatically record that you've sent a query to that agent.
2. Narrow down your agent list
Let's say we're querying YA fantasy. In QueryTracker, I can search all the agents that are accepting YA fantasy queries. Now, if you do this, you're going to get a list of hundreds of agents. You don't necessarily want to query hundreds of agents right now, so this is just the big list that you can use as your starting point.
To narrow it down, try cross referencing your list with resources like Manuscript Wishlist, where agents and editors answer the question, “What kind of manuscript do you wish you had in your inbox?” You can search on keywords to find people looking for books with a similar tone, theme, or to what you're writing and bump those people to the top of your list.
I’d also recommend keeping an eye on Publisher's Lunch, which is Publisher's Marketplace’s daily email of deals that have been announced that past week and can be really helpful to see who's selling what in the industry. You can also get the Publisher's Marketplace subscription to search their agent database and get access to industry news and analysis, but there is a fee associated with that.
When you’re reading comp titles in your genre, pay attention to the author's notes or acknowledgements at the back. They will most often thank the agents who represented them and give you some insight into how they worked together. Remember, it's a two-sided relationship. Sure, you want to be picked, but it’s just as important to get a sense if you’ll work well together.
It’s also worth your time to check out Writer Beware’s general advice for spotting dishonest agents and scammers and links to forums where writers discuss agents or editors with red flags. If you identify an agent on your list that has legitimate complaints against them, it’s best to take them off your list and save your time.
3. Query in batches
I used to say to send in batches of 10, just because it makes the math easy. If two people respond and ask for pages, that's 20% — a good response rate. But these days, more people are querying, agents are more inundated with work, and editors are still catching up from COVID (yes, really!) so response times are slower than ever. Since it is taking longer to hear back from agents, it might benefit you to make your batches a little bit bigger to keep the momentum going.
One of the great things about Query Tracker is that it will tell you what an agent's response rate is and what their average response time is right in the database. If you submit to a batch of 10 agents who each respond to 1% or less of their queries, you're probably not going to hear back from any of them. It’s not only discouraging, it also means that you're not going to have any realistic, actionable information about whether there is a problem with your query or not.
The solution is to mix it up! Pick a few high responders, too. There are agents that try to respond to every query and we appreciate that, even as we understand why some agents aren't able to with the volume of queries they receive each week.
If you mix fast and slow responders in each batch, and if you query a mix of the number one bestselling agent in your category and some newer agents that are at top agencies, but are hungry because they're building their lists, that can help you make sure that you get some feedback.
4. Pick your lineup strategically
Even though it’s tempting to go for the gold, I would not recommend putting all your top dream agents in that first round of queries. Because, through the process of querying, you’ll start to catch issues in your query. Giving yourself batches allows you to cover up some little mistakes that you might make. It gives you time to course correct and revise based on feedback.
To put it plainly: if you sent 200 queries out on the first day to all of the agents who accept the genre and age category that you're looking for, you're done. You're queried out. You can't go back and re-query those folks with the same project unless you receive a revise and resubmit letter. You have one opportunity per story with each agent, so get it right. Doing your research and going slow now can help you avoid disappointment and regret later.
5. Personalize your query
Personalization is that first line of the query that introduces your book and why you are reaching out to that specific agent. To decide on your personalization line, you can:
use the agent's websites where they often provide things they're interested in seeing in their inboxes.
watch for them on what some of the many online conferences that are happening right now.
peek at social media: Try Threads, Blue Sky, or X, wherever agents are active and see what they're looking for
For example, if you are writing YA fantasy and you do not have a romantic thread in your story, you won’t want to waste your time or an agent’s by sending it to someone who only wants stories with a romance arc. You want your personalization line to speak directly to their interests. It never works out when writers disregard the agent’s preferences and submit anyway, thinking, “Oh, they’re gonna love this if they give it a chance.” They're going to say no because they know what they want, can sell, and already have. Trust them when they tell you what they want – close enough is not good enough in this tight market.
6. Plan for the waiting period
As I’ve said a few times, you’re going to have waiting periods where there’s not much more you can do until you hear back from the last batch of agents. By best advice its to have another project to work on. Start your next book while you're waiting, because the waiting is awful. And the last thing you wanna be doing is checking, and checking, and checking your phone for updates and freaking out when nothing’s in your inbox. That reaction is perfectly normal and I have found that digging into a new shiny book idea is a great distraction from that.
So, are you ready to query? Spend one last weekend polishing your pitch so you can confidently send it out Monday morning. I've read almost a thousand pitches over the past ten years and have helped numerous querying writers diagnose what's not working and fix it so they can query with confidence. Now I’ve gathered my best pitching tips in one course that you can complete in a day or two and start putting your work out there!