Hi all!
As promised, this week I will be writing about querying agents/publishers. I hope you enjoy!
Before I decided to self publish I queried both agents and publishers for nine months. It's a gruelling process, as each company has different guidelines and interests. Some will get back to you, and some won't. Some will like your work, some won't. You shouldn't take any of it personally, it's a subjective business.
As you can guess, I didn't get represented.
But that doesn't mean it was a waste of time for me, querying made me realize that traditional publication wasn't really what I wanted. Although I got loads of rejections, they helped me grow as an author.
Always follow their guidelines.
Don't ignore guidelines, companies use them for a reason. It will not make you stand out if you just do whatever you want, it will make you come across as incompetent. If you don't follow the guidelines, your query will be rejected without a glance. If they want you to use a certain font size, use it. If they want your query double spaced, do it.
For agents, address them by name.
Many agents prefer you to use at least their first name when addressing them in your query. It clearly shows that you want them to read it and possibly represent you. Make sure you spell their name correctly, nothing will turn an agent off in the first sentence if you can't even spell their name right.
Don't spam them with emails.
Once you've sent the initial query, don't nudge them constantly. If on their website they have a time frame they will often state that you can ask them after that date. It's usually eight to twelve weeks. If you constantly spam them a few weeks after, you will be rejected.
Don't submit to multiple agents in the same agency unless specified.
Most agencies in the UK state that a rejection from one agent is a rejection from the whole agency. Don't submit to another agent if they say not to because the agency will find out.
Don't submit to agents who don't represent your genre.
It's simply a waste of their time and yours.
If you get rejected, don't berate them on social media.
This is the fastest way to get you blacklisted from many agencies and publishers.
If you get rejected, don't email them back with nasty comments.
It isn't necessary, just because one doesn't want to represent your work doesn't mean that someone else won't. Don't destroy your chances because you couldn't control your anger.
You will get rejected.
It's natural, but as I've said in my previous post about rejection, don't let it get you down. Keep going.
Research.
Make sure you research who you query. Some companies might look legit but are actually dodgy. At least give them a quick search before sending.
Keep track of who you have queried.
Keep a list of outstanding queries and rejections, this will help you keep track in the long run. I used links for each website and put them in different files based on the query status.
Keep writing!
Don't stop just because you're querying something! Writing something else on the side can keep you distracted while also making sure those creative juices are flowing.
That's it for this week, hope you enjoyed it!