Imagine, if you will, that you are a puppy living in a shelter, excitedly waiting for the perfect family to come along and adopt you. You’re a pretty adorable puppy, so you’re sure it won’t take long to be chosen. But weeks go by. People come and go, barely glancing in your direction. Slowly, you realize that you’re surrounded by other puppies that are equally cute. And not just puppies, but kittens and hamsters and all sorts of really cool birds and reptiles. Someone comes in and walks right past you and takes the snake. The SNAKE! Furthermore, this is not the only shelter around. There are thousands of shelters all over the world. Suddenly, your chances of adoption seem pretty dismal (cue sad Sarah McLachlin music).
This, in a nutshell, is what querying is like. So what exactly is querying and why would someone put themselves through that sort of trauma? Querying is the first step towards getting your book published, aside from actually writing the dang book. Most publishers don’t accept unsolicited submissions from authors at all, only from literary agents. So when you are “querying,” it means that you are in the midst of a fierce competition with thousands and thousands of other authors in a more-or-less futile attempt to convince a literary agent to represent you. In other words, you are one puppy among thousands of other puppies and various other animals that all have something unique and special to offer. The agents are the potential adopters, and they're all looking for something different and the whole process is completely subjective. Some of them even prefer snakes to puppies. Furthermore, they only have so much room in their house to keep pets, and so much time and money to invest in pet care, so they have to be very selective.
If you are lucky, an agent might actually read your submission. Submission requirements vary from agent to agent, but they generally want to see a query letter and a sample of your manuscript (I’ve seen anywhere between 5 pages and the first 3 chapters). Some will also ask for a detailed synopsis, target audience, and comps (a list of books that are similar to yours). You can research agents’ submission requirements and the types of books they’re looking for using MS Wishlist and QueryTracker. A lot of agents only accept submissions through QueryTracker, so it’s worth making a free account if you plan to query. A query letter is like a mash up of a sales pitch and a cover letter you would use to apply for a job. It’s where you introduce yourself and your book, describe the genre and give a few comps, as well as a very brief synopsis/ general outline of the book. There are tons of resources online on how to write a query letter. The podcast “The Shit No One Tells you About Writing” is also an excellent resource.
If you’re really lucky, an agent will request to see your entire manuscript, and after that they MIGHT consider representing you. From what I’ve read, most authors query 50+ agents before ever getting such a request. And first-time authors with no publications are even less likely to be considered. And guess what? Even if you do land an agent, publishers will still reject submissions from the agent. So yeah, there are many hoops to jump through.
Now, you may be wondering how many hoops I was able to jump through before hitting a roadblock. After all, this is my blog where I share my personal experiences. The answer is zero. I spent nearly two years querying every agent I could find who represents sci-fi. Not. One. Damn. Bite. Not even a full manuscript request. Just generic mass e-mails saying that my manuscript does not align with what they’re looking for at the moment…even though I’ve read their manuscript wish list and in my mind, it perfectly aligns with my book.
Am I frustrated? Sure. Am I bitter? Perhaps a little. Am I angry at the agents? No, not at all. I get it. Their main job is to represent their current clients and do everything they can to vouch for them and get them the best publishing deals. They only have so much time left over to read through the piles and piles of queries they receive. And of course they’re more likely to take on a new client who is already published. It is a business, after all, and being previously published proves to an agent that an author is marketable. Brand new authors are a risk. A business gamble. And that’s what I am. I am the unvaccinated Mexican rescue mutt that requires advance payment and a flight angel to transport me to my new home, and Lord knows if I’m even legit or just an online scam. How many people would take that risk?
On the other hand, maybe my query letter’s just shit.
The part that frustrates me is, how then, does one get their first publication? It’s the same as the “entry level position, requires 5 years experience” paradox. The only way to do it is to intern, I suppose. Get that experience and go into debt. Or maybe you open your own company and be your own boss, but take on all the financial risk yourself…and go into debt. That’s pretty much exactly what self-publishing is. And that’s where I’m at. Thanks to crowdfunding, I will be in slightly less debt. But if I can self-publish and be moderately successful, then maybe an agent will take a chance on me the next time around. Will there be a next time around? Who knows what the future holds for this pup…all I know is that my cats are going to be SO mad at me for using a puppy metaphor instead of a kitten.
I really appreciate the detail you have put into describing the process of trying to get published. And you thought writing a book was the hard part!