Query jitters

Photo: Ron Dyar

I’m 0 for 6 on queries so far. Not as bad a track record as it might seem, for a direct pitch into the slush piles of the world. Of six queries I sent out in July, I’ve had one quick “thanks but no thanks,” three choruses of crickets, and two requests for full manuscript. Both of those were politely returned after a couple of weeks with some constructive feedback and definitive declines.

I’ve always thought that people who talk about papering their walls with rejections should either figure out what they’re doing wrong, or give up on writing. A certain amount of rejection is inevitable, but I think if you’ve had dozens of declines, and you haven’t tried to improve, you’re wasting your time. I’ve taken the two responses I got from agents (both of them high up on my wish list), and done some further revision. Both of them had similar responses, and both of them found gaps in my manuscript that I had identified myself. They flagged details that had been nagging at me already – mostly around pacing, and places where the narrative lags. With these revisions done, I’ll start querying again in a week or so.

But I’m gratified that my letter and my pages got noticed, even if they weren’t ultimately successful, and it’s given me solid feedback and a good sense of direction. Because to read the conventional wisdom on querying, there are a million ways to do it wrong. The advice out there is wide and deep, but generally boils down to the caveat that if you don’t include certain details, you will never, ever get an agent, and certainly never get published.

I don’t really know anyone in publishing. The Debut Dagger is a good calling card, and I know enough about the publishing world to go at querying with a decent level of intelligence. But I am just another hopeful writer adrift in a slush pile. What I decided in the end was that I have confidence in my book, I know how to sell it, and that would come across to agents if / when they get to my query. I decided that would be more of an advantage than adhering to every little detail that’s out there on how to query. Just write a clear, enticing pitch, and let your passion for your work come through.

There is one thing, though, that I think should apply to anyone looking to send out a cold query, that comes not from my own querying experience but from being on the receiving end of endless pitches. If you do nothing else, keep it short.