Just writing to say reading the comments has been super helpful!! Not at a stage to query yet but will be bookmarking this and all the helpful links you included!
Hello Courtney! Glad to be back. The series on query letters is helpful and insightful, well worth the review. Of course I'm tempted to copy and paste my recent one and ask for your review on that, but then read more of the comments and realized that would not work for you. If you do accept that separately, please let me know as I would value your input. I think I'm covering the essentials, but always think I'm writing more than I should and expecting that one breakthrough. Had some help on this back in 2023 and actually got a manuscript request, with a polite reply months later that they could not go forward with the volume of "worthy submissions like yours", having to limit choice. My question is this: should the query letter include the bio reference and current status or reserve that for an addendum to the query (which is what I read from another source)? The rest of the criteria you outline I cover, given the limits on keeping the letter to a single page whatever that means digitally - but it seems like TMI stretching into two printed pages to get all of this addressed. And I know the hook is most important to go with the summary. I like your encouragement on using comp titles as well, as my first query used but cut out as perhaps sounding too pretentious. Going crazy with it all, "after all these years", but certainly hoping to follow through this year with a successful outcome, putting your good advice into play.
Hi there! I'm not sure I understand your question. ("should the query letter include the bio reference and current status or reserve that for an addendum to the query.") What do you mean by "bio reference"? (The query should include your bio.) And what do you mean about the current status-- like the status of the manuscript, which is that you are querying? That would be implied by the act of querying itself. If you're talking about referencing that you got a manuscript request, no, you wouldn't reference that. I do not recommend sending addendums to query letters. The query letter should be 5 paragraphs max-- 4 would be even better. Good luck out there!
Quick question about ALLLLLL the agents. How do you know who is legit? Aside from the list of agents I'm compiling from the acknowledgments in books that I believe may be a good fit, where do I start? I've signed up on Querytracker and love that I can search by who is looking for what, but who are these people? Within the industry is there any list that publishers would readily think, "I'll always listen to a pitch from XYZ agencies?" Like, is there a big five (or ten or one hundred) list of agents/agencies?
All I know is music publishing, and there seem to be a lot of parallels in book publishing, but I am still trying to learn the players!
I totally understand how baffling this can all feel when you are coming at it as an outsider. Checking the agents who represent authors you admire, and authors you are using for your comp titles, is a great place to start. Next, you'll want to look how long an agent has been working as an agent (lots of agents start off as assistants to a more established agent, so don't get thrown by that) and most importantly-- who do they represent? Do they have authors who are actively publishing, touring, engaging with the world or do they have a bunch of people who haven't done anything for decades? Their track record = their legitimacy. If you don't have it already, I think you'd benefit from my guidebook to the industry, the one this publication is named for. Good luck out there! https://books.catapult.co/books/before-and-after-the-book-deal/
THANK YOU! I listened to the entire audio book of "Before and After the Book Deal" last year, but it's definitely time for a refresher... and possibly might do me good to have a physical copy to bookmark! REALLY APPRECIATE all your insight!
I also wanted to add that the MSWL has a great compendium of agent names according to category that you write in. I went through everyone listed there in my genre, looked at their websites (sometimes more) and then decided who to pitch based on whether or not I thought they would be a good fit. My litmus test was if I could write a good personalization or not. To date, I've only sent out 12 queries, but it's no surprise that the one fast rejection that came my way was from someone whose information I really didn't connect with (and thus, whose personalization I felt limited in writing).
Hi Courtney, I paid for agent query meetings at a publishing conference (query letter + 5 pages). While the agents asked to see more pages, they both then ghosted me. Do you think pay-to-play meetings like this are a waste of money, or is there value in guaranteeing eyes on your query? Thank you!
Gosh that is terrible behavior. (On the part of the agents, not you!) Responding only for myself, I don't think there is trustworthy value in pay-to-play meetings, frankly. While agents certainly attend prestigious conferences like Bread Loaf with the hopes of actually meeting people whose work they want to represent, when money gets involved, to my mind, it's a bit shady. I think it's different if you pay for an entire weekend or something and the sit-down meetings are included in the entire conference fee, but I've always found that you pay and end up with like 10 minutes with someone who was out late with colleagues the night before and is half-listening and kind of phoning it in, you know? I mean, when I occasionally review people's query letters, I won't do a meeting that is any less than an hour. You need time to get to know the person, hear about their ambitions beyond the current book-- really put the work in to make the meeting meaningful and I've just never personally see that level of dedication happen at conferences with pay-to-play options. I might be being a Negative Nelly here though so if anyone reading this had a positive experience in this kind of situation, let us know. It's just like-- if you got ghosted from an agent you hadn't paid, you'd be like-- hmm, okay, I guess they didn't like it, but the fact that there was money exchanged would certainly make me feel like the agent was beholden to give me personalized feedback so the whole thing just gets icky! I'm sorry for you. How incredibly frustrating!
Thank you for replying! I got an email today about another conference with pay-to-play appointments, and I am RESISTING THE URGE to throw money at the problem. Thanks again!
Thank you for this opportunity! I hope this is a reasonable ask. This is the summary of my novel, COMMITTED, in the current (six millionth) version of my query, and I'd love your feedback on it. In particular, how is my use of comps?
Like Marian Graves in Great Circle (Maggie Shipstead) and Martha Ballard in The Frozen River (Ariel Lawhon), Anna Dickinson is a formidable woman forging her unique path in a man's world. During the American Civil War, her outspoken views on racial and gender equality are both admired and despised — ditto her unladylike habit of wearing trousers and her passion for mountaineering.
When Anna’s own sister has her committed to an asylum scarier than the one in Night Watch (Jayne Anne Phillips), she must prove her sanity to the doctor in charge and subdue her bold, rebellious nature to dress, behave — and believe — as a proper young lady should. Although she’s willing to pretend piety, Anna remains committed to her radical views on equality, and refuses to recant them. When she’s caught kissing her secret lover, not only is her freedom and career at stake, but also control over her own body. She must escape before the surgeon’s scalpel ‘cures’ her forever.
Hi Zena. I am hoping to answer questions about querying, not review people's actual queries (so please, anyone reading this-- stick to guidelines and do not ask me to review your query material). Big picture though, this summary leaves me wondering 1) Why did Anna's sister commit her (are there stakes there? psychological wounds) and 2) you might considering making it clear what is the most important issue for Anna-- racial equality? Freedom of sexuality? Because right now she is fighting a lot of fights for many different things. Is the secret lover a woman? What is Anna's career? This sounds like a super interesting story but the summary brings up a few too many questions is my feeling. For comps, you want to offset them with " " or italics. Good luck out there!
A few beta readers have comped my book to comedy memoirs (there’s lots about messy momming) and I’m wondering if these are cool to mention as a comp for my upmarket fiction book - like still mention 1-2 fiction comps and also say “it’s like a fictional take on <memoir title>”? Or should I purely stick to fiction comps?
You can go out of genre! Just be specific as to why, for example, "with the self-flagellation of title X and the..." or "With the sardonic wit of Title X and the pacing of (novel) Title Y"...make sense?
Hi Courtney! Thank you for doing this — your book, your querying class last spring, and your newsletter have been SO helpful.
For context: I’m just starting to query my 99K upmarket historical novel. A while back, I found an agency I really resonated with and had a good gut feeling about. One agent deals almost exclusively in historical (and their wishlist seems like a match) and two other agents also sound like they could be good fits. This agency lets you query more than one of their agents at once, so I may start with my top pick or query all three at once (not sure yet).
I discovered that a bestselling author who taught a week-long workshop I attended back in 2023 is repped by another agent at this same agency. (Coincidentally she was actually the person who recommended I read Before and After the Book Deal!) She read my first 40 pages and gave me really great, positive feedback. I’m in contact with her and she even sent me her query letter as an example a few months ago.
My question is — would it be acceptable or overstepping to ask her for a referral, given that she’s not repped by the agent(s) I want to query and that she only read part of my manuscript a year and a half ago? I’m not sure about referral etiquette and how to proceed. Do you have any advice?
That's a promising connection. Sounds like you have a good relationship so you could certainly say-- hey, I'm thinking of sending my material to this agent(s) at the agency you're represented at. Do you have a point of view on any of these agents? Have you met them?" Normally, that should be enough of a window that if she wants to offer making a connection, she will. If she doesn't offer, ask if you can disclose that she's been a beta reader for you to the agency-- as they'll appreciate that you have a good relationship with one of their clients.
Your Binky story reminds me of my Esther Newberg story… I interviewed to be her assistant waaaay back in the day. I thought I had prepared so well with my little nuggets of Esther knowledge, and the first thing I said when we sat down was how my dad had introduced me to the music of Kinky Friedman when I was in high school, and how fun it was that she was the agent for his novels and I might get to work with him. She said, “Charming. He fired me yesterday.”
Oopsie.
I recovered and tried again to connect: knowing she was a big Red Sox fan, I gestured to a piece of signed memorabilia on her wall and said something about growing up in Maine and being a lifelong Sox fan, and knowing how hard it was to exist in Yankees territory. She responded with, “Ah, I see you did your research. Did you know that my father died at a Sox-Yankees game?”
All of which is to say, I also did not get an offer from ICM on my first try 😂
Hi Courtney, thank you for this opportunity! I just got my first full request today (yay!) I know there’s a low chance I’ll get an offer, but thinking ahead, just in case: I’m wondering how to assess whether an agent is a good fit. Assuming you only get one offer of representation after dozens of rejections, do you jump on it, no matter who the agent is? Or do you hold out for a “dream” agent even if that seems unlikely?
Thank you, that’s very helpful! I already have a copy of Before and After the Book Deal (it’s awesome) so I’ll refresh my memory on that chapter for more info
That's exciting news! So this is a big question-- there is a whole chapter devoted to it in my actual book, "Before and After the Book Deal." With agent fit, most people fall for the first person who makes an offer-- that can be a mistake. If the agent is only flattering and thinks the book is basically ready for submission-- those are red flags. Generally you want an agent who can push you to make the book the best that it can be. You'll also want a sense of their communication style and if it fits yours. Like, if getting a response back to an email promptly is important to you, or if you are a die hard texter-- you want to make sure that you're a good match in the communication department. And they'll need a clear path forward on how to sell your book. (And you are free to ask them how they imagine positioning it, what houses they might send it to, etc.)You can reach out to one of their writer or writers (discretely) and inquire about their experiences with the agent. I recommend you read the chapter in my own book on this because lots and lots and lots of other writers weigh in there! Personally, I'm on my third agent- it can take time to find the perfect fit. https://books.catapult.co/books/before-and-after-the-book-deal/
Hi Courtney! I’m so grateful you’re doing this, especially because I’m just starting to query my debut literary novel. I'm wondering: at what point do you recommend pausing on queries to revise the manuscript? I queried a small batch of agents in early December and got one full manuscript request that turned into a pass with some notes, one request for a partial I haven’t heard back on, and one form rejection. The rest of the agents haven’t responded to the query (at least not yet... mostly their websites say 4-6 weeks, or 6-8 weeks, which it now has been). I'm thrilled some agents were interested, but I'm also feeling a bit stuck on how to proceed. Is it time to start revising again? Is it too soon to dive back in after just one agent's notes? The novel has been highly workshopped and revised over the course of many years, so it's not a first draft or anything. Thank you for your wisdom!
Sounds like you have good momentum so don't rush! Generally, if I get to 18 rejections, I'll take a bird's eye view on what's not working and choose a game plan for revision. December is "just yesterday" in terms of book publishing. I would wait until the beginning of March and see where things stand then. Good luck! Keep the faith ;)
Ok... just got your email in Australia. I haven't started writing a query letter. But I'm wondering if I ought to approach agents in the US? I've submitted the 97,000 wd novel to 2 local competitions including one run by Penguin. I am pasting here its cover letter that I will use to flesh out a query... maybe expanding the summary? I hope this is the 'right' kind of question for what you are offering... and thank you immensely for your time.
Genre: Literary, Future, Dystopian
1) SYNOPSIS
Angel, a factory owner on subEarth, grapples with the omnipresent control of the Global Brain (G-brain) while complex family dynamics and personal traumas play out. Her sister Vivi, is married to Angel's terminally ill ex-husband Ramon, raises Angel's children, adding layers of tension and unresolved issues.
Angel's life spirals out of control when the G-brain orders a court case to reclaim the land her factory occupies. As she seeks help from her estranged family and encounters various allies and adversaries, including the enigmatic Tattooed Girl and the leader of the Anarchists, Reaper, Angel's mental state deteriorates, leading to episodes of fragmentation and hallucination. Throughout her journey, Angel confronts her traumatic past, including a childhood under the tutelage of the sinister juju-man, and manipulations of the G-brain. Her quest for stability and autonomy is further complicated by her relationships with her robot 'son' George, her biological children, and Reaper.
As Angel is drawn deeper into the resistance against the G-brain, she faces moral and existential dilemmas, ultimately leading her to a memory restoration process that brings painful truths and reshapes her identity. Her struggle culminates in a journey to the University of her early years and a confrontation with the Reaper, where she seeks to reclaim her fragmented self and redefine her purpose. In the end, Angel's journey is one of self-discovery, resilience, and the quest for freedom in a world where control is in constant flux. Her story is a poignant exploration of identity, memory, and the enduring human spirit.
2) Summary:
In a surreal, dystopian future, Angel, a factory owner on subEarth, grapples with the omnipresent control of a Global Brain. Her story is a poignant exploration of the enduring human spirit.
Author Bio
.... lives in Byron shire, NSW, where she writes, and also works in the practice of Chinese Medicine in a Classical oral lineage that began in 200CE.
Publications
Her fiction has appeared in several Best Australian Short Stories editions. She has been published in The Boston Review, Agni, and various other journals. She has also won or been short-listed for major awards.
Hi! This isn't the format for me to evaluate whether or not a project is appropriate for the US market, but if you want to be US ready-- you'll have to show that you have some deep ties to the literary establishment here, connection to movers and shakers, press and media in order to attract US attention. If you don't already have it, the book I named this Substack for will give a perfect overview of what the US market is like. Good luck! https://books.catapult.co/books/before-and-after-the-book-deal/
You’ve given me so much hope! I am reassured that my first queries and pages have been forgotten and won’t be held against me. Thank you for sharing your early days story!
First, thank you for this newsletter and the opportunity to ask some questions! I really appreciate all that you do for the writing community (and as a perimenopausal woman/mom going through the $h¡t, I loved Year of the Horses--so thanks for that, too).
Now onto business...
1) Is there a waiting list for a Query + First Chapter review? If so, I'd like to be on it ASAP. If not, any idea when you'll open up again for coaching?
2) I have a full proposal done for my outward-facing memoir, including a full first chapter. It seems most agents don't ask for more than that initially. Can I start querying or should I finish more chapters just to have them on-hand in case they ask?
3) I've published articles in some splashy venues but for the last year or so I've been strictly working on my proposal. Should I try to get a more recent byline right before querying... would that help or not make no difference?
4) Do you suggest querying in batches, and maybe starting with some mid-levels before going for my dream agents in order to test the responses?
5) I really want to know the answer to number 1. If I could just get you on retainer, I'd feel much safer in the world 😂
Hi Stevie! I'm not currently open to consults-- check with me end of February? I'd requested people only ask one question here so, real quick: 2) yes prepare extra chapters while you are waiting during querying. It takes people so long to respond you can start working on those chapter while you're waiting to hear back most likely. 3) It would certainly help to have some more splashy bylines or proof (via speaking gigs, podcast appearances) that whatever you are writing about is resonating. 4) yes-- I've written about this at length (querying in batches). If you look at the January querying intensive posts there are links to all my recaps 5) Maybe you should apply to Turning Points this year! https://www.courtneymaum.com/writing-retreats
Between "smashing" and the comma outside the quotation marks, maybe she just thought you were English? I just spent the last week downloading all my 2005 fb photos before I delete my account, so now I, too, want to die. But I respect you that much more for being able to turn your 2005 Internet regrets into a teaching lesson!
Is there a word count on queries we should aim for? I've read 300-400 words is what to aim for; my current draft's 435. Still working on whittling, but appreciate any insight you have.
For queries, I always think in terms of paragraph-- 4 paragraphs ideal, 5 paragraphs max. Which seems like it would work out to the word count you have currently-- I wouldn't sweat it if you can't get it down too much more. Good luck out there! And yes, I'll assume that Binky thought I was British-- that might help me swallow it LOL
Just writing to say reading the comments has been super helpful!! Not at a stage to query yet but will be bookmarking this and all the helpful links you included!
I’m so glad you find the comments helpful! Thank you for reading.
Hello Courtney! Glad to be back. The series on query letters is helpful and insightful, well worth the review. Of course I'm tempted to copy and paste my recent one and ask for your review on that, but then read more of the comments and realized that would not work for you. If you do accept that separately, please let me know as I would value your input. I think I'm covering the essentials, but always think I'm writing more than I should and expecting that one breakthrough. Had some help on this back in 2023 and actually got a manuscript request, with a polite reply months later that they could not go forward with the volume of "worthy submissions like yours", having to limit choice. My question is this: should the query letter include the bio reference and current status or reserve that for an addendum to the query (which is what I read from another source)? The rest of the criteria you outline I cover, given the limits on keeping the letter to a single page whatever that means digitally - but it seems like TMI stretching into two printed pages to get all of this addressed. And I know the hook is most important to go with the summary. I like your encouragement on using comp titles as well, as my first query used but cut out as perhaps sounding too pretentious. Going crazy with it all, "after all these years", but certainly hoping to follow through this year with a successful outcome, putting your good advice into play.
Hi there! I'm not sure I understand your question. ("should the query letter include the bio reference and current status or reserve that for an addendum to the query.") What do you mean by "bio reference"? (The query should include your bio.) And what do you mean about the current status-- like the status of the manuscript, which is that you are querying? That would be implied by the act of querying itself. If you're talking about referencing that you got a manuscript request, no, you wouldn't reference that. I do not recommend sending addendums to query letters. The query letter should be 5 paragraphs max-- 4 would be even better. Good luck out there!
Hi Courtney,
Quick question about ALLLLLL the agents. How do you know who is legit? Aside from the list of agents I'm compiling from the acknowledgments in books that I believe may be a good fit, where do I start? I've signed up on Querytracker and love that I can search by who is looking for what, but who are these people? Within the industry is there any list that publishers would readily think, "I'll always listen to a pitch from XYZ agencies?" Like, is there a big five (or ten or one hundred) list of agents/agencies?
All I know is music publishing, and there seem to be a lot of parallels in book publishing, but I am still trying to learn the players!
Thanks for all the helpful query posts!!!
Courtney
I totally understand how baffling this can all feel when you are coming at it as an outsider. Checking the agents who represent authors you admire, and authors you are using for your comp titles, is a great place to start. Next, you'll want to look how long an agent has been working as an agent (lots of agents start off as assistants to a more established agent, so don't get thrown by that) and most importantly-- who do they represent? Do they have authors who are actively publishing, touring, engaging with the world or do they have a bunch of people who haven't done anything for decades? Their track record = their legitimacy. If you don't have it already, I think you'd benefit from my guidebook to the industry, the one this publication is named for. Good luck out there! https://books.catapult.co/books/before-and-after-the-book-deal/
THANK YOU! I listened to the entire audio book of "Before and After the Book Deal" last year, but it's definitely time for a refresher... and possibly might do me good to have a physical copy to bookmark! REALLY APPRECIATE all your insight!
I also wanted to add that the MSWL has a great compendium of agent names according to category that you write in. I went through everyone listed there in my genre, looked at their websites (sometimes more) and then decided who to pitch based on whether or not I thought they would be a good fit. My litmus test was if I could write a good personalization or not. To date, I've only sent out 12 queries, but it's no surprise that the one fast rejection that came my way was from someone whose information I really didn't connect with (and thus, whose personalization I felt limited in writing).
Fantastic idea!!! I just discovered MSWL and their upcoming wish list day on Bluesky. Will try out your method! Really appreciate the tip!
No questions, but I just wanted to say thanks so much for sharing the query email and the response!
At your service! Thank you, Wendy ;)
Hi Courtney, I paid for agent query meetings at a publishing conference (query letter + 5 pages). While the agents asked to see more pages, they both then ghosted me. Do you think pay-to-play meetings like this are a waste of money, or is there value in guaranteeing eyes on your query? Thank you!
RESIST.
Gosh that is terrible behavior. (On the part of the agents, not you!) Responding only for myself, I don't think there is trustworthy value in pay-to-play meetings, frankly. While agents certainly attend prestigious conferences like Bread Loaf with the hopes of actually meeting people whose work they want to represent, when money gets involved, to my mind, it's a bit shady. I think it's different if you pay for an entire weekend or something and the sit-down meetings are included in the entire conference fee, but I've always found that you pay and end up with like 10 minutes with someone who was out late with colleagues the night before and is half-listening and kind of phoning it in, you know? I mean, when I occasionally review people's query letters, I won't do a meeting that is any less than an hour. You need time to get to know the person, hear about their ambitions beyond the current book-- really put the work in to make the meeting meaningful and I've just never personally see that level of dedication happen at conferences with pay-to-play options. I might be being a Negative Nelly here though so if anyone reading this had a positive experience in this kind of situation, let us know. It's just like-- if you got ghosted from an agent you hadn't paid, you'd be like-- hmm, okay, I guess they didn't like it, but the fact that there was money exchanged would certainly make me feel like the agent was beholden to give me personalized feedback so the whole thing just gets icky! I'm sorry for you. How incredibly frustrating!
Thank you for replying! I got an email today about another conference with pay-to-play appointments, and I am RESISTING THE URGE to throw money at the problem. Thanks again!
Thank you for this opportunity! I hope this is a reasonable ask. This is the summary of my novel, COMMITTED, in the current (six millionth) version of my query, and I'd love your feedback on it. In particular, how is my use of comps?
Like Marian Graves in Great Circle (Maggie Shipstead) and Martha Ballard in The Frozen River (Ariel Lawhon), Anna Dickinson is a formidable woman forging her unique path in a man's world. During the American Civil War, her outspoken views on racial and gender equality are both admired and despised — ditto her unladylike habit of wearing trousers and her passion for mountaineering.
When Anna’s own sister has her committed to an asylum scarier than the one in Night Watch (Jayne Anne Phillips), she must prove her sanity to the doctor in charge and subdue her bold, rebellious nature to dress, behave — and believe — as a proper young lady should. Although she’s willing to pretend piety, Anna remains committed to her radical views on equality, and refuses to recant them. When she’s caught kissing her secret lover, not only is her freedom and career at stake, but also control over her own body. She must escape before the surgeon’s scalpel ‘cures’ her forever.
Hi Zena. I am hoping to answer questions about querying, not review people's actual queries (so please, anyone reading this-- stick to guidelines and do not ask me to review your query material). Big picture though, this summary leaves me wondering 1) Why did Anna's sister commit her (are there stakes there? psychological wounds) and 2) you might considering making it clear what is the most important issue for Anna-- racial equality? Freedom of sexuality? Because right now she is fighting a lot of fights for many different things. Is the secret lover a woman? What is Anna's career? This sounds like a super interesting story but the summary brings up a few too many questions is my feeling. For comps, you want to offset them with " " or italics. Good luck out there!
I’m sorry! Thank you for responding even though I (unintentionally) broke the rules 😞 I appreciate it. Your feedback is very helpful.
No worries at all, Zena!
A few beta readers have comped my book to comedy memoirs (there’s lots about messy momming) and I’m wondering if these are cool to mention as a comp for my upmarket fiction book - like still mention 1-2 fiction comps and also say “it’s like a fictional take on <memoir title>”? Or should I purely stick to fiction comps?
You can go out of genre! Just be specific as to why, for example, "with the self-flagellation of title X and the..." or "With the sardonic wit of Title X and the pacing of (novel) Title Y"...make sense?
Makes sense, thank you!!
Hi Courtney! Thank you for doing this — your book, your querying class last spring, and your newsletter have been SO helpful.
For context: I’m just starting to query my 99K upmarket historical novel. A while back, I found an agency I really resonated with and had a good gut feeling about. One agent deals almost exclusively in historical (and their wishlist seems like a match) and two other agents also sound like they could be good fits. This agency lets you query more than one of their agents at once, so I may start with my top pick or query all three at once (not sure yet).
I discovered that a bestselling author who taught a week-long workshop I attended back in 2023 is repped by another agent at this same agency. (Coincidentally she was actually the person who recommended I read Before and After the Book Deal!) She read my first 40 pages and gave me really great, positive feedback. I’m in contact with her and she even sent me her query letter as an example a few months ago.
My question is — would it be acceptable or overstepping to ask her for a referral, given that she’s not repped by the agent(s) I want to query and that she only read part of my manuscript a year and a half ago? I’m not sure about referral etiquette and how to proceed. Do you have any advice?
Thank you!
That's a promising connection. Sounds like you have a good relationship so you could certainly say-- hey, I'm thinking of sending my material to this agent(s) at the agency you're represented at. Do you have a point of view on any of these agents? Have you met them?" Normally, that should be enough of a window that if she wants to offer making a connection, she will. If she doesn't offer, ask if you can disclose that she's been a beta reader for you to the agency-- as they'll appreciate that you have a good relationship with one of their clients.
Your Binky story reminds me of my Esther Newberg story… I interviewed to be her assistant waaaay back in the day. I thought I had prepared so well with my little nuggets of Esther knowledge, and the first thing I said when we sat down was how my dad had introduced me to the music of Kinky Friedman when I was in high school, and how fun it was that she was the agent for his novels and I might get to work with him. She said, “Charming. He fired me yesterday.”
Oopsie.
I recovered and tried again to connect: knowing she was a big Red Sox fan, I gestured to a piece of signed memorabilia on her wall and said something about growing up in Maine and being a lifelong Sox fan, and knowing how hard it was to exist in Yankees territory. She responded with, “Ah, I see you did your research. Did you know that my father died at a Sox-Yankees game?”
All of which is to say, I also did not get an offer from ICM on my first try 😂
MORE PLEASE.
Hi Courtney, thank you for this opportunity! I just got my first full request today (yay!) I know there’s a low chance I’ll get an offer, but thinking ahead, just in case: I’m wondering how to assess whether an agent is a good fit. Assuming you only get one offer of representation after dozens of rejections, do you jump on it, no matter who the agent is? Or do you hold out for a “dream” agent even if that seems unlikely?
Thank you, that’s very helpful! I already have a copy of Before and After the Book Deal (it’s awesome) so I’ll refresh my memory on that chapter for more info
Thank you! And good luck out there.
That's exciting news! So this is a big question-- there is a whole chapter devoted to it in my actual book, "Before and After the Book Deal." With agent fit, most people fall for the first person who makes an offer-- that can be a mistake. If the agent is only flattering and thinks the book is basically ready for submission-- those are red flags. Generally you want an agent who can push you to make the book the best that it can be. You'll also want a sense of their communication style and if it fits yours. Like, if getting a response back to an email promptly is important to you, or if you are a die hard texter-- you want to make sure that you're a good match in the communication department. And they'll need a clear path forward on how to sell your book. (And you are free to ask them how they imagine positioning it, what houses they might send it to, etc.)You can reach out to one of their writer or writers (discretely) and inquire about their experiences with the agent. I recommend you read the chapter in my own book on this because lots and lots and lots of other writers weigh in there! Personally, I'm on my third agent- it can take time to find the perfect fit. https://books.catapult.co/books/before-and-after-the-book-deal/
Hi Courtney! I’m so grateful you’re doing this, especially because I’m just starting to query my debut literary novel. I'm wondering: at what point do you recommend pausing on queries to revise the manuscript? I queried a small batch of agents in early December and got one full manuscript request that turned into a pass with some notes, one request for a partial I haven’t heard back on, and one form rejection. The rest of the agents haven’t responded to the query (at least not yet... mostly their websites say 4-6 weeks, or 6-8 weeks, which it now has been). I'm thrilled some agents were interested, but I'm also feeling a bit stuck on how to proceed. Is it time to start revising again? Is it too soon to dive back in after just one agent's notes? The novel has been highly workshopped and revised over the course of many years, so it's not a first draft or anything. Thank you for your wisdom!
Sounds like you have good momentum so don't rush! Generally, if I get to 18 rejections, I'll take a bird's eye view on what's not working and choose a game plan for revision. December is "just yesterday" in terms of book publishing. I would wait until the beginning of March and see where things stand then. Good luck! Keep the faith ;)
Ok... just got your email in Australia. I haven't started writing a query letter. But I'm wondering if I ought to approach agents in the US? I've submitted the 97,000 wd novel to 2 local competitions including one run by Penguin. I am pasting here its cover letter that I will use to flesh out a query... maybe expanding the summary? I hope this is the 'right' kind of question for what you are offering... and thank you immensely for your time.
Genre: Literary, Future, Dystopian
1) SYNOPSIS
Angel, a factory owner on subEarth, grapples with the omnipresent control of the Global Brain (G-brain) while complex family dynamics and personal traumas play out. Her sister Vivi, is married to Angel's terminally ill ex-husband Ramon, raises Angel's children, adding layers of tension and unresolved issues.
Angel's life spirals out of control when the G-brain orders a court case to reclaim the land her factory occupies. As she seeks help from her estranged family and encounters various allies and adversaries, including the enigmatic Tattooed Girl and the leader of the Anarchists, Reaper, Angel's mental state deteriorates, leading to episodes of fragmentation and hallucination. Throughout her journey, Angel confronts her traumatic past, including a childhood under the tutelage of the sinister juju-man, and manipulations of the G-brain. Her quest for stability and autonomy is further complicated by her relationships with her robot 'son' George, her biological children, and Reaper.
As Angel is drawn deeper into the resistance against the G-brain, she faces moral and existential dilemmas, ultimately leading her to a memory restoration process that brings painful truths and reshapes her identity. Her struggle culminates in a journey to the University of her early years and a confrontation with the Reaper, where she seeks to reclaim her fragmented self and redefine her purpose. In the end, Angel's journey is one of self-discovery, resilience, and the quest for freedom in a world where control is in constant flux. Her story is a poignant exploration of identity, memory, and the enduring human spirit.
2) Summary:
In a surreal, dystopian future, Angel, a factory owner on subEarth, grapples with the omnipresent control of a Global Brain. Her story is a poignant exploration of the enduring human spirit.
Author Bio
.... lives in Byron shire, NSW, where she writes, and also works in the practice of Chinese Medicine in a Classical oral lineage that began in 200CE.
Publications
Her fiction has appeared in several Best Australian Short Stories editions. She has been published in The Boston Review, Agni, and various other journals. She has also won or been short-listed for major awards.
Hi! This isn't the format for me to evaluate whether or not a project is appropriate for the US market, but if you want to be US ready-- you'll have to show that you have some deep ties to the literary establishment here, connection to movers and shakers, press and media in order to attract US attention. If you don't already have it, the book I named this Substack for will give a perfect overview of what the US market is like. Good luck! https://books.catapult.co/books/before-and-after-the-book-deal/
Oh thanks... that was a succinct direction, and I'll check out the book
You’ve given me so much hope! I am reassured that my first queries and pages have been forgotten and won’t be held against me. Thank you for sharing your early days story!
Oh good! I'm so glad that my mortifying example was for a good cause!
No question atm, but thanks for doing this. It’s an excellent resource.
Thank you, Tom!
Hey Courtney,
First, thank you for this newsletter and the opportunity to ask some questions! I really appreciate all that you do for the writing community (and as a perimenopausal woman/mom going through the $h¡t, I loved Year of the Horses--so thanks for that, too).
Now onto business...
1) Is there a waiting list for a Query + First Chapter review? If so, I'd like to be on it ASAP. If not, any idea when you'll open up again for coaching?
2) I have a full proposal done for my outward-facing memoir, including a full first chapter. It seems most agents don't ask for more than that initially. Can I start querying or should I finish more chapters just to have them on-hand in case they ask?
3) I've published articles in some splashy venues but for the last year or so I've been strictly working on my proposal. Should I try to get a more recent byline right before querying... would that help or not make no difference?
4) Do you suggest querying in batches, and maybe starting with some mid-levels before going for my dream agents in order to test the responses?
5) I really want to know the answer to number 1. If I could just get you on retainer, I'd feel much safer in the world 😂
Smashingly,
Stevie
Hi Stevie! I'm not currently open to consults-- check with me end of February? I'd requested people only ask one question here so, real quick: 2) yes prepare extra chapters while you are waiting during querying. It takes people so long to respond you can start working on those chapter while you're waiting to hear back most likely. 3) It would certainly help to have some more splashy bylines or proof (via speaking gigs, podcast appearances) that whatever you are writing about is resonating. 4) yes-- I've written about this at length (querying in batches). If you look at the January querying intensive posts there are links to all my recaps 5) Maybe you should apply to Turning Points this year! https://www.courtneymaum.com/writing-retreats
Thank you!!!
Between "smashing" and the comma outside the quotation marks, maybe she just thought you were English? I just spent the last week downloading all my 2005 fb photos before I delete my account, so now I, too, want to die. But I respect you that much more for being able to turn your 2005 Internet regrets into a teaching lesson!
Is there a word count on queries we should aim for? I've read 300-400 words is what to aim for; my current draft's 435. Still working on whittling, but appreciate any insight you have.
For queries, I always think in terms of paragraph-- 4 paragraphs ideal, 5 paragraphs max. Which seems like it would work out to the word count you have currently-- I wouldn't sweat it if you can't get it down too much more. Good luck out there! And yes, I'll assume that Binky thought I was British-- that might help me swallow it LOL