My query-ious journey
It was precarious at times, but I ventured through and now know more about writing queries for novels than I ever thought I would
Writing a novel took years filled with learning and practicing the craft. I attended workshops, online writing courses, and read through many craft books by esteemed authors. I participated in a manuscript review, shared my pages with other authors and beta readers all to become a better writer. Once I felt my manuscript was ready to be launched out into the world of readers, I had to learn an entirely different skill—how to get it published.
The publishing world is ever changing and I’ve found it full of unspoken rules and unfamiliar nuances. The first step is to decide how you want your work to be published. The choices today are self-published, hybrid published, and traditionally published either through a small press or one of the “big guys.” To reach the “big guys” (such as Penguin or Random House, etc.) you have to have an agent. Most books on the shelves of stores are published by the “big guys.” To get an agent, you have to send a query letter (which is actually an email). The query letter has to contain a log line, brief synopsis with a hook, comparative titles, an interesting but-not-too-long bio—all under 350 words. See what I mean?
Writing a query letter takes a completely different set of skills than writing a novel. So, I did what I know best, I took several workshops, read articles, listened to writer podcasts, and attended online classes. I rewrote my query letter thousands of times. I researched different agents, looking for ones that were accepting queries and that were looking for historical fiction stories. I attended conferences, both in person and online to pitch my story to agents and created a spreadsheet to track it all (the accountant in me didn’t go away completely!). I spent over eight months querying agents and got rejected or worse, never heard back from many of them.
The querying stage of getting any writing published is not for the weak-hearted or thin-skinned. I received a few responses from agents who wanted to read more pages but then it was “crickets” or rejections. Again and again. It took a toll on my self-esteem and I almost gave up.
And I’m not alone in this humbling, frustrating process. I spoke with many fellow writers who experienced the same treatment. I know one writer friend who has been querying agents for years! And I read of another who received 101 rejections before finally landing an agent. As with any business, the agent world works easiest for those who have connections or networks—being an unknown, unpublished debut author worked against me.
After months of canned rejection letters from agents, I took some time to rethink my dream of being a published author. Did I really want my book published by one of the “big guys?” I just wanted to see my book in print and wanted to share this story with others. So, I shifted my goals and started researching small publishers. I wasn’t going to let all these rejections make me give up on my dream. Most small presses will take queries directly from an author, they don’t require an agent. I built a spreadsheet of potential publishers from my research and writer friends’ recommendations. I gave myself another pep talk about achieving my dream and started sending query letters again, this time directly to small publishers.
I heard back from every one of them, which was refreshing. Yes, I received rejections, but they responded and their responses were more personal which took the sting away some. In my limited experience, small publishers are more professional and respectful than agents. I still don’t understand why agents are not expected to reply in the current publishing industry. I understand that they may receive thousands of queries, but how hard is it to send a reply email, canned or not?
Anyways, the day I received my first acceptance from a small publisher, I ran around inside my house in excitement. I called my kids, breathless with euphoria! My fingers shook as I typed my reply that I’d love to set up a Zoom call to discuss options. Then two days later, I received another acceptance! And I ran around again, jumping for joy! It wasn’t only my manuscript that was being accepted, it was me!
I met with both publishers, weighed their options, examined both contracts with writer friends, made pros/cons lists and researched both online. The first offer, with Sibylline Press, was for a digital release, with optional print books. The second offer, with Orange Hat Publishing, was a hybrid offer (which means the author chips in towards the publishing costs). Neither was one hundred percent what I wanted but both were appealing in different ways. Should I wait for the perfect offer or should I accept one of these? I asked friends and family for their advice. I lost sleep thinking it all over. It seemed like such a big decision.
But then, after a good long hike, I concluded that I was making it a bigger decision than it was. I went back to my core dream—getting my book published so others could read it and holding my book in my hands. I will write more books. I was ready to start on the publishing journey with this one. I didn’t need to query more seeking the elusive “perfect offer.” So, I signed with Sibylline Press Digital First and haven’t looked back! I’m still in the midst of the publishing ride, so will have to write a blog later about it!
The querying process taught me that I was more resilient and stubborn than I had realized. I had to persevere despite the rejections. Yes, I had days where I got frustrated and mad that so many agents didn’t want to represent my story, but then I’d read parts of it again or talk with my writer’s critique group, dust off my keyboard and send out more queries. For those of you who may be starting this journey as a writer—know that you have to be vulnerable and persistent at the same time! I learned that being prepared for the query process was just as important as having a well-written manuscript!
Have you gone after something and had to “shift gears” in the middle? Or have you pursued something, only to be rejected over and over? I’d love to hear what you’ve learned from similar experiences!
~Stay curious and persevere!
Melora Fern
You can pre order my novel (that came out of this querying process!) now! See the different options to pre order here
This was also published on my blog at melorafern.com