Question: Am I ready to query?

[SarahC]

Hi all,

So. Here I am - over 2 years later. My WIP has been rewritten completely from scratch once, gone through approx. 84 (million) rounds of editing, 2 rounds of beta reading both on here and in real life, further editing. I have a query letter drafted (draft 57 or thereabouts), a 1-page synopsis, a logline, a pitch. I've researched agents, I have an agent spreadsheet.

But...am I ready?

How can you ever know if it's good enough? I'm afraid of wasting my query, but don't know what more I can feasibly do. Am I emotionally ready for all the rejections??

 

[Brooke]

you never really know when you're ready-- probably because you never are ready, and you never will be. no notification box will pop up saying "MS complete, time to query!"
it's up to you to just take the leap and send it. don't worry about if it's "ready" or not-- "ready" isn't a thing. it's just there, and you may or may not send it soon, and it may or may not get a good response. everyone will get rejections, that's a fact of life. the question isn't whether you're emotionally stable, it's how many hits you can take before you're not.
i say go for it.

 

[Jake E]

you never really know when you're ready-- probably because you never are ready, and you never will be. no notification box will pop up saying "MS complete, time to query!"
it's up to you to just take the leap and send it. don't worry about if it's "ready" or not-- "ready" isn't a thing. it's just there, and you may or may not send it soon, and it may or may not get a good response. everyone will get rejections, that's a fact of life. the question isn't whether you're emotionally stable, it's how many hits you can take before you're not.
i say go for it.

Put it this way. I've read some bloody terrible books in my time in earth. If they got published, there's always a chance that one of ours will too.

 

[SarahC]

Put it this way. I've read some bloody terrible books in my time in earth. If they got published, there's always a chance that one of ours will too.

This is very true. I always wonder about that myself. I picked a recently published book up from the library the other day that was genuinely unreadable, truly, objectively terrible writing. Must go back and find out who the agent/publisher was

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Sounds to me like you’ve done all the work you need to, and it’s time to jump.

Remind yourself how many rejections JK Rowling got (as well as many others). So if you get them, you are in good company.

And always remember this: receiving a ‘no thank you’ for some words you wrote is not a rejection of you. Your work won’t please everybody, all the time, so finding the right agent/publisher at the right time is also a matter of luck.

And then just crack on with writing the next one.
Xxxxxxxxx

 

[Hannah F]

If you don't try you'll never know.

 

[SarahC]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to send off a batch later on. I feel like I need to get it out of the way so I can focus on my next MS, which I've already started, but can't give my whole attention to until I draw a line under this one. This whole process has been such an amazing learning experience - onto the next!

 

[RK Wallis]

You never know if you have the secret ingredient until you try...

 

[E G Logan]

Must go back and find out who the agent/publisher was

S/he has probably realised that person was a mistake by now, and is trying to disentangle tactfully...!

Seriously, though. My tuppence-worth – I started sending my 3 chapters out too early, with a BAD letter (nonetheless based on agent advice...), got nowhere and 'burned' several good agents.

You never get two chances to make a good first impression.

So, although you sound vastly more 'ready' than I was, if you are a bit uncertain, I'd aim for just a handful to start with, maybe from the bottom of the list rather than than the 'top-rankers'.

And brace yourself. Not for the rejections, but for those s****y people who can't summon the effort to generate an automatic 'Sorry, No' email. There will be some of those: don't wait. It's soul-destroying. If someone hasn't replied in 10 weeks – certainly in 12 – they are very unlikely to do so.

And even if they suggest on their website that you should remind them after 10/12 weeks, they won't do anything, say anything, if you do. (I could name names, but I won't.)

Deep breath, move on. Time to choose the next handful.

 

[Barbara]

And remember: you can always give the book a new title and give yourself a new name, and try the same agents again in a year's time. They won't remember you. No need to even bother with a stick on moustache.

 

[Jonny]

Sounds to me like you're more than ready. Go get 'em.

Comes a time when you need to jump. All best wishes for a soft landing.

 

[PCFrontier]

Good luck Sarah, I hope you are successful with your book.
Best wishes
Paul

 

[E G Logan]

you can always give the book a new title and give yourself a new name, and try the same agents again in a year's time.

I always felt I should be completely honest when I re-submitted my ms., explaining it had been considerably revised (as it had) since they'd seen it before. Mistake, maybe.
I did go for the Fay Weldon choice: new author name, new title, though. Just in case it could slide through any checks.

However, many/most agencies do keep records, though I suppose it's down to the agent whether they are consulted. Many also have a policy that once rejected, unless the agent asks for a re-submit, it's for ever.
That one is why I suggest you don't hit the top ranking agents until you are totally prepared – maybe tried and tested a little – and ready to sock it to them.

 

[David McGuire]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to send off a batch later on. I feel like I need to get it out of the way so I can focus on my next MS, which I've already started, but can't give my whole attention to until I draw a line under this one. This whole process has been such an amazing learning experience - onto the next!

Hi Sarah

I'm having no luck with agents yet, so I probably can't offer much constructive advice... except that batching sounds like a very sensible idea. This way you can test response without burning all your bridges if you decide to revise your query later.

All the very best. Having people reject/ignore your baby is brutal, but you need to remember that a lot is about finding the right fit rather than quality. You just need someone to believe.