Craft Chat Submitting to agents

[RK Wallis]

it’s difficult to know when to move on.

It gets easier, I promise : ) you just know.

 

[Aethalope]

The whole Royal Road, Inkitt, Webnovel brigade is increasingly becoming a predatory minefield. There was a recent hoo-ha on RR with a publisher called Shadowlight Press snapping up authors and plying them with contracts that included clauses like:

An irrevocable 10-year grant of rights that demands every right in existence and renews to infinity
(source: Writers Beware)

Writers post their stuff for fun. Stuff gets popular and the publishers come knocking. Without someone whose job it is to know these things (e.g. an agent), it's difficult to identify predators.

 

[LJ Beck]

Thanks for starting this thread @Lakeland Waffler . I was thinking it would be good to have a thread that's encouraging and supportive for those who are submitting. I'm about to wade into that lake in the next week or two, and am girding my loins for the experience. haha. Pain shared is halved or something, right?

My "plan" is to query 5 agents (or publishers who take unsolicited queries) per week for the next 6 months. 125 queries. Playing the numbers rather than feeling like every query is a nail-bitter. While I'm querying, I'll work on my next book.

I was tossed around in the screenwriting tumble-dryer for a long time, so that toughened me up somewhat. I learned to be okay with rejections and I consider a no-reply a rejection. Separating myself (my identity and my worth) from my stories and their worth helps. The rejection is for the story, not me. Some stories don't hit the mark, other stories do. And even when they do, they won't with everyone. It's the way of things. Let's see what I say about that when I'm 50 rejections in. haha.

I'd love to hear resources others are using for the query game. Other than Litopia of course! I've just signed up for Authors Publish Magazine - thanks for the rec!! Here's some of mine:

https://duotrope.com/ - this one is great. It is $80/year NZD (I don't know what it is in other currency) I have collected a list of 100 targeted agents to query from this newsletter alone. They send a weekly update that covers the latest changes in publications (paying and non paying) agent listings added and agents that are now open (and closed) to queries and a bunch more info like upcoming deadlines of various things. The newsletter links all the names to their site where you can get details. For agents, it gives their bio, website, and wish list stuffs. Very well done.

QueryTracker - of course. Which is free. This has various searches to get a targeted list and track queries if you want.

Jane Friedman's publishing newsletter. She has a free version that I get that's very interesting.

The Bottom Line: Jane's publishing industry newsletter | Jane Friedman

Become a subscriber today or purchase a gift subscription There is also a free version—upgrade later if you're not sure if this newsletter is right for

janefriedman.com

I've taken webinars from Jane's site (queries and synopsis with Jessica Strawser and one on author websites with Jane) and they've all been excellent.

Speaking of author websites... do you have one?

 

[RK Wallis]

Apparently Publishers Marketplace is the bee-all-and-end-all of the US market, but it costs, and I already pay for Querytracker (which I love because the paid version offers stats which helps me who to query and who might respond - I can manage my expectations). For me, the pension only goes so far.

I follow here on YouTube to find agents and, by watching, find something to make a connection with in that personalisation line Pete bangs on about This is primarily US agents, but here is where I do the same thing for the UK market.

No author website yet, or social media. I want to concentrate on the writing.

 

[LJ Beck]

Apparently Publishers Marketplace is the bee-all-and-end-all of the US market, but it costs, and I already pay for Querytracker (which I love because the paid version offers stats which helps me who to query and who might respond - I can manage my expectations). For me, the pension only goes so far.

I follow here on YouTube to find agents and, by watching, find something to make a connection with in that personalisation line Pete bangs on about This is primarily US agents, but here is where I do the same thing for the UK market.

No author website yet, or social media. I want to concentrate on the writing.

Thanks for those resources!! Fab!

Ah, maybe I pay for Query tracker... ??

 

[RK Wallis]

Thanks for those resources!! Fab!

Ah, maybe I pay for Query tracker... ??

So worth it, and it's affordable. Once a year subscription for under $50. Hell, yeah! It took me a few of my books to really get the hang of how I can use it the way I want, but that's because I didn't spend time to learn up front. I just picked it up as I went along.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

When submitting and almost inevitably receiving rejections, it is important to remember there are many reasons for rejection, and also, they haven't a scooby who you are so they are rejecting the submission, not you.

Reasons: a) You didn't follow the submission guidelines - so many people fall by the wayside because of this fact.
b) Your writing craft or story structuring craft is not yet ready for this next step - many will submit too soon or before more experienced eyes have critiqued their work. The work doesn't need to be perfect, but it does need to be at a nearly publishable stage or the agent will see themselves as having too much work to do.
c) you've submitted to an agent who is not interested in your genre/target age group

If you have followed the guidelines and your work is great, and the agent has your type of stuff on their wishlist . . .
d) the agent has an author on their list who they are championing for the same publisher/market space as they would be championing your book. This would result in a conflict of interest for them.
e) despite what their wishlist says, they are presently looking for something very specific and yours isn't it (that goes for judges at competitions too)
f) your work is brilliant, but according to today's predicted trends (ie what will sell in 18 months to 2 years, the average for a publisher acquisition to print) its saleability is a gamble (e.g. Romantasy is getting saturated. The established names will still sell, but it is predicted that it will be more difficult for a debut to break into this market, unless you have a hugely original twist on the genre).
g) your book is way too long. Printing costs. A sure thing like Maggie O'Farrell/ Rebecca Yarros/the latest TikTok influencer sensation can write as thick a book as they like, but an agent/publisher will be wary of the cost when dealing with an unknown author. (Know your target wordcount!)
h) there is nothing in your query that suggests this agent/publisher is not just one from a blanket send-to-all, and/or nothing in the query gives an insight into your personality/why you wrote this book.

There are more reasons. We could add to this list. But the point is, rejections don't necessarily (and often don't) mean poor quality. Believe in your work, keep improving, and keep submitting.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

Finding agents UK: Writers and Artists Yearbook (or children-specific one), the acknowledgements at the end of books you love (will lead you to UK and US agents), word of mouth (ask whenever you get the chance), follow a target agent on social media and check out who they follow or tag in threads.

 

[E G Logan]

follow a target agent

But once you feel sure they are 'the one' for you – and perhaps they are: Good luck – don't be too heart-broken if it's a 'Not right for me at this time' from them. Or, worse, just silence....

 

[Lakeland Waffler]

Ok, so, forgive me, but I have a submission strategy question-

Some of you might have seen that I put my synopsis through the Lab last week. This afternoon I ‘huddled’ my cover letter, with a view to making a fresh round of submissions soon, which is the reason for putting it in this thread.

One point that came up in feedback on the synopsis, was the ending, which does leave things on somewhat of a cliffhanger - my protagonist sees (right at the end) what happened to her brother Scott, who went missing 30 years ago (it’s a time slip mystery).

The feedback was the cliffhanger might be a no no for agents, which I completely get and agree with. However, my intention is that this will be a trilogy and in this book, I answer the ‘what happened’ to Scott, in the next I answer the ‘why’ (to keep him safe) and find him and in the final book, the bigger mystery that connects Scott and his sister to the past is wrapped up.

So my question is - with regards to agents and cliffhangers - am I better off
A) explaining this in my covering letter? (although I fear it will make it quite lengthy)
B) cracking on and writing the next book before submitting, if not the last one too, so I have evidence of the complete plot/arc?
C) self publishing the first book (it should have decent local interest, fingers crossed) whilst cracking on and writing the second then third and if I have some local success, submitting the second book to agents?(I’m not even sure this is a done thing??)
D) rewrite the ending so it’s not a cliffhanger, but I think this is going to add too much, go over my ideal word count for genre and leave it at a point that won’t seem natural to start the next book, if that makes sense
E) some other strategy I haven’t considered?

Anybody else in this same boat???

 

[Sedayne]

F) resolve the cliffhanger in the synopsis but hold the actual drama over for the follow up book
G) have the unanswered cliffhanger in the synopsis with to be continued in the sequel

Self-publishing the first of a trilogy but trying to trad publish the sequels doesn't make sense to me. But I could be wrong.

My own sequel is hinted at in the ending of my synopsis, but only vaguely, and the first book does resolve. Huddle South didn't have a problem with that. Obviously I've no idea what agents think because who does?

The ideal is to have a trilogy where the individual volumes can stand alone too rather than it feeling like one story split into three. The best series do this - leave the reader wanting more but don't leave them unsatisfied. The time lag for publishing sequels is likely a year or more and attention spans are unfortunately short.

 

[Lakeland Waffler]

F) resolve the cliffhanger in the synopsis but hold the actual drama over for the follow up book
G) have the unanswered cliffhanger in the synopsis with to be continued in the sequel

Self-publishing the first of a trilogy but trying to trad publish the sequels doesn't make sense to me. But I could be wrong.

My own sequel is hinted at in the ending of my synopsis, but only vaguely, and the first book does resolve. Huddle South didn't have a problem with that. Obviously I've no idea what agents think because who does?

The ideal is to have a trilogy where the individual volumes can stand alone too rather than it feeling like one story split into three. The best series do this - leave the reader wanting more but don't leave them unsatisfied. The time lag for publishing sequels is likely a year or more and attention spans are unfortunately short.

Thanks Rachel

Thanks for reading my long winded ruminations. That's a great help.

F seems like a great idea. I feel like, yes, I'll be leaving it on a cliffhanger in book 1 but you find out what has happened to him, just not the why, so in that case I felt it would work as a standalone book.

Clare x

 

[Sedayne]

you find out what has happened to him, just not the why,

Yes, that's a brilliant way to resolve the first and hook for the next.