Thank you so much for responding to my question, Erin. I knew going in that querying would be awful, but I didn’t imagine it would be THIS bad. Worst part so far is that my one full request yielded a form rejection. Without feedback, how do I know what was the turn-off? And then my overthinking brain spirals, doubting everything from the title to the comps to if I’ve made some dumb mistake in formatting my pages.
Ugh, I am SO SO sorry. That's especially tough on a full request. My gut would say that it probably just wasn't the agent's cup of tea once they got into it. Your query clearly did it's job though, which is great, so I wouldn't worry about the title comps. It enticed an agent to request more! If you don't snag any more partial/full requests in the coming weeks/months, THEN it may be time to shake up the query a bit.
Also, do NOT worry about formatting mistakes. I promise you that an agent is not going to reject you because of a margin issue or something, not if they love the story. (That said, if you are attaching documents to an email when an agent says to paste things inline, for example, that MIGHT get you rejected, because some agents will filter those right into the trash. So double check guidelines.) But a silly mistake like line breaks or margins and even a few typos? No biggie. TRUST ME.
I'm in the same boat, Liz! And I keep letting each rejection knock my confidence down a peg, which means I'm not sending it out to new agents now as often as I should. It's a deep, dark spiral.
I totally understand this spiral. I have been there myself many times (at this point in my career, it happens often during the sub process, when trying to sell a new book.) I know it's easier said than done, but please, please try not to beat yourself up. <3
I really appreciate this post right now! A great reminder that it's not necessarily that my book is the worst thing ever written. :) My biggest struggle with querying is that I've gotten nearly all form rejections. BUT almost every single agent asks for 25-50 pages along with the query letter when you initially send it, so it's impossible to know if it's the letter or the book itself that's not grabbing them...
Yes, that does make it tough, to know what's not working. You could try getting feedback from some readers. Send a couple the query only. Send another few the pages only. And ask for broad feedback: "Does this entice you? Do you feel curious/invested/etc" Feedback will be telling.
If on the query, they don't feel hooked or inclined to pick up the book, you know your query needs work. Revisit and make sure the hook is strong (premise setup + Why the reader should care). If on the pages, they say they weren't curious/invested enough to want to keep reading, you know it's the opening of your book. As you revise, make sure you focus on making the stakes. What struggle is the hero facing and why should the reader care? (If you answer these questions eventually, but not in those initial sample pages, you have a pacing issue!) Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for responding to my question, Erin. I knew going in that querying would be awful, but I didn’t imagine it would be THIS bad. Worst part so far is that my one full request yielded a form rejection. Without feedback, how do I know what was the turn-off? And then my overthinking brain spirals, doubting everything from the title to the comps to if I’ve made some dumb mistake in formatting my pages.
Ugh, I am SO SO sorry. That's especially tough on a full request. My gut would say that it probably just wasn't the agent's cup of tea once they got into it. Your query clearly did it's job though, which is great, so I wouldn't worry about the title comps. It enticed an agent to request more! If you don't snag any more partial/full requests in the coming weeks/months, THEN it may be time to shake up the query a bit.
Also, do NOT worry about formatting mistakes. I promise you that an agent is not going to reject you because of a margin issue or something, not if they love the story. (That said, if you are attaching documents to an email when an agent says to paste things inline, for example, that MIGHT get you rejected, because some agents will filter those right into the trash. So double check guidelines.) But a silly mistake like line breaks or margins and even a few typos? No biggie. TRUST ME.
I'm in the same boat, Liz! And I keep letting each rejection knock my confidence down a peg, which means I'm not sending it out to new agents now as often as I should. It's a deep, dark spiral.
I totally understand this spiral. I have been there myself many times (at this point in my career, it happens often during the sub process, when trying to sell a new book.) I know it's easier said than done, but please, please try not to beat yourself up. <3
I usually just take a step back for a couple weeks. Makes the query process slower, but more manageable, mentally, for me.
Yeah, same. Every form rejection chips away at my confidence in myself and my work
I really appreciate this post right now! A great reminder that it's not necessarily that my book is the worst thing ever written. :) My biggest struggle with querying is that I've gotten nearly all form rejections. BUT almost every single agent asks for 25-50 pages along with the query letter when you initially send it, so it's impossible to know if it's the letter or the book itself that's not grabbing them...
Yes, that does make it tough, to know what's not working. You could try getting feedback from some readers. Send a couple the query only. Send another few the pages only. And ask for broad feedback: "Does this entice you? Do you feel curious/invested/etc" Feedback will be telling.
If on the query, they don't feel hooked or inclined to pick up the book, you know your query needs work. Revisit and make sure the hook is strong (premise setup + Why the reader should care). If on the pages, they say they weren't curious/invested enough to want to keep reading, you know it's the opening of your book. As you revise, make sure you focus on making the stakes. What struggle is the hero facing and why should the reader care? (If you answer these questions eventually, but not in those initial sample pages, you have a pacing issue!) Hope that helps!
Fabulous advice, as always! Thank you for the reply and your great newsletter.