If you’ve been following me on Facebook then you know Book 3 is almost finished. Finally. As I work to feverishly to get it ready for the editor I have decided I want to try looking for an agent again.
The last time I sent a query letter was in February 2017. I thought I had sent about ten letters but when I looked at my spreadsheet it looks like I only sent four. Four letters – four rejections. I did not stop sending out queries because of the rejection. I knew then, and know now that four rejections is actually nothing. To put it into perspective here are a few famous authors who were rejected:
- Carrie by Stephen King was rejected 30 times
- A Time to Kill by John Grisham (one of my absolute favorites) was rejected 28 times
- The Thomas Berryman Number was rejected by 31 publishers
- Harry Potter by JK Rowling was rejected 15 times
Today I decided it was time to try again. The first thing I did was look for agents who are accepting queries in the genre I am writing. Next I begin working on the letters themselves. Query letters are not form letters. Each agent has very specific requirements. Some agents want a synopsis and biography. Some agents want five pages, some fifty. Most agents don’t want attachments. And they all expect you to follow their instructions to the letter or it will immediately go to the slush pile.
I pulled out the spreadsheet I started in 2017 and added six more agents tonight. I plan to continue sending letters – maybe I’ll make my maximum 35. In the meantime, I’ll continue working on Book 3 and if I don’t get picked up by an agent I’ll do what I did before!