Publishing

How to Treat Writing Like Your Job Before It Is

If one of your writing goals is to be published, the sooner you start to treat writing like your job, the better off you will be.

I started treating writing like my job in grad school. To be fair, at that point, it kind of was my job since I was getting graded, but once I started that habit, it carried over into my post-grad life.

I believe it’s a massive reason why I’m published.

So today, I’m going to talk about how it can be beneficial to treat writing like your job, how it helped me, and give you some tips to help you do the same.

The benefits:

It builds good habits

You get used to showing up at your computer or notebook on a regular basis. If you want to be paid for your writing someday, you will have to meet deadlines.

To meet those deadlines, you often have to show up even when you don’t always feel like it. The sooner you can get used to that idea, the more habitual it will be and the easier it will become.

It ups your productivity

I don’t think this needs a ton of explanation. When you show up on a regular basis, you will get more done!

Sure, some days will be harder than others, but even a little bit of progress on a bad day is better than not writing at all. I also found that writing got a lot more fun for me once I saw consistent progress.

It helps protect your writing time

When you treat writing like a job, it makes it easier to protect your time and say no to others. If you asked someone for a favor but they had to work, they wouldn’t hesitate to say no.

If you start thinking of writing as your job and framing it that way to others, it will be easier to say no to things. Because you do have to work. (I wrote a post on Saying No to Others if you need more tip on this.)

It makes transitioning into publishing more manageable

Like we said earlier, if you want to be published, you will have to meet deadlines. Those deadlines will be easier to meet if you’re already in the habit of scheduling your writing time and committing to that schedule.

It’s pretty common for writers to spend years working on their first published book. No one is waiting on it, so you can take all the time you need. But once you sell that book, you’ll have a pretty serious deadline for revisions.

And if you’ve sold more than one book, you’ll have to write an entire book from start to finish in a fraction of a time that it took you to write the first.

Personally, I found meeting publishing deadlines to be (for the most part) a lot easier than I was expecting. There were some parts I had to adjust to, but as a whole, it was a relatively smooth transition.

I’m pretty sure this was because I was already used to the idea that writing was my job and that deadlines had to be met.

It forces you to take your goals seriously

The moment I decided to treat writing like my job was the moment I writing went from a fun side project to a career goal.

It made me more dedicated and determined. I also found that once I took my goals more seriously, it either made others take my goals seriously, or helped me to tune out the people who didn’t.

How to make it happen:

Make a schedule and commit

When you have a regular job you have a scheduled time to report and tasks to complete. If you’re treating writing like your job, then it’s going to need its own schedule and set of tasks.

Pick a time of day that you can show up to your story on a regular basis. Maybe it means getting up a half hour earlier, staying up a half hour later, or writing through your lunch break. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time if you’re just starting out, just make sure it’s consistent.

Something else to keep in mind: while we are treating writing like a job, it’s important to remember that writing isn’t necessarily like other jobs.

Some days, the brainpower and creativity just aren’t there. On days like that, I still encourage you to show up at your computer or notebook, if that’s part of your plan. Even if you can’t meet your goals, do what you can to keep that time commitment to yourself.

Find a way to take a step forward, even if it’s only a small one.

Set manageable goals

It’s okay if you treat writing like a part-time job instead of a full-time one. The point is to take your writing time and production as seriously as you would if someone were paying you to do so.

However, you shouldn’t run yourself into the ground in the process. Small sacrifices are one thing, but you shouldn’t be killing yourself to make your writing dreams a reality. It’s unhealthy and unsustainable.

It’s really hard to be a happy writer if you’ve spread yourself too thin, so set goals you can reasonably accomplish.

Once you do break into publishing, you might be able to cut back on other obligations to get more time, but for now, build the habit. It’s easier to expand a habit you already have than to start from scratch.

For more on this topic, check out these posts: How to Set Manageable Writing Goals and The Importance of Setting Reasonable Writing Goals.

Hold yourself accountable (or find someone who will)

If this were a regular job, there would be a boss or someone above you waiting for your work.

Someday, that will be your agent, editor, and publisher. For now, that boss is going to have to be you.

If you’re someone who is good at holding yourself accountable this might not be too hard.

Personally, I get a lot of satisfaction out of sticking to a schedule and meeting my goals, but that might not be you.

If that’s the case, find a friend who will check in on your regularly. Then come up with a system.

Maybe you have to report your word count or (if they’re a good early draft reader) send them pages. If you can find another writer, you can support each other and hold each other accountable.

Work “Out”

If you have the option of leaving home to write, give it a shot. I’ve found that this creates the feeling of “going to work” and helps me stay focused once I get there.

I also know of writers who made it a habit of stopping a cafe for a half hour or so on their way home from work. They knew once they got home, the writing wouldn’t get done, so they found another option.

If you want more on this topic, I did a whole post on the benefits of writing out.

I hope this gives you a good idea of why you should treat writing like your job and how to make it happen!

Now it’s your turn: What helps you take your writing seriously? Have you ever tried to treat writing like your job before? Tell me about it in the comments!

How to Write a Book Synopsis: 5 Awesome Writing Tips

By Meghan Leave a Comment

The dreaded book synopsis!

It seems like this is the least favorite part of the submission package for so many writers. I have a few tips to help, but first, let’s talk about what exactly a book synopsis is.

A book synopsis is a brief summary of your story from start to finish. It tells an agent or editor exactly what they can expect if they take the time to invest in your book.

The actual length of the synopsis can vary, but mine have been about a page and a half on average. I’ve never had one more than two pages but some can be.

How to Write a Book Synopsis: 5 Awesome Writing Tips

As far as how to write and format a synopsis, author Melissa Meyer has an awesome explanation complete with examples. I feel like this is a pretty good guide, so instead of giving a synopsis guide of my own, I’ll share five tips that have helped me make this process as painless as possible.

1) Focus on the 5 Ws in your introduction

Who, What, Where, When, and Why are classics for a reason. They cut to the chase and pull your reader into the story. Take advantage of them!

However, if it’s too much, or too challenging to fit everything into your intro paragraph, you can probably get away with stretching into the second paragraph. By the end of the second paragraph, all of these questions should be answered.

Meghan Rogers shares tips on How to Write a Book Synopsis -in photo: woman using a laptop

2) For your plot, only focus on your major plot line

Narrowing down storylines is always a challenge for me. There’s a lot going on in my books and everything feels important. But if you try to mention every important storyline, your synopsis will be entirely too long and difficult to follow.

To simply things, put your focus on your main plotline, and limit adding details about any of the others.

With that said, it’s okay to hit at another storyline if it impacts your main plot. Just avoid getting swept up in details. Give your reader only what they need to know in order to understand the main storyline.

3) For character, only focus on your main character

Like your plot, you want to keep the focus on your main character. That doesn’t mean you can’t include other characters, but they need to be characters who are essential to progressing your main plot and your main character.

A synopsis is short, so the more characters you add, the more confusing it will read. If there’s a character who is only important for one or two plot points, don’t give their name, give a descriptor instead. For example, “the CEO” or “the teacher”.

This keeps the focus on your main character and prevents reader confusion.

Meghan Rogers shares tips on How to Write a Book Synopsis -in photo: writing tip: when you're writing a book synopsis, you don't have to include all of your subplots. Instead, only focus on your major plotline.

4) Don’t get bogged down in specifics

The key is to keep the synopsis moving. Even if you’re limiting your focus on your main plot and main character, you shouldn’t go into every detail.

For example, maybe there’s a complicated series of events that lead your characters from Plot Point A to Plot Point B. You don’t have to go into the details of those events. You can simply say something like, “After a complicated series of events, Main Character makes it to the other side of the mountain.” This way you’re connecting plot points without slowing your reader down.

5) Give away the ending, but don’t give away everything

One thing that’s always emphasized in synopsis guidelines is the fact that you’re supposed to give away the ending. And that’s true.

However, going off the previous point, you don’t have to give away every single detail about the ending, nor do you have to give away every twist and turn that gets us to the ending.

I suggest using points two and three as guides. Make sure you take your reader through the climactic moment of your main plot and your character development, but it’s okay if you hold back details that are non-essential to understanding those storylines.

Meghan Rogers shares tips on How to Write a Book Synopsis -in photo: writing tip: The key is to keep the synopsis moving. Even if you're limiting your focus on your main plot and main character, you shouldn't go into every detail.

Bonus: Try writing the synopsis before you write the book

Now, this is a bonus tip because I find this helpful, but it also slightly goes against traditional advice.

In most cases, if you’re writing a synopsis for a book you want to submit to an agent, you’re supposed to wait until you finish the book to write it.

However, I find it easier to write a synopsis before I write the book. Once I’ve written the book, I have a much harder time narrowing the focus to the main plot and what really matters. Everything feels important.

But when I write the synopsis before I write the book, I have haven’t developed the book enough to write more than the main plot and the character.

This approach is done more traditionally when a synopsis is part of a submission package for a book that hasn’t been written yet, as explained by Melissa Meyer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t write the synopsis ahead of time, even if you plan on writing the complete book.

Granted, I always have to revise my synopsis based how the book looks when I’ve finished writing it, but I’ve found it much easier to shape an in-progress synopsis than to completely start from scratch.

So, if you’ve struggled with writing a synopsis in the past, maybe try to do a draft of a synopsis as an early brainstorming technique, then come back and revise later.

I hope this helps you write an awesome book synopsis!

For more information on agent submission, check out my querying series!

Now it’s your turn: What has your experience with a book synopsis been? Do you love them or hate them? Tell me about it in the comments! If you have any tips, please share those too!

How I Got My Agent: My Successful Querying Story

By Meghan 3 Comments

Welcome to Part Five of my five-part querying series! ICYMI: you can find the other posts in this series here. This time, I’m going to tell you all about how I got my agent.

How I Got My Agent

These stories meant a lot to me when I was querying, so it only seems right that I share my own. A shorter version of this story can be found on the Writer’s Digest blog. There was a lot I couldn’t fit into that post, so this is an expanded and more query-centric version.

Post-High School Querying

I wrote my first book in high school. It was a YA fantasy. I spent the end of my senior year editing, determined to have a “polished” book by graduation, so I could spend the summer querying.

I used AgentQuery.com to research agents I thought would be a good fit for me, built a list of between fifteen to thirty agents (I don’t remember exactly), and sent my letters out in two or three rounds.

At this point, agents were just starting to accept email queries so most fo my letters went out via USPS with a self-addressed stamped envelope for a response. It took all summer just to send those first letters and hear back.

Since almost everything went out snail mail, it also got expensive pretty quickly–especially when sample pages were involved. Which is why I didn’t query too much beyond the summer. In addition to the expense, but I also started to realize that the book could be a lot better.

I didn’t get any requests, so after the summer, I pulled it back. Even though I didn’t get anywhere close to getting an agent, I learned a lot about the querying process, which was really helpful down the line.

Meghan Rogers shares her How I got My agent story - in photo: woman writing on a notebook

Post-College Querying

I wrote a new book in college that was set in the same world as my previous book. This one felt so much better from the start. I

used the beginning of the book to get into my MFA program, where I workshopped it until I had a draft I was really happy with. There were still a few sections that I thought could be stronger (especially toward the beginning) but it was the absolute best I could do at the time.

I pulled on everything I’d learned from my first querying experience and combined it with what I was learning in my MFA program and got querying. (This was when I found QueryTracker.com.)

In the end, I queried this book twice. First, in the fall of 2011.

I had a working list of agents when I started, but I was always looking to add more. I found a query tip somewhere (I can’t remember exactly where) that suggested looking in a book’s acknowledgment section for names since most authors thank their agents there. So I flipped through a bunch of books I had read recently and found two of the authors were represented by the Michelle Wolfson. I added her to my list.

Michelle has a “no response means no” policy, so she only responds if she likes your query. When she responded to mine I was thrilled. Ultimately, she wasn’t making a request, but she was very encouraging while pointing at a few issues in the book that resonated with me.

She also asked me to keep her in mind for the future if this book didn’t get me an agent. She may have been passing on my book, but I felt like she saw what I was trying to do even though I wasn’t actually pulling it off yet. Because of that, she became my first choice for my future agent. I also pulled the book back to revise based on her feedback.

I spent the next nine months revising it on and off while I worked on my thesis project for school. Also, I started querying again in the summer of 2012 while I wrote Crossing the Line. Michelle was closed to queries at this point, so I never got to go back to her with the revision. I got a couple requests for the updated version, but no offers. I queried this book until Crossing the Line was polished and ready to submit, which was mid-September of 2013.

The Numbers: 126 agents queried, 2 requests, 1 promising rejection, 0 offers

Meghan Rogers shares her How I got My agent story - in photo: woman writing on a notebook with her desktop on

Querying Crossing the Line

When I started querying Crossing the Line, Michelle was my first choice thanks to her previous rejection. But she was also still closed to queries.

I didn’t follow agents on social media when I was querying–I didn’t want to be that attached–but I followed Michelle. I had a good feeling about her and I didn’t want to miss when she opened back up again.

In the meantime, I went back through the list of agents I’d cultivated and started at the top again while I wrote a new book. Six weeks into querying, Michelle opened and I sent my letter off right away. She got back to me within a couple hours asking for more pages.

One of the reasons I liked Michelle from the start is that she’s very upfront with what you can expect from her. She tells you right in her submissions guidelines that she typically responds to queries very quickly and partials very slowly.

This turned out to be accurate.

Michelle also mentioned how long I should wait before following up. I followed up with her every few months until the last Thursday in June when her response said my partial was her subway reading for that afternoon. Later that night, I got another email from her asking to read the whole book.

I sent it off, excited, but also expecting it to be a little while until I heard from her. (By now, I had gotten good at waiting.)

The following Tuesday morning, my phone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize, and I had my hands full straining chickpeas, so I didn’t pick up. A beat after the phone stopped ringing I realized who it might be.

Sure enough, Michelle had left a voicemail saying she loved my book and asking me to call her back. I called back before I could think too much about it. (I was ready to do some research on what it might mean and what questions I should ask, but I refrained.) We had a great call and I was officially a represented author.

The Numbers: 111 agents queried, 2 requests, 1 offer and acceptance.

Meghan Rogers shares her How I got My agent story - in photo: top view of laptop keyboard, pen on a notebook, and a cup of coffee

Why I Said ‘Yes’ on the Spot

As you can see, I queried a lot of agents and didn’t get many requests. Even with that, I didn’t say yes to Michelle because she was the only one who offered. I said yes because I believed she was the best agent for me.

She saw something in the first book I queried her with when very few did. Additionally, the things she felt weren’t quite right with that book were also things that had bothered me–I just wasn’t able to put my finger on them.

This made me feel like we’d be in sync and make a good team. I also really liked that she responded to two very different books. I’ve always known that I’d want to write in a few different genres, so it was encouraging to know going in that she’d had some interest in two different stories.

At the time, all I had out with other agents were query letters. Between our exchanges and my gut instinct, I was sure Michelle was the agent for me.

So much so, that I felt giving the agents who had my letters a chance to read my book and make an offer would have been wasting their time.

Ultimately, this just felt right to me–even in my overexcited state.

So, that’s how I got my agent!

In case you missed the others, here are the other posts in this series.

Now it’s your turn: If you’ve queried in the past, what did you learn that’s helped you going forward? If you haven’t queried before, what are you anxious or excited about? Let me know in the comments!

How to Query a Literary Agent in 11 Steps (Part 2)

By Meghan

Here’s Part Four of my Querying series! (Find the other posts in this series here.) This post is focused on the querying process and how to query a literary agent.

A few reminders before we dive in: For this process, I’m going to focus on how to query a literary agent because that’s what I have experience with. But if you’re approaching a small publisher, the process is going to be similar when querying an editor.

First, you should not be considering querying until your book is as finished and as polished as you can get it.

In Part 1, we covered about steps 1-6, so if you missed that post, make sure you read that first! This post is going to dig into steps 7-11!

How to Query a Literary Agent in 11 Steps (Part 2)

7) Reframe your thoughts on rejection

Rejection can be pretty disappointing–especially if you query a literary agent you really like and they end up passing on your book.

But when you query a literary agent, rejection is a very likely outcome. It’s important to be prepared for it. I had queried three books before I got my agent.

You would think that at some point this would have started to get discouraging, but I found that the more I queried, the less rejection bothered me. I eventually realized that by the third time through, I had started to think about rejection differently.

First:

I realized that I didn’t want to get an agent (or to be published) because I wanted to be validated as a writer. I write because it makes me happy. No one has to validate that for me.

I wanted an agent because I loved to write so much that I wanted writing to be my job. As much as it may have sucked to hear that my book wasn’t wanted, I had to believe that in the long run, it was for the best.

If an agent didn’t LOVE what I’d written, I couldn’t imagine they’d be able to put me in the best position to succeed.

It may be hard to see past getting an agent when you’re querying. However, the fact that you’re looking for agent tells me that you’re probably not just looking to publish a single book. You’re most likely looking to build something bigger than that.

If that’s the case, you deserve someone who loves your work and who will do everything they can to put you in the best possible situation, book after book.

How to Query a Literary Agent by Meghan Rogers - in photo: book shelf with ladder

Second:

When you only have ten letters out at a time, that means that there are a whole bunch of agents who haven’t had the chance to read your book yet. The agent who is the right fit for you could be out there and you just haven’t sent the email!

Once I knew I wanted an agent who loved my writing (and got used to the idea that rejections came from agents I didn’t want), I started seeing every rejection as an opportunity.

Each rejection gave me a chance to contact a new agent who might be The One. And if that one turned me down, it would still give me another opportunity to send another letter.

Clearly, I’m really good at reframing situations into seeing the glass half full, but thinking about things this way really helped me!

It also really helped to understand why I wanted to be published. Only you can decide why you want to be published, but I would encourage you to find a reason other than validation. I truly believe you will be happier if you do.

If you want to see more thoughts on rejection, I talk a little about it in my Redefining Failure post.

8) Keep good records

As you’re building your list and going through this process, you’re going to find that every agent/agency has a slightly different procedure.

Some will say if you don’t get a response it’s a no. Others will say if you don’t get a response after six weeks, flow up or resend your letter. So, some will ask for a partial and say if you don’t hear anything in two months follow-up. Some will ask for a full.

You need to keep track of who you queried, when you queried them, if they responded, and if they asked for more. You need to know who has your work.

I suggest a spreadsheet! Here’s a screenshot of mine.

How to Query a Literary Agent by Meghan Rogers - in photo: a screenshot of spreadsheet of lists

My columns are: agent, their agency, date I sent the query, if they responded (an X for I got a “no” response, and O for closed/no response), when six weeks would be up (or when I should consider the query closed–six weeks is average but some are shorter or longer), and if I needed to follow up if I hadn’t heard from them.

Then when I sent a query out, I’d highlight the row in green so I knew it was active. I took the highlight away when I closed it. If an agent asked for a partial, I highlighted it in blue and made a note of when I sent it and when I should follow up.

9) Follow up if/when it’s appropriate

Some agents will say it’s okay to follow up on a query if you haven’t heard from them after X weeks. You should absolutely do this–just make sure you wait until after the time frame they’ve given you.

Also, nearly every agent I encountered encouraged a following up if they haven’t gotten to your partial within 2-3 months. (This is also something that helped me get my agent).

In both instances, be brief and polite. Here’s an example: “Hello, I wanted to follow up on a partial I sent you on X/X/XX. Let me know if you’d like me to resend.”

I also suggest replying to the original email and keeping everything in one thread. Agents handle a lot of submissions. Even if they liked yours, they may not remember it after a few months. Make it as easy as possible for them to see your prior exchange.

10) While you wait, work on something new and don’t give up

One of the hardest parts when you query a literary agent is how long it takes to hear back. Like I said in part one of this query series, an agent’s priority is the clients they have already signed.

And that’s good! In the future, when you are one of those clients, you will want your agent to prioritize you. But that means as querying writer, you wait.

And while you wait, you might as well work on something new. If you do get an offer, your agent will like to know that you have more in the works. And if the book you’re querying doesn’t get you an agent, you’ll have another book to send out.

I queried a book until I had a new one to submit (which took about a year), then I pulled the first book back and focused on querying the new one.

But the nice thing was once it came time to do the next book, I already had a big long list of agents I thought would be a good fit for me, so I just had to double check that everything still lined up and they were still open to queries before sending a new query off.

How to Query a Literary Agent by Meghan Rogers - in photo: Querying Tip: It's also okay to turn down an offer if it doesn't feel right to you.

11) When an agent makes an offer

YAY!!!!!! THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!!

How you get the news can vary from agent to agent. Some will email to set up a call. Others will just call–like mine did. (I didn’t pick up–I was straining chickpeas at the time. I called back REAL fast.)

It’s okay to ask questions if you have them. If you have other partials/fulls out, it’s considered professional courtesy to let those agents know that you’ve had an offer and give them time (about a week) to read what you’ve sent them before you accept anything.

I’ve heard conflicting things about open queries. Some agents want to know if you have an offer even if they only have a query, others aren’t that worried about this.

I believe it comes down to how much you want to work with the agent making the offer. If the agent was high on your list, you like what they’re offering and you feel like someone else would have to really blow you away, I think it’s okay to say yes on the spot–if you want to. (I did!)

On the other hand, if there are things you’re on the fence about, or you’ve queried an agent you think might be a better fit, take some time to think about it and check in with your open queries while you do.

A photo of a keyboard with the Shift key in focus

Though I should note, this only applies to open queries. If you have open partials/fulls, you really need to get in touch with those agents before accepting an offer.

It’s also okay to turn down an offer if it doesn’t feel right to you. Remember, once you accept that offer, your agent becomes your teammate. They are helping you build a life and career. You need someone who is going to put you in the best possible position.

If you don’t think the agent making the offer is that person, say no. Trust me when I say, no agent is better than a bad or incompatible one. If you get an offer from the wrong person, you will get another offer from the right person–just keep going!

I hope this gives you a good idea of how to query a literary agent!

You can find the other posts in this series here.

Now it’s your turn: Have you tried to query a literary agent before? If you have, do you have a tip to help others query a literary agent? If you haven’t yet, what’s your biggest concern as you get ready to query a literary agent? Tell me in the comments and follow me on Instagram.

How to Query a Literary Agent in 11 Steps (Part 1)

By Meghan 10 Comments

Here’s Part Three of my Querying series! (Find the other posts in this series here.) This post is focused on the querying process and how to query a literary agent.

For this process, I’m going to focus on how to query a literary agent because that’s what I have experience with. But if you’re approaching a small publisher, the process is going to be similar when querying an editor.

First, you should not be considering querying until your book is as finished and as polished as you can get it.

Assuming you’ve reached that point, let’s take a look at how to query a literary agent. This post is going to cover steps 1-6!

How to Query a Literary Agent in 11 Steps (Part 1)

1) Write a query letter that captures what your book is about

Before you query a literary agent, you have to write a query letter. I talked all about this in my How to Write a Query Letter post. That’s is where this process starts!

2) Do your research and build a list of possible agents

When you go to query a literary agent, you need to make sure you’re submitting to someone who is right for your book.

The publishing market is broken down by age group (children’s, middle grade, young adult, adult) and genre (fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, contemporary, thriller, historical fiction, etc). Agents typically specialize in a few of these categories, but not all.

So if you’ve written a middle grade fantasy, you need to make sure you’re submitting to agents that represent both middle grade and fantasy.

Here are to resources to help you build a list of potential agents:

QueryTracker.com: Once you make a (free) account on this site, you can search agents and filter them by age group and genre. They also include an agent’s website, email, social media handles, and an overview of how each agent prefers to be contacted. It’s also kept pretty up to date. This was my number one resource for keeping track of agents.

AgentQuery.com: This site has even more information that Query Tracker, but isn’t kept as up to date (which is why I didn’t use it as much). But you might want to cross-reference them–if you’re into that kind of thing. 🙂

There are hundreds (thousands?) of agents on these sites. Take some time to read through and visit their individual websites. Then make a list of your top ten, then twenty others you really like. You may need more but thirty should be good to get you started.

You can also try reading the acknowledgments of books you like/think your book is similar to. Most authors thank their agents, so you can find some names and look them up. (This is how I found my agent!)

3) Take note of submission guidelines and follow them!

When it comes time to query a literary agent, following the directions is critical.

As much as the databases are good for finding agents, they may not always be current. You should always go to their actual websites to check submissions guidelines.

Some agents will just want a query, some will want the query and sample pages pasted into the body of the email, some will want the partial attached. Whatever they ask, DO EXACTLY AS THEY SAY!!

Agents get a lot of queries, and they don’t have an excess of time. If you don’t follow the submission guidelines, you become someone they definitely don’t want to work with.

It also may take them longer to sort through your submission, which again, isn’t something they really have time for. If you want to make a good first impression, follow the submission guidelines as closely as possible.

The only place you have a little wiggle room is with the sample pages. If they ask for 10 pages, but your chapter (or a good stopping point) ends on page 11 or 12, then it’s usually okay to add the extra pages. But don’t abuse this. The agent you’re querying won’t appreciate it.

4) Get a dedicated query email address

Before you query a literary agent, I suggest setting up an email address just for querying. It should be professional, ideally with some variation of your name. This will become your future author email.

I also made sure it was a separate email client than my personal email, that way if I had the app on my phone, I would know that if I got that notification it was a query response.

This meant I wasn’t constantly refreshing my email. If an email came through, it would find me. (Though I did check in online roughly every other week if I hadn’t heard from anyone in a while, in case of technology/notification fail.)

How to Query a Literary Agent by Meghan Rogers - in photo: Query Tip: Follow the submission guidelines as closely as possible

5) Start sending out letters

It’s time!!

Start with your top ten agents. Address your query. Follow the submission guidelines. Take a breath. And hit send.

I would suggest sticking with ten open queries at a time. You might get feedback from an agent at some point and want to make changes to your manuscript. If you sent the original out to every possible agent at once, then you have no one left to send your new and improved manuscript to.

You also have to keep track of all the queries you send in case you get an offer and want to get in touch with an agent who has an open query (more on that later).

This will be a lot harder, and a lot more work, if you have a ton of queries open. So I say start with ten. Then every time you close out a query, send a new one out.

6) Know what outcomes to expect

Before you query a literary agent, it’s a good idea to be prepared fo the most likely outcomes.

The good:

An agent likes your letter/sample pages and asks for more! (Yay!!)

Some agents will go right ahead and ask you to send the entire manuscript. Others may ask for a partial, which is usually between 50-100 pages–the agent will tell you how much to send. DO WHAT THEY ASK!!

Like submission guidelines, it’s usually okay to send a few more pages if it’s a better stopping point, but don’t go crazy. If they ask for 50 and you send 100, it’s starting things off on the wrong foot.

Traditionally, if an agent asks for a full/partial, they’re expecting them within 24 hours. Which is why it’s really important to have your book finished before you start querying.

The in-between:

If an agent likes what they see, but think you/the project are not quite ready yet, they may tell you to keep them in mind for the future. File this agent away!

It may not be the ‘yes’ you were looking for, but it’s still a good thing! It means they see something in you! (Also, this was what led me to my agent.)

The not-so-good:

An agent doesn’t want to read more of your book. (Sad face!) You’ll find this out in one of two ways.

Some agents have a “no response means no” policy, which means if they don’t respond to your query, you can assume it’s a no. These agents will usually tell you right in their submission guidelines if this is the case.

They’ll also let you know that after X weeks, you should consider them a pass (six weeks seems to be the average in my experience).

The second way you’ll find out is with a rejection letter. These are usually form letters that say some variation of “Thanks so much for considering me, but I’m going to have to pass on this project. I wish you the best of luck.”

This leads us to steps seven, which you can find here!

You can find all the other posts in this series here.

My Successful Query Letter and Query Tips

By Meghan

Welcome to the second post in my querying series! Today, we’re going to look at my successful query letter. I’ve also got some bonus querying tips to share at the end.

If you missed it, in the first post in this series explores how to write a successful query letter. You can find it here.

Now I want to give you an example and share my query letter for Crossing the Line.

Truthfully, I kind of hate the idea of sharing this! My book was a serious challenge to boil down into a couple paragraphs. Now that it’s published and I’ve seen how it’s been pitched by professionals, I think it could have been A LOT tighter. But none the less, this is the letter that got me my agent, which is why I’m sharing it with you! 🙂

Successful Query Letter and Query Tips by Meghan Rogers - in photo: person typing on a laptop

Here’s my successful query letter!

Dear xxxxxxx,

North Korean intelligence agency KATO believes eighteen-year-old American spy Jocelyn Steely is under their control. And that’s exactly how Jocelyn wants it.

When KATO sends Jocelyn back to the American-based International Defense Agency she was kidnapped from as an eight-year-old, they see it as the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the ranks of their biggest rival. After ten years of brutal training, forced drug therapy, and a series of successful — yet traumatizing — assignments, KATO never considered the possibility that Jocelyn could still have a mind of her own. But she does. To her, this mission is not only an escape, but also a chance at revenge. The only problem is Jocelyn has never trusted anyone enough to have an ally, let alone a friend. In order to escape KATO, she’ll have to learn to rely on others — including former enemy agent Travis Elton. And to Jocelyn, there is nothing more difficult or terrifying.

CROSSING THE LINE is a young adult thriller complete at around 91,000 words. It is the first book in a planned trilogy. I have an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Rosemont College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Communications and Media Arts from Neumann University, where I double minored in Writing and Journalism. My writing has been published in both the Neumann University Joust and the Philadelphia Inquirer. I have also spent the past three years volunteering with creative writing classes at a local high school where I assist in creating lesson plans and work with students on an individual and group level.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Meghan Rogers

Bonus thoughts: Should you personalize each letter you send?

This is something I’ve thought a lot about–maybe too much–so I wanted to discuss it here.

I’ve read some posts that recommend writers take the time to research an agent’s list and give a pitch as to why they or their book would be a good fit. I’ve also read some thoughts from agents (not a ton, but some) that say they too really like when authors to do this because it shows them how serious the writer is.

But honestly? I didn’t really personalize my queries beyond the agent’s name, and I think that’s kind of an unreasonable expectation to put on a querying writer.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I did my research.

I made sure I targeted agents I thought would be a good fit for my book. (I’ll talk more about that in my next querying series post.) But I didn’t take the time to write my reasons out in each query letter I sent off.

Would I have had a more successful query letter if I’d done this? Maybe. But here’s the thing; most of the agents you query are going to reject you. It sucks, but it’s true.

Successful Query Letter and Query Tips by Meghan Rogers - in photo: quote "If an agent passed on me because I didn't personalize my query, then I have to believe it was for the best.

And 99% of the agents who reject you are not going to take the time to give you a personalized response explaining why. If you get a response at all, it’s likely to be a form letter. They simply don’t have time to give you anything more.

Their priority is to take care of their current clients. Most agents can’t afford to invest a lot of time in a response to someone they don’t represent. Their time is valuable. It’s important to be understanding of that, especially as someone who someday wants to be an agent’s client.

But your time is valuable too.

Most querying writers are also working another job (or two), or going to school, or working and going to school, and hopefully writing another book, and making time for their families/friends, all on top of querying.

If you’re going to personalize every letter, that means you have to proof and polish and perfect every letter again before you send it off. In the end, I sent 111 query letters. Personalizing, proofing, and polishing 111 letters was, for me, asking for too much of my time for someone who may or may not represent me.

If an agent passed on me because I didn’t personalize my query, then I have to believe it was for the best. We probably wouldn’t have been a very good fit.

As much as you need an agent to offer to represent you, it’s important to remember that once they do, the two of you are going to be a team. And considering most agents weren’t going to personalize a response back to me, I wasn’t so sure I wanted a teammate who expected more of me than they were willing to do themselves.

However! you should address each agent directly

You definitely want to make sure you’re addressing the agent/editor you’re querying at the start of each letter, but personalizing beyond that is entirely up to you. I only personalized two query letters, and both were to agents I had interacted with in the past.

(Though, full disclosure: One of those personalized letters was to the agent I signed with. I personalized it because she had responded to a non-personalized query about a previous project in the past. So yes, my most successful query letter was personalized, but that only happened after she responded to a non-personalized one first!)

That’s everything I know about writing a successful query letter!

Be sure to check out the rest of my querying series here.

Now it’s your turn: Is there a favorite successful query letter you like to reference? Do you have your own tips to share? Tell me about it in the comments and follow me on Instagram!