Tracking My Queries to Agents Using Highrise
Querying is not a simple task, and it's not gentle on the writer's ego. To query properly, you read up on an agent, you figure out the submissions guidelines for that agency, you customize your letter to said agent, and you send out a brief letter that is meant to represent all the hard work you have put into your manuscript over several years.
When the rejection letters begin to stack up, I do not freak out.
Our manuscripts are meant to be rejected. There's nothing new about this. I generally feel better the longer the stack of rejection letters gets. Rejection means I am putting in my time, doing good work, even if an agent hasn't loved one of my manuscripts yet. Eventually an agent will pick up interests in my novels, and constant querying is the way I will make this happen.
In order to track who I have been querying and how often, I have previously used two well-loved tools. I have updated spreadsheets in Google Docs, marking columns for dates sent, name of agent, response, and whether I can (or should requery) at a later point. I also combined this spreadsheet with Gmail filters, so that responses from agents are routed to special folders labeled according to each novel I'm querying for. Incidentally, I have two novels to sell.
I have used this combo of spreadsheets and filters for about two years.
However, checking these folders can be a bit cumbersome, especially when you consider that I also have to keep a separate address book to track agencies street addresses, agents' Twitter accounts and more.
We are living in the age of automation, Gentle Readers. I looked around a few weeks ago, and I realized I was spending too much time tracking queries this way. The automation of software is here to help!
I signed up for a basic account for Highrise from 37 signals. A lot of companies use this customer relationship management application to keep track of sales and to integrate deals. I have used Basecamp extensively in my dayjobbery, and I decided to try it out.
Guess what? It does what I need it to do. I may post at length about this later on, but just check it out:
When I write a query, all I need to do now is cc the inbox that Highrise creates for me so that it begins to track the correspondence I have with a literary agent.
If I send a Word doc or PDF as an attachment, Highrise catalogues that file so I can see exactly what version of any manuscript I have sent
I have a very easy way to mark a deal as pending or awarded. The day I click that box for being represented by an agent, I'm going to tear my shirt off and run out into the street shouting.
I can keep a very clean and easily implemented list of agents, publishers and other literary contacts. This is key. I do not want to integrate this address book with my personal or work address book, so the ability to put this agenting address book in one place is key.
I am not sure if the 37 Signals team ever intended to have their product be used this way, but I feel like they did. I am using it often. The best part of the software is that it brings me right back to the most important activity in querying: writing a good query letter. With more free time to focus on writing the query for my novels and researching agents, I can worry less about double querying or managing folders.
Lovely and horror show.
