Beginning the Query Process

It's time, guys.

It's time to seriously start submit my query letter to agents. I have talked about this a little before, and have sent out a couple queries already, but now its time to really get down to business. I have incorporated the feedback from my beta readers and worked my novel until it is as good as I can possibly make it. I hope. I have had my query letter looked over several times too, and it, too, is as good as I can make it.

So now it comes down to the actual sending of the query letter. It's even more intimidating these days when all you do is click one button and it's there. It seems so unceremonious.

I have a list of 35 agents that represent my genre. I think I want to have anywhere from 5-7 queries out at a time. It is hard to know where to start on my list. Do I just go from top to bottom? How do I know which ones can get me where I want to go?

Looking at this as a right or wrong choice I think is not helping me. To a certain extent choosing an agent is indeed a "right vs. wrong" type of situation, which one is "right" for you, etc. But on the other hand, each agent is going to hopefully do a good job, do good things for you, and its a much more organic and complex process than one might at first think. I need to keep this in mind and not stress about it like the worlds going to blow up if I misstep.

Honestly I'm terrified that I'm going to get through my list of agents with nothing to show for it but form rejections. Hopefully my work will pay off better then that, but I think I need to be prepared for that type of scenario. We're not in this for a short haul. Kathryn Stocket submitted to 50 agents before she got a yes, and if that's what it takes, then so be it.

But it will work out one day, right?

So for you more experienced queryers, any tips or advice? Tricks of the trade? Ideas to make this process easier, secrets we should know? Anything helps, because, needless to say, I want to do this well.

Sarah Allen