Blogger: Michelle Ule
Why Don’t I Get a Personal Response?
Part 1 of 3
We received a thoughtful e-mail last week from a writer who asked a pertinent question: “Why don’t you respond to our queries personally? It would only take a minute or two, and it would make the writer feel better. Don’t you know how hard it is out here for writers trying to catch the attention of agents?”
I replied by explaining why Books & Such changed its policy on responding to queries two years ago. Here’s an amplification of what I wrote:
Up until two years ago, Books & Such did respond to every query sent to us whether via e-mail (our preferred method) or through the mail. But in 2009, the volume of queries exploded, often reaching 800 queries each month.
You can do the math. If we spent even one minute responding to each query (which would give no time for personalization), that would require more than 13 hours per month just to answer the queries. That doesn’t include the time needed to read through them and think about a response.
We ceased taking postal mail queries in 2010 for the same reason. It takes even more time to open envelopes, read through the query, write the letter, print it, put it in the SASE (which people remembered most of the time) and then mail.
As an agency, our first responsibility is to the clients we already have. If we responded to each query, we wouldn’t be able to keep up with our jobs: examining proposals, negotiating contracts, submitting manuscripts to publishing houses, keeping track of royalties and other payments, reading about industry innovations, discussing marketing ideas, talking with clients, traveling to conferences, dealing with crises and a host of other items in our job descriptions.
Things settled down in 2011–our Representation e-mail address “only” received 5,875 queries throughout the year, for an average of a little under 500 per month. But that number doesn’t include queries our agents heard pitched at writers conferences, proposals recommended by our clients, editor-suggested writers, etc.
In the first two months of 2012, with the addition of Rachelle Gardner to our staff, we received 1,345 queries.
And, yes, they’ve all been read. As the letter we send out automatically in response to every query states, if you don’t hear from us asking to see more of your writing within 30 days after you send your email, please know we have read and considered your submission but determined it wouldn’t be a good fit for us.
Please understand–it’s not easy to say no to the vast majority of interesting queries we receive. I don’t how many times I’ve read a project description that I, personally, would love to read. Many of you are very fine writers with imaginative ideas. Lots of you have platforms and stories that should be shared with the world. God has given numerous queriers fine-tuned insight that is valuable for the Kingdom of God.
Our query system is NOT about you.
It’s about the sheer numbers of people, many excellent writers, seeking publication today.And a carefully, painfully-arrived-at conclusion that we couldn’t provide personal responses–or even individual responses–and honestly say we were making our clients our highest priority.
How do we make our decisions? Think about all the stories that have been pitched to us. If it’s a new concept to us, chances are very good it will be a new idea to an editor. We’ve read so many queries, we recognize a new twist almost immediately–and those are the projects we ask to see.
Based on my experience over the last eight years, King Solomon had it correct when he commented: “Of the making of books, there is no end.”
Tomorrow I’m going to talk about fiction queries–what stands out and why, how to research your project’s chances and what we both appreciate and sigh about, here at Books & Such. On Friday, I’ll take up nonfiction.
What questions do you have about the querying process? Any suggestions about how to deal with queries more effectively? Is there something we could do to make it a little more personal without losing our ability to do our jobs for our clients?
I have never written a query…could you point me in the right direction on how to write one?
Thanks for writing, Nichole. I’ll be talking about what we look for in fiction and non-fiction queries on Thursday and Friday, but for an idea, take a look at this link. It’s a little dated but has the meat of a query letter along with some samples.
It should only be sent to our Representation e-mail address, details of which can be found here.
Queries should be no more than a page in length and include the following: hook to catch my attention, short description like you would read on the back of a paperback, genre, a brief overview of your writing credits, why you’re a good person to write this book and any type of platform ability you might have to sell the book.
If we think your book has possibilities with the network of publishers with whom we work, we’ll get back to you and ask for a completed proposal. Best wishes!
Thanks!
Great article, I’m tweeting this for sure. It is hard to dig through those query trenches, waiting and waiting for that response. I think it’s thoughtful to give the 30-day wait response, so at least authors know when to cut their losses and move on (hopefully, they’re querying more than one place at a time, anyway).
Excellent point, Heather, writers looking for agents should not “put all their eggs in one basket.” As long as you tell us “this is a simultaneous query,” we don’t mind to be one in a bunch. In some ways it motivates us to look at your query sooner and make a judgment faster.
At the same time, writer should NOT send the same query to every agent with our name in a long string of agencies. You should be examining the agencies you’re writing to, ensuring their values match yours. A bad agent can be worse than no agent at all. If you’re offered representation, read the contract carefully, make sure you understand what you’re signing and that you and the agent actually like each other.
I agree with Heather; I think your policy, which thoughtfully includes a designated time period so writers don’t have to be wondering for too long, is a great solution. I can’t imagine the work it takes to sort through mounting queries without getting bleary-eyed; it must take such practiced discipline to see each one with fresh eyes. You have my respect!
I DEFINITELY appreciate that you send the “I’ve received your query” note with the response. There are some queries I’ve sent in the past and I didn’t even know if it had arrived.
I believe that what you do is completely fair – you let us know it arrived, AND tell us how long to wait.
Thanks!
Thank you for posting this, Michelle. Sometimes it’s hard for us writers on the other end to see an agents side of things. Hearing the stats on just how many queries agencies receive really puts it all in perspective. It also makes me appreciate how much work agents do, and how dedicated they are to the authors they already represent. Thanks!
Your agency is one of the finest in considering the pre-published author. I appreciated the response I received and the encouragement offered at a writers conference.
The overwhelming proliferation of authors with amazing ideas is mind boggling. Making a decision about what to read and pursue must require not only a criteria but a good amount of intuition.
Thanks for a great post Michelle and looking forward to learning more about a writing an outstanding query.
This makes complete sense. Thanks for the breakdown.
(The other comments aren’t showing up, so if I’m duplicating a question, I apologize.) Since there is only one query email address, can someone who is querying direct his/her query to a specific agent within your agency? Thank you!
Good question, Lindsay. If you are directing a query specifically to one agent, write that agent’s name into the Subject line. For example: Query, Rachel Kent, YA Historical suspense. If you don’t care who reads it, no need to specify anyone. We sort the queries out of the Representation file so as to keep them separate from our routine business.
Great post!!
Michelle, you’ve done an excellent job outlining the daily responsibilities of an agent. I only recently signed with MacGregor Literary and my awesome agent, Sandra Bishop, after nearly 3 years of querying and chatting with various agents.
The work you agents do is far too often the “unsung” battle story. You’re down in the trenches, fighting hard for your clients, and staying on top of the industry developments so you can best advise your clients (or in this case, the general public and all writers). The fact that you at Books & Such provide a confirmation of receipt AND an expected timeframe for response is more than fair considering all you have to do.
So, I don’t have any suggestions or questions. Only commenting to say thank you! And keep up the great work!
Thanks, Tiffany. We realized some of the confusion and disappointment writers go through in the querying process is because they just don’t know how much competition is out there. We’re hoping this series will put things into context for queriers and help them write a more focused query to the appropriate agent. Best wishes with Sandra.
I like the fact that you state a time limit, and I’m happy with a simple acknowledgement. It lets me know my email got there okay. So thanks!
I agree with Joanne and Heather. It’s wonderful that you let the writer know you have received their query and provide a timeline. It must be hard to read them within that timeframe, and it’s greatly appreciated. When I attended a writers conference in October, I didn’t want to pitch the same idea to an agent when I was waiting to hear back from another one; even though I felt it was a stronger piece.
Thanks for a great article. I look forward to the rest of the week’s posts.
Michelle, thank you for sharing this reality in such a thoughtful, non-hostile way.
One part of trying to get published in today’s world is being informed. Sure, twenty years ago agents were busy, but I doubt they were dealing with the sheer volume of queries and projects that most agents are dealing with now. I don’t have statistics, but it seems as if the number of writers actively trying to get published has multiplied exponentially in the last decade.
And, my opinion? There are more qualified writers querying than ever before. People are honing their skills, studying their craft, and amping up the competition. I kind of feel sorry for you guys having to make these decisions!
Excellent post, Michelle.
Michelle, thanks for this post. I’ve always realized an agent has oodles to think about, but this gives quite an insight.
I often wonder how you fit all you do into a day. It seems like reading query letters alone takes up a great deal of time.
I have a question. Do you prefer having a specific agent addressed in the query letter? Or, if more than one agent could be a good fit would you prefer if we left the agents name off?
Thanks for all you do, and taking the time to blog about the process as well. Understanding the process makes it much easier to work through.
Our agents are all looking for unique projects with great writing. If you have a preference, realize one particular agent might be more interested in your work, if you’ve met the agent before or have an introduction/recommendation to the agent through someone, by all means, direct the query to that agent.
Otherwise, you can just send us a query to Representation–and please, indicate more than just query in the subject line. Whomever reads queries first has first shot at it. 🙂 Sometimes we’ll read a query for one agent and send them an e-mail along the lines of, “are you interested? If not, send it back to me.”
It’s day 58. The agency site says 30 days no response is a no. The agent’s site says 60 days no response is a no.
Two more days in no-man’s land.
Thanks for alerting us to this point, David. I asked Rachelle about the discrepancy and she told me she also asks queriers to include the first five pages of their manuscript. If the query is directed to her, use her guidelines. For the rest of the B&S agents, the 30 days stands.