For the non-writers out there, think of a query as a "please consider me" package, which basically consists of a cover letter, a synopsis of one's novel, and a sample of the manuscript. Different agents have different rules for what they want in the query, so no two queries are the same.
Agents take care of the business end of being a novelist -- providing assistance for editing and marketing, sending queries to publishers, arranging book signings, and hectoring the author to write more novels. Many publishers won't take queries unless sent by an agent. Authors generally don't like to mess with the business end of being a novelist, so they treat finding an agent as a blessing.
Because agents get paid from the a percentage proceeds of novel sales, they will not take on an author who they perceive will not sell books. When an author rejects a manuscript, they're saying they don't trust it to sell in the markets they serve. This, of course, is based on the agent's opinion rather than actual metrics about what kind of books sell. This means the author keeps sending queries until either they find an agent or give up.
I had been on the verge of giving up. I have racked up about 20 rejections in the five years I've been writing. Much of it was my fault, because I didn't know how to polish my writing ("Looks fine to me") and out of sheer arrogance ("What do you mean this novel doesn't fit your standards?!") Some of it, I suspect, was my subject matter -- the novel I sent out involves an ecocollective, a power-hungry corporation, alternative belief systems, and a semi-sentient bean vine named JB. Oh, and I forgot the love affair between a 20-year-old man and an older woman who doesn't want to be a cougar.
What made me decide to send out some queries to some more adventurous agents? You, my readers, and the ability to write for you have helped me decide to risk rejection again.
Thank you.
Good for you. Keep moving forward!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is Lanetta