5 Steps to Landing a Good Literary Agent

Before you begin the querying process, you should answer these questions to make sure you are prepared.

●  Is your book complete?  Literary agents know how difficult it can be for a writer to finish a novel, especially a first novel.  Querying them before you are done not only wastes their time, but yours as well (believe me, I know!)

●  Is your book the proper length?  A book-length novel is somewhere between 60,000 and 120,000 words  (this is according to the word count on your word processor).  The range is further narrowed depending upon your  book's genre (mystery, romance, young adult, etc.).   Books that are too short are difficult to publish due to paper and printing costs; those that are too long often require extensive editing, which both agents and publishers shy away from.  Before querying agents, you should research your genre and make sure your book is of the appropriate length.

●  Is your manuscript polished?  Though this should be obvious, agents expect your manuscript to be free of typos and grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.  Do the best you can do rid it of these problems before beginning your search.

●   Are you fully convinced that you need a literary agent?  If you are not completely certain about this,  it may adversely affect your attitude and come across in your query letter and other correspondence and make the task more difficult.   It took me a few  years to accept the legitimate need for literary agents and the value they bring to the  table.  To learn more about what literary agents do, read my discussion in Common Questions about Agents & Publishers.

STEP 1.  Write a Strong Query Letter

The first step in landing an agent is writing a  strong query letter.  A query letter is simply a short (preferably one page or less) letter that introduces you and your book to the agent.  It must be well written and enticing .  Bear in mind that response you get will be no better or worse than your query.  

When writing your query, it's important to note that its purpose is not to tell the agent everything under the sun about you and your book—its purpose is only to whet the agent's appetite and entice him or her to find out more;  namely, to accept your offer of sending part, or all, of your manuscript.

The basics of a good query are (not in any particular order):

●  The reason you are querying this particular agent

●  What your book is about (short synopsis, including the length of the book and its genre)

●  Your writing credits

The main problem most writers have when they first start to compose queries is one of verbosity.   The old writing adage "less is more" definitely applies here.  Agents are extremely busy people and receive voluminous numbers of queries--they want you to get to the point, and get to it quickly.  Ramble and they have the urge to say, "Just the facts, ma'am," as Dragnet's Detective Joe Friday used to say.

The heart of the query is your synopsis.  Because many writers have so much trouble with this (including me, back at the beginning of my career), I have written a helpful "how to" article on this subject which I suggest your read, unless you are one of the lucky few who can effortlessly compress the gist of your 300 page tome into a few sentences.   (See A "Secret" Formula for Creating a Short Synopsis)

Probably the best way to demonstrate the concept of brevity in a query letter is with a real example, one that worked for me, and worked well.  Here is a query I wrote back in 1998 for one of my first novels:

Dear (agent),

I am writing to you because I have just finished a novel that it similar to two other books you have sold, XXX and XXX.

WILD CHILD, an adventure-thriller, is about a 17 year old boy and girl who discover a magical substance in a cave that has amazing euphoric and healing properties...but is also severely addictive.   Soon, the U.S. government learns of its existence, and both the teens end up fighting for their survival.

Although I have not published any fiction, I did write a screen adaptation of a novel for a producer at LucasFilms, and have published over 20 business articles in magazines and newspapers.

WILD CHILD is 35,000 words long.   Please find the first 15 pages enclosed.   May I send you the entire manuscript?

Is this a great query letter?  My citing two other similar books that each agent sold certainly should have gotten the agents' attention, made the query personal for them.  Admittedly, the synopsis could have been better.  I could write a more compelling one now.  Also, I don't state that the book was a "young adult" book (the publishers made this determination after they read it).

Still, the query letter did the job.  After what seemed like weeks of painstaking research (there was no such thing as the Publisher's Marketplace online database back then), I dug up 15 agents that had sold at least two books similar to this one.   Three of the agents asked to see some sample pages, and two others asked to see the whole manuscript.  One of those became my agent for that book.  I should point out here that she never did sell it because the publishers said it was too short--you may have noted that the length was less than the acceptable range I have in my checklist at the beginning of this article.  The agent was aware of this problem, but thought the book was good enough that the publisher's might make an exception.  They didn't, but it ended up finding a market on its own (see The Wild Publication Story).

Later on, I started writing longer and longer queries, got caught up in the "everything under the sun" syndrome, and my response  rate went down.  Eventually I came full circle.  Today my queries are generally short and to the point, as in the previous example (note that the body is only about 125 words long--a half page).  

Am I suggesting you write very short queries?  No.  Am I suggesting that you follow the structure of this query as a formula?  Definitely not!  Being creative and different goes a long way towards grabbing the agent's attention.    The query above merely demonstrates that you do not have to pack your query with information to pique the agents' interest. 

As an example of a more creative query, you may want to consider the use of a "hook," something that's intriguing that pulls the agent into the letter.  For my technical thriller, THE TESLA SECRET, I opened my query with the following sentence:

On January 9th, 1943, FBI agents stormed the lodgings of Serbian-American scientist Nikola Tesla and seized all of his laboratory notebooks.

This tidbit was apparently enough to keep most agents reading, because the query generated a very good response.  I should also point out that I added this hook after I had sent out ten queries that went virtually unanswered. Sometimes you need to sharpen your arrow to get the busy agent's attention.

There are endless such hooks you can use to draw agents in to reading your letter.  This particular hook worked well because this FBI raid plays an important part in the premise of my novel.  To come up with a good hook, ask yourself what element of your story, or back story, is most unusual or intriguing and see if you can find a way to open your letter with it. 

Another crucial element of the "what your book is about"  part of the query letter is book genre, setting, and length.   I usually just state this in one sentence.  "THE TESLA SECRET is a 100,000 word technothriller that that takes place in present day Russia."  Sometimes part of this information is obvious from your synopsis, so you don't need to state it, as with the case of my WILD CHILD example above.   I state the genre (adventure-thriller) but I don't state the time or setting.  This is because if you don't state a time, agents will assume that takes place in present day.  And if you don't assume a location, they will assume it takes place somewhere in the country where you live and that the exact location is not important.  (The way WILD CHILD is written, it could take place anywhere in America).

One last note on queries--don't sweat the credentials part of the letter.  Most unpublished writers have very little in the way of fiction-writing credentials, but if they have written a good book, they still manage to land agents.  Fiction writing credits (short story publications, winning writing contests, etc.) only give agents an idea that you might be able to write a good novel.  All of them reserve final judgment until they start reading your  actual  manuscript.  If your query is well written and piques their interest, they will give you the benefit of the doubt, believe me.  Every agent I know worries about overlooking some budding author who goes on to become the next J. K. Rowling.   Most have done so at least once in the careers, and they kick themselves for it.

Once you have written your query letter, you should read 15 Common Mistakes Found in Query Letters and see if you've made any of the common mistakes.   You may want to write several versions, and when you move on to Step 3 (sending out your queries), you can try each one and see which one generates the best response.

STEP 2.  Build Your Query List

After you have written and polished your query letter, the next step is to build a list of appropriate agents to query.  The key word here "appropriate."   You only want to send your query to agents who handle the same type of book that you have written;  preferably, agents who have actually sold such books.  If your book is a thriller, for example, you don't want to query agents who only handle romance.  Similarly, if your book is non-fiction, you don't want to query agents who only handle fiction.

There are many directories and websites that offer lists of literary agents and assorted information about the agency size, years in business,  authors/books they represent, and so on.  Using these, you can go to each agent's website and look at the books that have been sold (most agents list all of them, usually sorted by represented author).

By far the best way to find agents who have actually sold books similar to yours is to use the Publisher's Marketplace Database.  This only costs $20 a month, and you can just join for one month, build your query list, and then un-join.  Their Deals database is a fantastic tool--there, you can see which agent has sold which author's book to which editor at which publishing house, along with a one-line synopsis of each book!   And it goes back ten years. (This is a good place to see a lot of powerful one-line synopses, by the way, and the current trends in book-buying).

I cannot overemphasize the importance of finding the right agents for your submission list, and for including the TITLES of the similar books they have sold in the opening paragraph of your query letter.   Remember that taking on a new, unknown author is already risky for the agent;  if the agent has little or no experience with your genre, it multiplies the risk.   This is because when it comes to selling books, each genre has a built-in learning curve.  If the agent has already sold one or two books similar to yours, then he or she  can simply put your book through the same marketing pipeline created for the previous books (the agent will already know editors at publishing houses interested in your type of book).  This takes a lot of risk out of the equation on their side.

Of course, just because an agent has not sold any books similar to yours does not mean he or she will not be interested in yours.  Sometimes an agent may want to branch out into the new genre that your book represents.  But, by and large, this is the exception and not the rule.  Most new authors secure representation with agents with experience in their genres.

Yes, I know all this agent research is a lot of work.   

Now it's time for a word of caution:

WARNING!   Please be advised that there are quite a  few unscrupulous people out in the world who pose as literary agents and prey on new authors.    The telltale sign of a scam literary agent is if they ask you, the author, for money.  

Legitimate agents make a living by taking a commission from the author's royalties before they are passed on to the author.  Monies flow from publisher to agent to author--not in the other direction.  Agents that are asking you for money up front, for any reason, are not legitimate.   Be particularly careful about agents who offer any kind of editorial service or who charge "reading fees."  A useful website that tracks unethical agencies is "Predators and Editors," located at http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/

 Legitimate agents will have a track record of selling books to legitimate publishers.   The only way to know if an agent is legit is to go to their website, look at the books they have sold, and then click through to their Amazon (or bookseller) link and check out the books.   Make sure the books are not self-published.  Also, there is a professional organization, the Association of Artist's Representatives  (AAR) to which many agents belong and which has a Canon of Ethics that its members must follow (and which prohibits their members charging reading fees, etc.), but there are some very good agents who choose not to belong to this organization as well, so it is not a perfect test (You can go to the AAR website and access their membership list for free)

Another important factor to consider in building your query list is your overall impression of each agent.  Remember, this is an individual who might become your business partner for many years, possibly for life.   As you browse through the agent database, you should go to each agent's website and ferret out as much information as you can.  You should ask yourself:  does this seem like the kind of person I could  relate to, someone with whom I feel a common connection?  Often, you can learn a lot along these lines by simply Googling the agent's name—many agents attend conferences, give talks, and have online interviews you can read.  Also, published writers often speak about their agents interviews. 

One additional factor to weigh when building your query list is your overall stylistic fit with the agent or agency.  When you look at their author list on their website, can you see yourself up there with all the rest?  Many agents have a certain "style" which is reflected in the kind of authors/books they handle.  Do you match that style?  This is important because their slant or style usually reflects the editors and publishers with whom they have the best connections.

Finally, the agent's geographic location may be a factor.  If you happen to live in, or close, to the same city, face to face meetings will be easier to arrange, which is an advantage.  Also, many writers feel that having an agent in or near NYC (or London or Sidney, etc.) is important, as many such agents regularly lunch and otherwise rub elbows with editors at the big publishing houses.  However, there are many excellent agents who are not based in NYC.  (Note:  if you want to sell your book in a country other than where you currently live and wonder about where you agent should be located, see near the bottom of my Q&A page)

Once you have your preliminary agent list, you should prioritize it based on all the information I've presented above.  I have emphasized the importance of looking at the actual number of books the agent has sold, but it is also important to remember that an agent who is selling a large number of books may not necessarily be the best agent for you.  A smaller agent who is selling a few books a year may be a better fit for you than a big shot who is selling fifty—a smaller agent will likely give you more personal attention.  Ultimately, you can only make these kinds of choices yourself.

STEP 3.  Send Out Your Queries

After you have built and prioritized your agent list, it's time to start sending out the queries.  As most agents accept email queries these days, you will be sending most of them electronically, but some may need to be sent via snail mail.  (There is more discussion of this at the end of the article).

Either way, one of the age-old questions is:  how many queries should you send out at a time?

First, it is important not to "blast" out your query to your  entire agent list all at once.  This is because there is a chance that you will need to modify your query to improve its response.  If you send your query out to your entire list and then discover that it needs significant tweaking, you've put yourself in a compromised position—when you send out your new, improved query, the agents who saw the old one will likely remember your book title or general premise, and will think, "I rejected this book already!" and it will probably end up in the trash.

As far as how many agents to query at once, some people will tell you only to query three at a time.  Of course, agents would like you to query as few of their competitors as possible.  I personally believe three at a time is far too few—I recommend querying at least ten at once.  In my experience, even the best queries typically only get a 20% response—this is because some agents simply aren't taking on new clients  or for many other unpredictable factors.   Thus, if you only query three agents, there's a strong chance that you will get no response, yet your query letter may be fine.  

Also, perhaps more importantly, you will be in a much stronger negotiating position if you have more than one offer of representation.  If you only send out a few queries at a time (once you know the query works, that is), you will likely only get one offer of representation.  Telling the agent you want to query a few more, or trying to stall while you secretly do that, is a good way to end up with no offers at all.

On the flip side, the "danger" of sending out ten queries at once is that all ten of those agents will instantly recognize that you have written the next Twilight and you will be overwhelmed by ten agents all fighting over you at once.  Needless to say, the chances of this happening are very, very slim…and in the event that you found yourself buried under an avalanche of agents vying for your signature on their representation contracts, I would say that, as a new author, that's the best problem you could possibly have.

You should, as I alluded to earlier, customize each query a little bit by writing a sentence or two about why you are querying that particular agent as opposed to others.  Agents are bombarded with "blast" queries from services that send out 500+ queries at a time, and the only way they can differentiate these from more serious queries is by the inclusion of customized information germane to their agencies.  If you have done your research in Step 2, including this information (i.e., why you like this particular agent and think he/she will be interested in your book) this should be relatively easy.  

A further way to differentiate your query from others, and increase your chances of invoking a timely and positive response, is to offer your most preferred agent an "exclusive."  This means that you are querying that agent, and only that agent, and will not query anyone else until he/she makes a decision.  This exclusive approach is appealing to some agents because it eliminates their competition for this particular book evaluation—if they like the book, they get the book.  Of course, you must also receive something in exchange for providing this "insurance";  namely, a reasonably fast answer.  Reasonably fast means a week to ten days rather than the 4 to 6 weeks that most agents quote.  Bear in mind that if you give your first choice agent an exclusive, and that agent passes, you can then move down to the second choice and offer him or her an exclusive, too.  (For more on this, see the Q&A page)

However, I should also point out that most agents are not impressed or affected by exclusive offers and will just put your query in with their normal stack.  Nothing to do about that but accept it.  

When sending out multiple queries, you should give each batch of email queries a couple of weeks before you evaluate the results (next step).  For snail mail queries, allow 10 days longer, to account for transit time.  In my experience, agents tend to fall into two categories in terms of how fast they respond to queries—either they contact you immediately (within a couple of days), or it takes them a few weeks.  This is a reflection of two styles of processing their letters—some sort through them every day, and others wait until a Saturday or otherwise slow time and dig through the pile.

STEP 4:  Adjust Your Query/Manuscript (may not be necessary)

Once you start sending out your query letter, if you don't receive what you consider to be an adequate response, you may need to rework it (see 15 Common Mistakes Found in Query Letters).  Similarly, if one or more agents ask to read sample chapters or your whole book, and then reject it, you may need to rework some parts of your novel (see A Dozen+ Reasons Books are Rejected by Agents & Editors)

There is no simple way to know when you need to do this reworking—it's one of those decisions that must be made using a combination of whatever feedback you get from the agents and good, old fashioned intuition.  Some agents respond with vague "not for us" type letters.  This gives you little to go on.  Others will provide some detail.   

For the ones who don't, there is absolutely nothing wrong with politely asking why they have chosen to "pass" on your book, explaining that you do not wish to argue with them about their decisions (please don't try this—it is a waste of time and will only make them mad), but that you greatly value their feedback because you are always trying to improve your writing.  Many agents will take the time to respond with a sentence or two explaining their reasons, and sometimes this feedback can be extremely valuable in finding a problem that can often be easily fixed.  In any case, you have nothing to lose by politely asking.

If you get a lot of rejection, don't despair!  It's all part of the process--virtually all writers go through it.  For more about this, and what to do about it, see Dealing with Rejection from Literary Agents and Publishers.

STEP 5:  Sign the Contract and Celebrate!

This is where all your hard work pays off.  If you have diligently followed all the steps above—and your book is well written—chances are that you will receive at least one offer of representation.  How long this takes, and how many queries it requires, can vary tremendously.  If you're very fortunate, you might get an offer after sending out your first batch of query letters.  However, the more typical case is that you will have to send out several batches and do at least a little adjustment of your query and/or manuscript in order to hit an agent's "hot button."  It usually takes a few months and sometimes takes years.

If you receive more than one offer, then you are in the envious position of having to choose between agents.  This decision should be made using the same factors outlined in Step 3 above.  As most agents' representation contracts are fairly standard (commission 15% for domestic sales, 20% for foreign), these details are usually not deciding points, though you should definitely look over the contract and check these numbers before signing.  (It is perfectly acceptable, and advisable, to ask for a copy of the agent's contract before making a final decision).  In general, you should choose the agent who you believe has the most likelihood of selling your book, and is a person with whom you feel you can get along in a business relationship over a period of at least several years.

I should also point out that even if a book is exceptionally well written, it's sometimes impossible to find an agent who is willing to represent it.  The world of book publishing is dynamic and finicky—at any given time, certain genres or subject matter is simply out of favor.  If this is the case with you, take heart:  if your next book finds an agent and publisher, you can be reasonably sure that your previous one will be sold sooner or later.

Additional Querying Tips

* Most agents accept e-mail queries these days, although there are a few who insist on the use of snail mail, mostly (I believe) to cut down on the number of queries they receive and to shield themselves from mass-email query services.  As dealing with snail-mail agencies is quite slow compared with those who accept emails, you may or may not choose to query them.  This element should be factored in with the rest of your agent selection criteria.

* When querying agents via email, never include attached files.  Due to the virus threat, agents will delete such messages without even reading them.  What this means is you can't attach sample pages or a synopsis.  However, what you can do is paste either or both of these into your email at the bottom, after the body of your query letter.  I always do this with the first 20 pages of my novels.  Many agents have told me that they like this—when an agent is excited by your query, the first thing he/she thinks is, "Yes, this concept sounds great…but can the author write good fiction?"  To answer this question, they do not have to waste time exchanging another set of emails asking you to send sample chapters to them.  I believe this "strike while the iron is hot" approach gives the writer an advantage.  If they like your sample pages, they will write back and ask for the whole book.

* When you are building your query list and go check out each agent's website (given that they have one), you should be sure to read their submission guidelines or requirements.  A few agents are quite strict about what they require, and some have their own submission system built into their websites that allow you to submit your query, sample chapters, etc. online.  My advice is to follow their procedures to the letter.

Good luck with your querying!

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Dealing with Rejection from Literary Agents and Publishers

One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a successful writer if you choose the traditional publishing route--probably the most difficult-- is dealing with  rejection.  Every writer must come to terms with it, and even the most seasoned pros, those who have no reason in the world to doubt their abilities, say that rejection and criticism still cuts them to the bone.

The important thing is how you react to the rejection.  After you get past the initial emotional reaction--after you cry or yell or slam things around or have a fantasy of taking out a gangland-style contract on that pompous moron who wrote you the letter--you must ask yourself:  what will you do next? Will you let it debilitate you and discourage you from continuing with your writing, or will you use it constructively, to improve and move down the path towards publication?   

Of course one common reaction is to simply say "To hell with all of you!" and start self-publishing.  However, I would caution you about doing this, because most new authors need to learn a few things about fiction writing and storytelling before they can pen a good book.  I think it's better to play the traditional publishing game at least until agents and editors honestly telling you that they love your book, but don't believe the market will be big enough or that they don't know how to sell it.

Which means the first step in making constructive use of their rejection--letting it serve as a catalyst to positive change and eventual publication of your work--is understanding the reason behind it.  From my experience with agents and editors, rejection falls into three basic categories, which I call Type I, Skills-based Rejection;  Type II, Marketing-based Rejection, and Type III, Emotionally-based Rejection.

Skills-Based Rejection

 This is by far the most common type of rejection for new authors.  When agents  and editors receive a manuscript (or a query), they go through a logical thought process as illustrated by the following flowchart:

 The first level of rejection has to do with the author's lack of fiction writing skills.  Many writers dash off their first novel believing that they're crafting a masterpiece, blissfully unaware that there are a set of concrete and well-studied skills that every fiction writer must master before it's possible to write a good novel.   Agents and editors are well-versed in these skills, at least in terms of recognizing them, or the lack of them, when they read a manuscript.  From Page 1 onwards, they look for strengths and weaknesses in areas such as dialogue, characterization, narrative description, tension, pacing, story structure, many others.  As they receive  so many submissions, they automatically begin ticking off a mental checklist, searching for the common mistakes that most new authors make in an effort to make their weeding-out job easier.   As soon as they find one or two trouble spots, off your manuscript goes into the rejection pile.

Is this fair?   It doesn't matter.   Like it or not, this is the way things are, and you, as a writer, have to live with it.  What this  means, for those who want to see their work published, is being open to feedback and being willing to work to improve your writing skill set.

The problem with Type I Rejection is that you often don't know it when you get it, and this is no fault of your own.  Some agents and editors, bless their hearts, understand how painful criticism can be for authors.  They also aren't keen on becoming involved in an argument.  So they simply give the generic "Sorry, this book isn't for us" reason for their decision to pass, when in reality they see some problems with the writer's abilities.

 Sadly, this gives you very little to go on.   "Sorry, this book isn't for us" might really mean just that:  the agent or editor may have liked your writing but not your story, or he may have liked your story idea, but not your particular execution of that idea, or she may have simply decided the market was too small...etc.  Without additional information, you have no way of knowing, exactly.  

 If you receive a lot of generic rejections, I recommend that you write back and politely ask for a little more clarification, adding that you have no intention of arguing about it, that you fully accept and respect their decisions, but as you want to improve, you would appreciate anything they could add to clarify why they chose to pass.   Many agents and editors will take the time to write a couple of more sentences of explanation to a sincere request like this.  In any case, it doesn't hurt to ask.

If you do find out that one or more of your writing skills is weak, you must address this before you can move on.  My advice is to read fiction writing books, particularly those which address specific weaknesses (books on dialogue, characterization, etc.)  take a writing class, attend a workshop, or hire a professional writing "coach" or teacher to give you constructive feedback.

Market-based Rejection

Now, if your manuscript passes Type I rejection test and moves on to the next test in the above flowchart (Is there a market for this book?), you have a different problem, and--I'm happy to report--some encouraging news.   I'll give you the good news first:  if the agent or editor doesn't attack your writing skills, chances are high that you are writing at a publishable level.   Have a glass of champagne!  Your fiction skills are solid--the agent or editor can't find fault with them and use that as an excuse for rejection.  (Believe me, if they can use that excuse, they will). 

Your problem is with Type II rejection is that the individuals who have pass on your book do not believe there are enough readers interested in the subject matter to warrant publishing it.   For the agents, this simply means they do not believe they have a high probability of selling it to a publisher;  and for the editors, it means that they don't believe that they can convince their coworkers (in-house committee) that the company will sell enough copies to make the book a profitable project.

With this type of rejection, you must keep on querying and hope that you find some other agent or editor who feels differently.  If you exhaust all your possibilities, then you can put the book aside and write another one, having faith that perhaps at some later date, the market conditions will change (all the genres run in cycles in terms of popularity), and you can then give it another shot...reminding yourself that your skills are solid, and it's just a matter of authoring the right book.  Of course, if you sell your next book and it does well with readers, the chances of your first one being published greatly increase, because you are no longer an unknown quantity and publishers will be far more interested in purchasing anything you write.

The other action you can take in this situation is to think about the potential market for your next book before you actually start writing it, when the story is still in the idea/outline/synopsis stage.  Some writers will recoil at this suggestion, claiming that it's not "artistic," that the best ideas flow from the inside out, and not the reverse.  To this, I would say fine--I agree with you.  But what you can do to preserve this approach is let your muse generate quite a few ideas, all stories that you would  truly like to write, and then put on your marketing hat and ask yourself which one would most likely be published.  Then, you can choose to write the one that seems most salable first.  This in no way compromises your artistic integrity. 

Emotional-based Rejection

For me, this is the least hurtful form of rejection, but the most frustrating.  This is the type over which I (and all writers) feel the least amount of control.  One thing I learned early on in the writing business is that virtually no agent or editor takes on a book unless they "fall in love" with the book.  This is the exact phrase most of them use, and they relate the process of falling in love with a book very much to falling in love with a human being, something approaching romantic love.  "If I am not deeply passionate about a book," one top agent told me, "I won't take it on, regardless of how great I think the market potential might be."

Why is that?  Well, the agent went on to explain to me that selling a book to publishers--any book--requires so much time and energy that he can't muster up the drive  to do it unless he's head over heels in love with the product.  Period.  The same goes for editors at publishing houses, especially the bigger houses.  The time and energy required to push the book through the committees and garner consensus on publishing it, combined with shepherding the book through the various phases of the publication and promotion process, is just too great without the drive that sparks from one being passionate about the project.

(By the way, if you have a sales background and think this reason for rejecting a product that you might want to sell sounds pretty odd, you are not alone)

Because agents and editors receive thousands of submissions a year, they have the luxury of simply sitting back and patiently waiting for a book to come along that they do fall in love with.

What can you do about this in terms of your writing?   Is it possible to do anything that will help agents and editors fall in love with your book?   Short of traveling to some exotic land and buying a love potion to sprinkle over the pages of your manuscript, I don't think there's a darn thing you can do.   Your only choice is to try again with another book, with another agent, another editor.  This part of the querying/submission process is very much like dating.  When the chemistry happens, it just happens--there's nothing you can do in terms of forcing it.

In summary, I truly hope what I have said in this article has not discouraged you in any way.   If you step back and look at the basics, it should have had the opposite effect.  You ought to feel encouraged and more positive about how to think about, and  react to, rejection.   Once you get over the initial negative feelings, there is much you can do, using the information from the feedback, to increase your chances of having your book published.  

With the first type of rejection--given that you know it is the type you're getting--you can take action;  namely,brush up on your fiction writing skills.  With the second type, you can also take action;  you can give more consideration to the marketing aspect of books before you invest months or years in writing them.  

Of course, with the third type, the Emotionally-based Rejection . . . well, maybe that's where luck comes in.    Virtually every successful writer (and artist and musician and businessman and every other professional) will tell you that luck played a significant role at some point in their careers, and if it weren't for that little bit of luck, they would not be where they are today.

So, I encourage you to write, to hone your skills, and to give a little thought to your potential market before you actually write your book.

Never let rejection stop you from pursuing your writing dreams.

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15 Sure-Fire Ways to Lose Your Readers

If you’re writing a novel, especially your first one, there are a number of common mistakes you can make that will virtually guarantee that you lose most readers.

1. Story starts too slowly. This is by far the most common problem with first novels. Unfortunately, most readers are not known for their patience, especially with authors they don’t already read. They want you to deliver whatever you promised in your synopsis or sales blurb, and fast. There’s an old Hollywood adage that applies here: a story should start on the day that's different. Let us get to know your characters while something is happening on that day that's different, just before, or during, the inciting incident (the event that sets your story in motion).

2. Story does not "perform as advertised." This is another way of saying that your story does not appear to deliver the promise made in your packaging (your title, book cover, and synopsis). It's supposed to be a thriller but seems to be a romance, or it's supposed to be a London murder mystery but opens with two little girls playing hopscotch in the Philippines. Roundabout lead-ins and slow starts often cause readers to assume that you don't know what you're doing, even if you do. It's important to make sure that the book matches the expectations you set up in your synopsis in the first few pages, if possible.  Otherwise, it’s like they’ve bought a box of corn flakes, but when they open it, Fruit Loops comes pouring out.

3. Too many characters introduced too quickly. This overwhelms the reader. It is like walking into a party and having the host introduce you to a dozen guests at once--chances are, you won't be able remember any of them. In your story, it's better to start off with one or two characters, let the reader get to know them a little bit, and then gradually introduce more. Also, try to choose names that begin with different first letters and have different numbers of syllables to help the reader distinguish between them. Many people speedread, and if you include three characters named Sharon, Sharika and Shannon, those who read fast will soon be very annoyed.

4. No clear-cut point of view. If your book were a movie, this is the equivalent of having the camera jump all over the place while the audience is trying to absorb itself in the story--first it's focused on one character, then on another character looking down from the ceiling, then looking at the first character as if viewed through the eyes of the second character, etc. The concept of point of view must be understood by the writer and used consciously and effectively. If you're unclear on this vital fiction writing technique, you should brush up on it.

5. Story has no distinct main character. When reading fiction, we have an inherent desire to identify with at least one of the characters as quickly as possible so we can get ourselves involved. We want to find someone we can root for, or root against. Most of us read in order to see how someone else grapples with an usual problem or situation--we imagine how we would react if we were in that character's shoes. The sooner you allow that to happen, the more involved the reader will become. 

6. Too much bio/backstory information is presented. Practically every author I've known, myself included, suffers from this problem--we want to tell the reader everything about every character, and right from the beginning. However, today's readers are accustomed to having this information parceled out in small pieces while the action takes place. Otherwise, the story bogs down with unnecessary detail. Review the first few scenes in your book and honestly ask yourself: does the reader really need to know all this at this particular moment in the story? A good rule to follow: If in doubt, leave it out.

7. Flashbacks used too often and/or too early. Some fiction writing gurus profess that flashbacks should be used as little as possible, and I'm one of them. The main problem with flashbacks is that they cover events that already happened relative to the main storyline. We as readers instinctively know that, unless the story involves time travel, your heroine cannot do anything to change the past--her hands are tied. So, naturally, we become impatient for the writer to get on with the story. I believe flashbacks can have a place in any good story, but opening one with a flashback is really pushing your luck with readers.

One of the best tricks you can use to make flashbacks interesting for the reader is to save them for the middle or later part of the story, and to build up tension the point where the reader is dying to know what happened when little Edward was left alone in the garage or that rainy night when two strangers appeared at the front door.

8. Opening scenes lack enough tension. Each and every scene in your book should contain some form of tension or conflict to keep the reader interested in turning the pages. Tension can simply be defined as "the desire to know what happens next." This is paramount in the first few scenes of your book, because your reader has often not completely left his present surroundings and become absorbed in your make-believe world. You have to snag her on Page 1 and hold her still, keep her turning those pages until she’s fully hooked.

9. One or more scenes do not advance the plot. In any well-written story, every scene or chapter advances the plot. That is to say, at the end of every scene or chapter, the hero (and therefore the reader) knows something he didn't know at the beginning of that section. The plot thickens. The situation worsens. The heroine digs herself in deeper. If a scene doesn't advance the plot, the reader will get an idle feeling, as if the writer is just marking time. Often, new authors (and even old ones like me) will include one or more "warm up" scenes at the beginning of a book in which nothing much happens except that characters get to know each other, or they perform routine activities so the reader can get to know them. These scenes must be mercilessly cut.

10. Reader cannot emotionally connect with main character. Within a few pages, the reader should know who the main character is and what she wants, and especially what she is feeling. The reader should empathize with this character--not necessarily like the character, but should understand the character's general attitude about the story events, and therefore understand why the character is doing what he is doing (the motivation). If this does not happen, the reader gets a distant, left-out feeling…and will likely turn to another book or some other form of entertainment. 

11. Too many seemingly unrelated plot threads. I've always enjoyed novels with vastly different plot threads that slowly converge, making you wonder, with delicious intrigue, how it all comes together. While this can look easy, it is tricky to pull off, because each and every thread must be engaging to the reader as a stand-alone story. Furthermore, we must trust that the author really will tie all these seemingly unrelated threads together at some point, and that it will all make sense. If the impatient reader (for example, a busy and somewhat jaded literary agent, if you’re trying to get your book traditionally published) sees no connection between the plot threads, she again may simply assume you don't know what you're doing and move on. So, for first novels, it's usually better to open with a plot thread that is clearly related to the title/genre/synopsis of the book, and then shift--with care--to the other threads.

12. Narrative is description-heavy. When considering a new novel, one of the things that literary agents and editors often do, as well as ordinary readers, is flip through the pages to see the mix of dialogue and description. (I have to confess, that as a reader, I do it, too) Passages of dialogue are generally easier to read and usually move the story along faster than descriptive passages. A book that's 90% description will appear heavy and imposing to many readers. Market research shows that today’s readers want a fairly even balance of dialogue and description. With most popular fiction, it's better to have more dialogue than description. I'm not saying that this is good from a literary point of view--it may well reflect a dulling of the average reader's (and my own) mind. But this is the way it is--novels that are heavily description-laden will not sell as well, all other things being equal, as balanced ones.

13. Description is loaded with "purple prose." This is often a problem in the opening paragraph of a book by a new writer. I can't tell you how many fantastic books I've read that started with a beautiful description of a sunset or other pastoral scene. However, these books were mostly written by literary masters, after they became literary master, with die-hard fans who would praise the authors’ laundry lists if they had access to them. So unless you are exceptionally gifted with this type of narrative expression, I include some action and dialogue in your story openings. If poorly done, this is the hallmark of an amateur, a person who believes every word he types is genius. You'll have plenty of opportunity to write poetic beginnings after you become rich and famous. 

14. Dialogue is not interactive enough. This is a common problem I've encountered in first novels that are otherwise well written. Good dramatic dialog is not real speech; it mimics real speech, cuts out all the nonessential information and focuses on the interesting parts. You might say that good dialog is ordinary speech''s "greatest hits." It should also bounce back and forth between people like a tennis ball--we do not give each other long-winded oratories unless we're addressing an audience (at least, not unless we want to be considered bores). In general, you should keep your dialogue exchanges short and to the point, unless your character is actually giving a lecture. This is especially true in the opening chapter of a book.

15. Story starts too quickly. This brings us full circle, back to the opposite of (1), the story starting too slowly. We, as readers, do need a little time to get to know the characters so we can care about what happens to them Prologues can effectively be used for fast starts, but generally we don't care about any of the characters yet because we haven't had a chance to care. We’ve all read a million action scenes with car chases, fights, and shootouts—unless we have an emotional stake in the character(s), it’s all for naught. So, yes, your story must start quickly...but not so quickly that we don't have time to gain some empathy for the characters involved.

I hope this article has been helpful. Most authors need to employ a story or content editor to identify the mistakes I’ve covered here—it’s very difficult for most people to have enough perspective to see these types of problems in their own writing.

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15 Common Mistakes Found in Query Letters

If you decide to go the traditional publishing route with one or more of your books, you will need to send out query letters to agents and publishing house editors.  Here are 15 common mistakes that will very likely cause your query to end up in the trash.

1.  Query contains typos, misspellings, grammatical and punctuation mistakes.  Yes, people actually send out such queries.  This creates the impression that the author is not a professional.  It makes agents suspect that the manuscript is full of mistakes, too.   Take special care to make sure your query is perfect in these terms before you send it out.

2.  Query lacks basic information.  Agents are extremely busy individuals.  They want to know three things when they scan a query letter, and they want to know them in a hurry:  a)  what your book is about, b) who you are, and c) why you have queried them (as opposed to other agents).   If you omit any of these basics, you risk the agent moving on to the next letter.

3.  Query contains irrelevant information.  This is the opposite of (2).  Agents assume that if your query contains information that's irrelevant to the book you're presenting to them  (such as your education, job, hobbies, travels, family relations,  your pet parakeet, etc.)  you're not capable of writing a focused story.   Good stories can only be written by authors who know what to put in and what to leave out.   So, if you spent ten years working in a police forensics lab and your book is a detective novel, by all means, include that in your query.  However, if your book is a romance with no murder subplot, leave it out. 

4.  Query fails to state genre of book.  With some thought, every book can be classified under a story genre—romance, mystery, children's middle grade, fantasy,  etc.  Even novels loosely labeled as "literary fiction" can still be classified under a story genre—one merely needs to identify the main plot thread to narrow it down.  Catcher in the Rye can be said to be a coming-of-age story.  Tess of the d'Urbervilles could be a romantic tragedy.    You must do the same with your book--give agents a "handle" to grasp it by, even if the handle doesn't seem like a perfect fit (it probably won't be).  Otherwise, these people will not know which shelf it will go on in the bookstore or how to talk about it to publishers.  (Sadly, this is why a lot of wonderful fiction is never sold, but as the old saying goes, you can't fight City Hall--self-publishing is the best alternative).

5.  Query fails to differentiate your book from other similar-sounding books.  Just as agents want to know on which bookstore shelf your novel will appear, they also want to make sure that it will fit in between the books of two known authors, not on top of those authors' books   It's important to remember that agents are seeking original writers, not copycats.   If your book sounds remotely similar to any other books that have ever been published (and you should do your homework researching this), then you must explain why yours is different.

6.  Query fails to show how your book is similar to other books.  This may sound like a contradiction to (5), and, in a way it is.  If your book sounds like something that's so "out there" that they can't get a grasp on what it is, this can be problematic.  The bottom line is, agents want to be assured you have something that's different…but not so different that distributors and retailers don't know what to do with it.   

7.  Query fails to identify basic character goals & conflict.  Every good story is born of conflict between a character wanting something and another character stopping him or her from having that something, even if, in the extreme, the second character is "inner guilt" or "nature."  Don't expect agents to pick this up in between the lines—come out and state it directly.  Who is your hero?  What does he/she want?  Who is your villain?  How is he stopping the hero from getting what she wants?   The simpler and clearer you are about these basics, the more quickly and easily agents can grasp your story concept and ask you to send more.

8.  Query is written in too flat a tone.  If your story is light and humorous, so should be your query.  If your story is dark and mysterious, ditto.  Your query should match the style of your book and demonstrate your writing proficiency.  Don't miss the opportunity to flex your literary muscles.

9.  Query lacks creativity/fails to excite.  This problem often arises from following a query-writing formula and/or a lack of confidence on the part of the writer.   Formulas are  useful for learning the basics of query-writing, but if you want to get the attention of agents, it's a great help if your query is different in some way.  You want to turn them on, to whet their appetites, to make them hungry for more!   Let yourself be excited about your book and allow your enthusiasm to come through in your query (however, see  the next item below).

10.  Query reads like an advertisement.   As the author of your novel, you should be excited about it, but you must stop short of praising your work yourself, and especially in the vein of a dazzled book reviewer.  You have no objectivity whatsoever about its basic literary quality, and agents are woefully aware of this.  (This is also why self-publishing and self-promoting are extremely challenging with fiction).  You must show the agents that you have a wonderful book, rather than tell them.   This is done describing the story in a way that makes them think, "Hm...that sounds like it could be a page-turner..."  But don't use these kinds of adjectives  to describe your book yourself.  Also, including any praise from family and friends is a waste of time and will make you look like an amateur--resist the temptation.

11.  Query boasts of book's overall market potential.  Agents assume (and usually correctly) that you are not an expert on the publishing business.  They know far better than you whether your book has bestseller potential, movie potential, merchandising potential, etc.  Let them decide these things for themselves.

12.  Query is too long.  No book has ever been written that could not be well-presented with a one page query.  Remember that the query letter is only a short pitch to entice the agent into reading some sample chapters, or, in the best case, your entire manuscript.  If you're absolutely sure that you can't fit your query onto one page (without any tricks like changing the margins or font size), trust me--you can.   (See my example in 5 Steps to Landing a Good Literary Agent)  The  best queries are like Hollywood "elevator pitches" for movie ideas-- they are short and focused, so tight that the could be delivered to an agent you might run into on an elevator in 60 seconds, with the result being "Hey, that sounds pretty good -- why don't you send me the first three chapters?"

13.  Included synopsis is too long/detailed.  This is usually the reason that the query letter itself becomes too long.  Again, remember a query is just a pitch for the book, not the book!  In your short synopsis, bogging the agent down with details like your character bios, back story information, and subplots is a likely way for your query to be passed over.  Stick to the main points of the story--the major characters, their goals, their conflicts.   Read other short synopses  of movies and books to get the feel of an appropriate length and level of detail.

14.  Query includes rejection history.  Agents do not want to hear about how much trouble you've had selling your books or how hard it's been for you to entice agents and editors to read them.  Even telling agents about one former rejection is a mistake.   They want to believe they have stumbled upon an impressive new player on the literary scene that their competitors have not had a chance to discover.   

15.  Query is written in too informal or chummy a tone.  Agents are professionals and expect to be treated as such.  If you don't know them and they don't know you, they expect a certain formality during the initial contact.  This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use humor or sarcasm or even four letter words in the body of your query, if appropriate to the style and tone of your book.  It simply means that you should adopt a respectful posture when addressing the agent directly, the same tone you would use to speak to any professional with whom you have not yet established a business relationship.

In summary, the above 15 mistakes are general ones--there are  of course other mistakes made in query letters.  But based on my own experience and that of working with other writers, these 15 seem to be the most common.  If  your query letter is not generating the response you would like, go back through this list to try to figure out where the shortcomings might be.

If you can't seem to pin down the problem, let a few trusted friends read your query.  With their greater objectivity, they might be able to help you fine-tune it.

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