How Literary Agents Review Queries: 5 Insider Secrets

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You’ve spent hours researching agents and perfecting your query letter - only to hit “send” and feel like it’s been lost to the void. It can take weeks or sometimes months for agents to review your query, which can be disheartening and lead you to a spiral of doubt. In today’s video, I’m revealing five secrets about how agents actually review their queries. I hope it helps demystify the process and makes you feel more confident as you await a response!
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MORE WRITING AND PUBLISHING ADVICE:
What’s the Right Novel Length?: • What's the Right Novel...
Biggest Query Letter Mistakes: • Biggest Query Letter M...
Querying for the First Time? Watch This Now: • Why Querying Right Now...
HOW LITERARY AGENTS REVIEW QUERIES:
01:28 - They begin with the basic details
03:48 - Each agent has a system
06:32 - They are open to updates
07:57 - Personalization can be nice, but isn’t necessary
09:25 - Querying is like speed dating
ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with nearly a decade of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
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2 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 90

@joevaldez6457 2 месяца назад

With 44 agents queried, I've received 7 rejections--6 generic, 1 personalized--in two weeks. The personalized one was very encouraging. 10 agents I queried use QueryManager and 5 of those have gotten back to me already. Cecilia's observation is a good one. Like dating, the process is intensive, but it has to be to get the results both parties seek. I don't want a business partner who's less than 110% invested in my work. Anyway, that's keeping my spirits up for now. Keep these tremendous videos coming, Alyssa.

@squashfan9526 2 месяца назад

I reckon I'm now past 100 queries, still 'work in progress'. I've consumed lots of helpful videos and articles. Here's the key points I've learned: 1 - Publishing is first and foremost a business. It's commercial. Books are products for making money. 2 - Agents are not your friend. They are always looking to say no, at the earliest opportunity. 3 - Don't make it easy for them by failing to follow their simple query instructions. 4 - Be patient, keep going, don't take it personally.

@JohnDWJ 2 месяца назад

Thank you so much. Subscribed. I’ve been querying for about 9 months now. It has been quite a process of patience and moving through rejection, silence being the worst form of it. I feel good about my letter and my story. I’m sure I’ll find the right person as the energies align.

@rowan7929 2 месяца назад

That may explain why I get these generic responses saying "This is not what I'm looking for right now." Even when I read their bio what genres they represent and what tropes they want more. This makes me wonder when it's the right time they would see fit liking my MS.

@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319 2 месяца назад

That question's been bugging me since I started sending my work out to story magazines back in the 2000s. When they say things like "This is not what we're looking for right now", they make it so bloody vague that ya gotta ask yourself "When the hell is it going to be?"

@rowan7929 2 месяца назад

@@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319 Exact;y. Does it mean I can query them again in a month? I get it they get tones of letters and can't give to everyone a detailed response but anything but that. Another that drives me crazy is "that's not what I'm looking for." or "This doesn't sound like a fit for me." WTF? Your bio and wishlist clearly describes these genres and tropes you've listed.

@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319 2 месяца назад

@@rowan7929 And then a lot of these agents do some arbitrary disclaimers like "If I reject your work please do not come at me again until you've rewritten it". Rewrite what? You didn't even read the manuscript. You just read the query and stopped it right there.

@rowan7929 2 месяца назад

@@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319 Can't say I ever had a response like that. Mostly that I can query them again with another project.

@samp4050 Месяц назад

Thanks to the authors here for their honesty about receiving numerous rejections. It makes other authors like myself not feel alone with the rejections we have received too. So thanks and good luck to everyone, maybe this is our year to get a "yes" . ❤ Thanks Alyssa, your channel is my favourite one to learn from. Great information as always. ❤

@mre8340 2 месяца назад

Love this video and all your content! Thank you so much for your straightforward approach to the market! The one thing I’d probably add is that querying actually shouldn’t be like dating at all. It should be like speed interviewing or even Shark Tank. Writers tend to invest so much of themselves in the process that writing becomes more of an extension of themselves rather than a product that they produced through creativity. For better or worse, this creates an emotional attachment, similar to anything we endeavor to create. Consequently, we are now being rejected or accepted or questioned, rather than the product and it creates significant emotional turmoil with us. I think one of the best ways to overcome this is by using positive self talk such as; “I am not the character in my book,” or “this book was born out of creativity and I’m proud of it, but it doesn’t define me or change my intrinsic value.”

@KevinBarrettDalton 2 месяца назад

I'm getting ready to re-query a Victorian murder mystery novel I first queried over a year ago. I had gotten personalized feedback from (what I'm told is) a pretty high percentage of the agents I queried, but none of them wanted to see the book, unfortunately. I then got more feedback on it, revised it pretty extensively and will be sending it out again. My question is regarding the agents to whom I sent it the first time. Since they didn't say that they'd be willing to look at it again after revisions or anything like that, I assume I can't send it to those same agents again? And especially the ones that sent a form rejection. Which would be unfortunate, since I pretty well covered the vast majority of appropriate agents... Thanks for any advice you can provide, and I always find your videos informative and enjoyable.

@rachelparris8096 2 месяца назад

I just wanted to echo that in my experience referrals don't necessarily help (they don't hurt of course). I've queried two books and both had a decent request rate. Six of my queries were referrals to agents from author friends and only one of those resulted in a full request. All the other requests were from cold queries.

@y.t1670 2 месяца назад

I’ve been binging watching your videos lately, although my novel has 0 word so far 🤣🤣🤣 Good stuff! I’m a full time engineer. But maybe I’ll start writing my novel later this year, based on my own family saga 🤣 The motivation was that I hardly ever impressed by any family saga novels. What happened in real life in my family (a couple of generations before me) was much more ridiculous 🤣 And I like reading and writing. Maybe I’ll start my novel as a way to deviate from my daily engineering work and relax.

@larssjostrom6565 2 месяца назад

This is very informative. The first insider secret I have written in my notebook. I am glad for the comparison to speed dating, some people make it seem like I have to make a marriage proposal in my query letter by making someone feel very special to me.

@christinabriggs1782 2 месяца назад

Thank you for this Alyssa.You are a gem. 😁

@anandaferraresi 2 месяца назад

Alyssa, you are so necessary. Thank you.

@wilshade 2 месяца назад

Important and useful information as always. I learn something with each and every video. I'm in the home stretch of my finishing my book. Querying has started creeping into my thoughts. My goal is to have the book finished and ready for querying by the end of June.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 месяца назад

That's so exciting - best of luck as you finish your book and begin the querying process!

@mukibuzzamankhan987 2 месяца назад

Very helpful, thanks...

@latham4575 2 месяца назад

Thank you so much for these videos. I’m doing everything so can to make my first query as best as it can be. Your videos put me on track.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 месяца назад

I'm so glad you've found my videos helpful! Good luck with the querying process!

@elainaandre322 2 месяца назад

Skincare video?! You’re glowing!

@sharolynwells Месяц назад

In 1974, i submitted one of my novels, query, and synopsis to an agent. He was very encouraging and wanted to sign me. He said that my novel needed some editing, but he liked my story. Myoh uh 6th characters were "real" to him. He sent editing note on the copy when he sent my manuscript back to me. Three months later, i sent the edited manuscript to him. About three days later, i got a phone call from another agent who worked there. He said he'd read my manuscript and it was a No. I want to find an agent who believes in me like he did.

@ajiasaunders716 2 месяца назад

I love your videos! I know you talk a lot about getting into the publishing industry as an author but could you make a video about accessing the industry as a worker? I want to be an Editorial Assistant, Editor, or a Literary Agent but the competition is incredibly difficult. I know you have a video of how you got employed with the big five publishing houses but could you go into more detail? What did you do to stand out on your resume/cover letter? Did you have a background in books before being employed by any of them? Do you have advice for people trying to get internships! Love your videos! You are such a help when it comes to book writing! Keep going! It would be awesome to work with you one day.

@edsimnett 2 месяца назад

The idea that agents not using query tracker or equivalent would know about previous queries is 100% opposite from what I have been told by other agents, every other video on this topics talks about how many queries there are, and the work required to log submissions in detail would be insane. Change the title, word count and precise genre description, and how would they know it is not a different project anyway? It is entirely reasonable that an aspiring author might have a project a year or more (and why not query the same agents), while another might spend 10 years working on the same project?

@Caerulean 2 месяца назад

New setup's great but I just realized what's missing: the doggo. xD

@MrDanroche 2 месяца назад

Just started querying my latest manuscript. Kept the first batch small. 4 so far, might submit one more then wait

@MatthewHilferding 2 месяца назад

I've been actively querying for representation on an epic fantasy quadrilogy for some months now, but I've been going about it pretty slow, trying to keep fove letters out at a time. I've sent out about 30 or so, no requests, i jist got another rejection today.

@teacherninina 2 месяца назад

How do I see where I am on the agents reading queue through QT?😊

@trevormcneil9858 27 дней назад

Question about number of agents at the same agency. I have queried more than one agent at the same agency mostly accidentally after getting each name from a general list, and queried each once each time for a different project. Is this likely to cause me trouble at that agency?

@melsilva9158 2 месяца назад

I have a question for your AAA Wednesday. How do publishers manage taxes for royalties and advances? I would assume 1099, but I leave that up to you to answer.

@insanenajee9519 2 месяца назад

When agents request the first 50 or so pages does this include prologue ?

@AuthorGuy1 2 месяца назад

Then of course there are those of us who create our own genres. Good characters transcend genres and good books are built around good characters.

@larrybird4398 2 месяца назад

❤

@robertcoyle1532 2 месяца назад

This if off the subject, but it seems more and more books are being published without quotation marks around dialog. Is this no longer needed? Some times it's hard to figure out dialog from narrative. Shouldn't there be a uniform standard for English publications within the industry?

@freedomthroughspirit 2 месяца назад

If you've already written a full length complete book should you still query mentioning that it's already written? I'm not savvy about when you start querying. I'm writing a duology. Thanks for any advice.

@bettedavis45 2 месяца назад

The expectation that if it is fiction, it should be already written. Non fiction is different

@AlyssaMatesic 2 месяца назад

If you are writing fiction, agents will expect that you have a finished manuscript prior to querying them, so there's no need to mention it in the query letter. I have another video about when to start querying that you might find helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BxZ5TNMxXI0.html

@freedomthroughspirit 2 месяца назад

@bettedavis45 Ah thank you! That's where I was confused, appreciated. 🩷

@freedomthroughspirit 2 месяца назад

@@AlyssaMatesic Thank you! 😊 I'll go watch now. Cheers

@stebbigunn7690 Месяц назад

I have anovel i have queried, and was asked to reach out again if i had another work, after redoing the prolog, would it still be valid to send to them again?

@AlyssaMatesic Месяц назад

If an agent sends you a personalized rejection and encourages you to query them with future projects, I would definitely query them again with a new book! But I would not re-send them the same project unless you've made substantial revisions (such that it's essentially an entirely new book). I hope that helps!

@WizardKingMinato 2 месяца назад

Whats the best resource for finding agents? Query tracker? Is there anything else?

@AlyssaMatesic 2 месяца назад

Hi there - I have another video with a few different suggestions for finding reputable literary agents: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kP-zWzugpUE.html I hope that helps!

@LilyEvans1996 2 месяца назад

Can an American living in Europe query American literary agents?

@AlyssaMatesic 2 месяца назад

Absolutely! Agents in the U.S. represent authors from all over the world. I actually have another video about international publishing that you might find interesting: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-K2U3KFXTkFk.html

@LilyEvans1996 2 месяца назад

@@AlyssaMatesic thank you!!!

@RhalZahi 2 месяца назад

Can an agent really makes a difference? I have found a few publishers interested in my books but they asked me to pay some of the expenses because I am not a recognized author. Comparing what I have to pay them to publish my books against self publishing using print on demand I found mote benefits to be a self publisher. If I have an agent do you think it will make a difference.

@quixotiq 2 месяца назад

That sounds like hybrid otherwise known as vanity press

@YouTubeIsRunByMarxists 2 месяца назад

The sad truth is that lit agents DO NOT review queries. They find a reason to say NO and then go do other stuff. It's all they do: say NO as fast as they can, move on.

@TheSlickmicks 2 месяца назад

I gave up sending my queries. Someone tell me I'm a fool for giving up. Please. 😅😢

@AFringedGentian 2 месяца назад

You want to watch that giving up. I gave up querying and shelved a project. Next thing I know, I checked my email and had a full request from an agent I had completely forgotten I had queried!

@paulalansmart 2 месяца назад

The average is 70-100 queries how many have you sent?

@AFringedGentian 2 месяца назад

@@paulalansmartI got my full request on the seventy-fifth query. It’s brutal out there.

@PreviouslyDelicious 2 месяца назад

I can't say that without looking at your manuscript and query letter. If one of the other is weak, you will have a hard time getting an agent.

@AFringedGentian 2 месяца назад

Now mind you, this MSS and query that got my full request had been beta read, workshopped, edited and revised, and critiqued to death so when I say I gave up on it, I don’t say that lightly. I just wrote a fairly niche book that is having a hard time finding a home but because of the work I put in and the feedback I received, I’m confident that my work is excellent, just hard to place.

@drricksjoquist4358 2 месяца назад

Literary agents don't judge books by their cover but they make decisions based on reading the first ten pages. So much for giving the story and its chsracters the chance to develop. They want to be hooked right away even if it's unrealistic for the setting. And most now want books about sorcery, vampires, feminist heroines, gender identity, social justice and by minority authors. In other words, trendy woke stuff.

@momo_genX 2 месяца назад

I received a polite rejection from an agent within the first four days of querying about 15 agents for my debut novel. She said that though she liked the synopsis and query, she didn't connect with the sample like she needed tutu champion the project. (lol) I was happy because the first two chapters were written as a short story exposition, and though she didn't give feedback, she sent a link about writing the beginning of a novel. I had already bounced around rewriting the first two chapters. Thinking sneakily, though I would never do this...are there people that lie to agents saying they were offered representation and didn't, in order to make them take a deeper look? Other than the agency deciding to never read a letter from the person again, how would they find out?

@momo_genX 2 месяца назад

@VeraBrightfeather Of course I won't. I'm being a perfect gentleman.

@ThatbratYuffie 2 месяца назад

Should you disclose your LGBT identity in your bio when querying as a queer author? Or would this just allow unnecessary prejudice or seem like you are using your identity to get ahead?

@benjaminsmart6276 2 месяца назад

I know you didnt ask me, but do you want to be treated differently, one way or the other? If not, dont mention it. Why take the risk? A cis guy isnt going to disclose he's cis.

@LaloMacKenzie Месяц назад

Well from what I've seen some agents are explicitly looking for more diverse talent to represent. Or if it feels relevant to your story/story telling in my opinion.

@wassupinlasvegas9735 2 месяца назад

You can always fake it and write literary, bloating your word count in the absence of story, stakes, consequences, or even action. You may even end up with a bestseller or an award! Yay, word count!

@familycorvette 2 месяца назад

Alyssa, are you using some kind of filter on your face? There is a kind of "uncanny valley" thing going on, such as a hard line around your jawline and a porcelain-smooth glossiness to your face. I had stopped even watching your visuals and only listening because I found the effect so disturbing. Some of your recent uploads, such as "Your Definitive Guide to Novel Genres" looked more natural, but now we're back to "3D animation Alyssa." It's only me, but I would rather see a person's real face so I can watch the expressive emphasis they lend to what they say. Do whatever you please, but I wanted to chime in because I learn so much from your content and the filter is so distracting.

@akuma3955 2 месяца назад

Perhaps it's just makeup and light, pal I think she looks normal and pretty just like always If it disturbs you this much you can just hear this like a podcast, no?

@familycorvette 2 месяца назад

@@briankilgore8808 Since my comment received upvotes, I am not alone in this observation.