Hey, y’all! It’s March. Which means February is over. (That was fast.) Annnnnd I didn’t send out a newsletter in February. Yikes. But hey, life around me kind of blew up (in a good and bad way), and I’m just now getting my head above water. I sure hope y’all can forgive me. I’m here now and that’s what’s important, right? Plus, I think I’ve got a good one for today’s “My Writing Journey.” (Or so I hope you think it’s a good one.) It’s about my “My Agent Search Experience and Query Letter.” Isn’t that like finding a pot of gold, when you can read a successful query letter?!? I sure thought so when I was new in my journey. And I hope my advice/tips/tricks help you out in your agent search.
MY WRITING JOURNEY
While I wouldn’t consider myself a query expert by any means, I have gotten three agents over the last ten years. And my query letter for In the Hour of Crows landed me an agent who got me a six-figure deal (for one book) at auction with a big publisher. So I’d call my query letter a success. Everyone’s experience in the query trenches is different. This is my story. This is what worked for me…three times. (If you want to hear more about my experience working with three different agents, you can check out my November newsletter “Navigating Through 3 Agents” here.)
AGENT SEARCH
There are so many agents and agencies out there, it’s hard to know who is legit, who is good at their job, who is a go-getter, who is a heavy-hitter, who is a right fit, etc. etc. etc. Just because an agent is at a big agency, doesn’t mean they can sell your book. And just because they are at a boutique agency, doesn’t mean they can’t sell you big. All that to say, know what you want out of your career.When I first started, I just wanted to get published. The second time around, I wanted someone who take my career to the next level, which for me meant an agent at a bigger, well-known agency.…Agent #2 couldn’t sell a book for me though. By the time I got to my third agent, I was tired of fucking around. I had wasted a lot of time, and I wasn’t getting any younger. I wanted someone who could get me a big deal with a “Big 5” publisher, period. (Yes, I know it’s not five now.) That also meant I had to write a really fucking good book they couldn’t resist. (I’ll write more about that in a future newsletter.)...
To read the full newsletter, head on over to my Substack where you can read my actual query letter, see examples of my personal notes to agents, and view my query stats.
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