Worries about query request rates

summontherats · Feb 11, 2015

I am pretty sure I shouldn't be worried this early in the querying process. But I'm a worrier. I worry about everything, and I always want to do something to fix it, even if it's way too early for me to worry at all. So I need a touchstone to remind me that this is normal. (Or not!)

I'm up to 43 queries, and I don't know what to think. Very early in the querying process--in my first 12 queries--I got two full requests. And that's great! They didn't pan out, but they happened.

But for the 31 queries after that, I haven't gotten anything. It's form letters all the way down.

And I know 43 queries is really not that many, but it's frustrating. "2 fulls in 12 queries" is a pretty good. "Nothing in 31 queries" feels like I'm doing something wrong. And I didn't change anything! I just blew my luck all at once.

And every time I read a success story it sounds like these folks always had a ton of interest--they had a dozen partials out, half a dozen fulls, and three offers at the end of their journey. And I know that's not the case with everyone, but those stories make it sound like anyone who has a pretty good chance would know it.

So I worry! Is my request rate a red flag? Should I re-evaluate the query again? Or is this so very normal that I shouldn't sweat it until... I don't know, some later point?

ap123 · Feb 11, 2015

I don't know about your specific query or story, but this thread might be interesting to you.

popgun62 · Feb 11, 2015

It's really just hit and miss sometimes. I queried over 100 agents for each book I wrote and ended up publishing with small presses. When my fourth book was written, I only queried two agents before getting an offer.

Phaeal · Feb 11, 2015

Well, considering I went through 281 queries before agent, I don't think instant interest is a prerequisite to publication.

Not that instant interest wouldn't have been NICE, but look at it this way: If you ever do hit it big, the media loves hard knock-long struggle stories.

summontherats · Feb 11, 2015

ap123 said:
I don't know about your specific query or story, but this thread might be interesting to you.

Numbers! I love numbers! Thank you, that thread is awesome.

Saphron · Feb 11, 2015

In the same boat, summontherats. Well not quite, because you've gotten requests! I'm beginning to worry, because I'm not even getting rejects. Just.... silence. I've sent 8 queries in four months, all very targeted. At this point I'd like to start getting negative feedback so I can know my query sucks. Thanks for this post, it lessens my anxiety

Putputt · Feb 11, 2015

Has your query been through QLH? What category and genre are you querying? Sometimes it just depends on things outside of your control. I had really good success rates querying my YA books, but my adult low fantasy fared really badly, so much so I ended up trunking it. Some genres are just harder to venture into.

summontherats · Feb 11, 2015

Thank you for sharing your stories!

It's great to hear some that aren't "Everyone thought my manuscript was pure gold and I had to fend off agents with a stick." These are reassuring, really.

Putputt said:
Has your query been through QLH? What category and genre are you querying? Sometimes it just depends on things outside of your control. I had really good success rates querying my YA books, but my adult low fantasy fared really badly, so much so I ended up trunking it. Some genres are just harder to venture into.

Yep! It's on page 18. I'd link it, but my final query's very different than what I posted here. I made major changes based on the feedback here and refined that version through WriteOnCon and Pitch Wars. I could certainly do another run here.

It's YA fantasy, which seems very popular right now. Except Agent #1 read 75 pages and told me she'd classify it as a paranormal fantasy, which isn't apparently selling for debut authors. So maybe my story gives off vibes about a problematic subgenre or something. I don't know. Genre is a whole other kettle of fish! But I'm not in a narrow field, at least.

angeliz2k · Feb 11, 2015

Summontherats, I'm in a similar situation. I'm up to about 65 queries, with a hand-full of requests that didn't work out. I haven't gotten any requests recently.

It's almost impossible to parse. Does the string of non-responses mean something, or is it coincidental? Is it the query, the first pages, or just the premise? In your case, maybe there's just a shit-ton of YA fantasy, and you're getting lost in the deluge.

I can't help, exactly. I can only offer sympathy.

Putputt · Feb 11, 2015

I don't know much about YA paranormal...all I know is that having anything with vampires and werewolves seems to be the kiss of death. If you've made major changes to the query, it might be worth doing another round in QLH. Have you also had your opening pages beta'ed?

summontherats · Feb 11, 2015

It's almost impossible to parse. Does the string of non-responses mean something, or is it coincidental? Is it the query, the first pages, or just the premise? In your case, maybe there's just a shit-ton of YA fantasy, and you're getting lost in the deluge.

Yes, yes, yes, exactly. I just want to know what it means! It's probably random, since I've tried to query my dream agents at different times. But what could some interest and a dry spell mean? Maybe the idea doesn't have wide appeal? Maybe the query is borderline enough that only a few agents decided to take a risk on it? Or maybe it's fine, and this is normal, because everyone can't have a 20% request rate! I drive myself crazy.

It's nice to hear about other people in the same situation, though.

Putputt said:
I don't know much about YA paranormal...all I know is that having anything with vampires and werewolves seems to be the kiss of death. If you've made major changes to the query, it might be worth doing another round in QLH. Have you also had your opening pages beta'ed?

Ha, it's fuzzy! It's a fantasy world with faux-Victorian culture, magic, and bodiless immortals who possess humans. I was so confused when the agent called it "paranormal" that I posted here to ask about it, and people were divided between "No, paranormal = pseudo-science like vampires and ghosts" and "Sure, anything with possession as a major story element could be paranormal." Genre's weird. I just call it YA fantasy.

But phew. Yeah. It might be time to go back to QLH. I had the first page reviewed recently, but no one's picked over the revised version.

Cass Scotka · Feb 11, 2015

If it makes you feel better, I just did a Twitter contest and didn't get any hits at all, while others had every agent begging for the ms. I figure it's one of three things for me: 1. My query sucks. 2. The YA paranormal genre is flooded. 3. My book sucks.
I truly don't think it's #3 and #2 I can't do anything about, so I'm going with revise and rewrite my query! See you in QLH!

Fuchsia Groan · Feb 11, 2015

summontherats said:
It's YA fantasy, which seems very popular right now. Except Agent #1 read 75 pages and told me she'd classify it as a paranormal fantasy, which isn't apparently selling for debut authors.

My agent has also told me to avoid paranormal, which seems to mean "anything supernatural in the real world," not just werewolves and vampires. But if yours happens in a secondary world, I dunno. Maybe it's on the borderline; maybe you'll have more success after the paranormal trend has receded into distant memory.

I've never had multiple agent offers or people beating down my door; I've never been favorited in Pitmad. But I have had two agents, one of whom sold my book.

So it can happen — but it's worth noting that I kept polishing my query and pages with each batch I sent. (I've always been a slow querier due to getting demoralized easily.) So don't let silence discourage you, but do make sure your materials are as good as they possibly can be.

summontherats · Feb 11, 2015

All these stories are super helpful.

Cass Scotka said:
If it makes you feel better, I just did a Twitter contest and didn't get any hits at all, while others had every agent begging for the ms. I figure it's one of three things for me: 1. My query sucks. 2. The YA paranormal genre is flooded. 3. My book sucks.
I truly don't think it's #3 and #2 I can't do anything about, so I'm going with revise and rewrite my query! See you in QLH!

Ha! I don't know if it makes me feel better, but Twitter contests are the worst. I know many very talented people who have had luck with them, but I never have. They leave me feeling horribly stressed.

And if I see you on QLH, I'll leave a comment!

Jamesaritchie · Feb 12, 2015

Your query and your novel have nothing in common. A bad query can kill or long delay a good novel, and a good query will never sell a bad novel.

But numbers absolutely do matter. No agent says no to a query that blows her socks off. They just don't. The real problem with queries is that you can close your eyes, pick ten at random, and all ten will say the same basic thing, and in the same basic way. There is no such thing as knock your socks off when every query sounds like every other query. Yes, each may have a different plot and different characters, but this means nothing. When this is the only difference, it is all a crap shoot, and you may go through a hundred, or two hundred agents, with very few, or no, requests.

To know an agent's socks off, you have to be different. You can't tell an about about your book, and you can't tell an agent about your writing. You have to show them how well you can write, and you have to show them you can say things in a way that makes them say, "Wow, I didn't expect that."

My problem with such things as Query Hell is that they tend to make every query sound like every other query, which means you get the same results as every other query.

Be bold, be different, write sentences that shatter expectations, that take left turns into the unexpected but true. Just one brilliant sentence that make an agent say, "Wow!" separates your query from all the others. A great query, one that gets an extremely high number of requests, uses the same vibrant language, say the same vibrant, unexpected things you're promising your novel will say.

It's the same principle as how you write the first line, the first page, of the novel itself.

The vast majority of queries just make a reader's eyes glaze over, regardless of plot or characters. Good queries do not do this. Good queries open a reader's eyes wide, make them gasp or smile, and make them want to read the novel as quickly as possible to see if it's as good as the query shows it will be.

Take some chances, be bold, write just one sentence that makes an agent say, "Wow, this guy can flat write!"

Starrbaby · Mar 5, 2015

Is there a like button?

Starrbaby · Mar 5, 2015

summontherats said:
I am pretty sure I shouldn't be worried this early in the querying process. But I'm a worrier. I worry about everything, and I always want to do something to fix it, even if it's way too early for me to worry at all. So I need a touchstone to remind me that this is normal. (Or not!)

I'm up to 43 queries, and I don't know what to think. Very early in the querying process--in my first 12 queries--I got two full requests. And that's great! They didn't pan out, but they happened.

But for the 31 queries after that, I haven't gotten anything. It's form letters all the way down.

And I know 43 queries is really not that many, but it's frustrating. "2 fulls in 12 queries" is a pretty good. "Nothing in 31 queries" feels like I'm doing something wrong. And I didn't change anything! I just blew my luck all at once.

And every time I read a success story it sounds like these folks always had a ton of interest--they had a dozen partials out, half a dozen fulls, and three offers at the end of their journey. And I know that's not the case with everyone, but those stories make it sound like anyone who has a pretty good chance would know it.

So I worry! Is my request rate a red flag? Should I re-evaluate the query again? Or is this so very normal that I shouldn't sweat it until... I don't know, some later point?

I'm in a similar boat. 39 queries out. Got 1 partial request immediately. A month or so passed, sent out another batch and got 2 more partial requests and 1 full. The full is still out and the rest were no's. The general feedback is "good voice", "clear writing" and "just couldn't connect with MCs". It stings, but after so many form rejections, I've come to appreciate feedback in all its forms.

Like you, I've thought about reworking my query. But I've also considered tinkering with my book again (shudder). It's hard to know what to do. Hang in there. You're not alone!

FLChicken · Mar 6, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
Be bold, be different, write sentences that shatter expectations, that take left turns into the unexpected but true. Just one brilliant sentence that make an agent say, "Wow!" separates your query from all the others. A great query, one that gets an extremely high number of requests, uses the same vibrant language, say the same vibrant, unexpected things you're promising your novel will say.

"

I haven't queried just yet, but wanted to say your post is super helpful.

elinor · Mar 8, 2015

ap123 said:
I don't know about your specific query or story, but this thread might be interesting to you.

Is there a password on this post or something? I'm logged in but can't access it.

Fuchsia Groan · Mar 8, 2015

elinor said:
Is there a password on this post or something? I'm logged in but can't access it.

The thread's in QLH, so it's requesting the password for that forum.

I found it really helpful!

Troyen · Mar 11, 2015

I feel your pain. I am up to 41 (I just counted). So far I have had one request for full and one for partial. Neither worked out. One said that it was a very moving story line, but she didn't connect with my narration style and the other said that it was interesting and well-written, but the present day portion of the story wasn't moving fast enough for her. I know the rejections are just what I expect at this point. But I think one of the reasons I get such a low response is because I have no credentials to speak of and the book is over the 100,000 mark on word count. Oh well. I already cut almost 19,000 words out.

Argus · Mar 26, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
Your query and your novel have nothing in common. A bad query can kill or long delay a good novel, and a good query will never sell a bad novel.

But numbers absolutely do matter. No agent says no to a query that blows her socks off. They just don't. The real problem with queries is that you can close your eyes, pick ten at random, and all ten will say the same basic thing, and in the same basic way. There is no such thing as knock your socks off when every query sounds like every other query. Yes, each may have a different plot and different characters, but this means nothing. When this is the only difference, it is all a crap shoot, and you may go through a hundred, or two hundred agents, with very few, or no, requests.

To know an agent's socks off, you have to be different. You can't tell an about about your book, and you can't tell an agent about your writing. You have to show them how well you can write, and you have to show them you can say things in a way that makes them say, "Wow, I didn't expect that."

My problem with such things as Query Hell is that they tend to make every query sound like every other query, which means you get the same results as every other query.

Be bold, be different, write sentences that shatter expectations, that take left turns into the unexpected but true. Just one brilliant sentence that make an agent say, "Wow!" separates your query from all the others. A great query, one that gets an extremely high number of requests, uses the same vibrant language, say the same vibrant, unexpected things you're promising your novel will say.

It's the same principle as how you write the first line, the first page, of the novel itself.

The vast majority of queries just make a reader's eyes glaze over, regardless of plot or characters. Good queries do not do this. Good queries open a reader's eyes wide, make them gasp or smile, and make them want to read the novel as quickly as possible to see if it's as good as the query shows it will be.

Take some chances, be bold, write just one sentence that makes an agent say, "Wow, this guy can flat write!"

This. This, this, this.

Worries about query request rates

summontherats

Generally More of a Lurker

ap123

Twitching

popgun62

Keeper of the pace.

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

summontherats

Generally More of a Lurker

Saphron

Putputt

permanently suctioned to Buz's leg

summontherats

Generally More of a Lurker

angeliz2k

never mind the shorty

Putputt

permanently suctioned to Buz's leg

summontherats

Generally More of a Lurker

Cass Scotka

Fuchsia Groan

Becoming a laptop-human hybrid

summontherats

Generally More of a Lurker

Jamesaritchie

Starrbaby

Starrbaby

FLChicken

elinor

Fuchsia Groan

Becoming a laptop-human hybrid

Troyen

practical experience, FTW

Argus