Blogger: Rachel Kent
If you are submitting query letters into the sea of literary agents and editors and you aren’t getting any bites, the reason could be one of these below. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that your query is one in hundreds that agents or editors receive each month, so the competition is fierce.
Here are four reasons your query might be passed up:
1) You’ve written about a perennial topic without a unique angle or strong platform.
You decided to write about parenting, marriage, prayer, dieting or some other large topic but you are not the expert in the field and/or you don’t have a unique approach. It’s extremely difficult to find a unique angle on these overdone topics, so approach perennial topics cautiously. If you aren’t an expert with a large following, your time and energy might be better spent writing something else.
2) Your query letter is poorly written.
Maybe you didn’t take the time to spell check or to ask some beta-readers to take a look and give you feedback. Or perhaps you didn’t follow the query guidelines listed on the agency or publishing house website. Maybe you wrote the entire letter with CAPS LOCK on or you didn’t do justice to your story in your brief description. If you don’t do well with a one-page letter, how confident is an agent or editor going to feel about your ability to write a quality book?
3) The topic wasn’t right for the agent or editor you submitted to.
Sometimes your query is beautifully written and on a great topic and it is still rejected. Most of the time this is because the story or project didn’t grab the interest of the agent or editor. They might have been mildly interested, but they might be mildly interested in 50 of the query letters that came that month. You need to find the agent or editor who really gets your idea and this can take time.
4) You wrote your book for a niche market.
I received a query for a book that was heartfelt and powerful, but it was specifically aimed toward a support community for one type of cancer. This book was unlikely to be salable and so I couldn’t take it on. Publishing houses are always looking for books that can appeal to a broad readership, so be careful about limiting yours. There are some publishing houses that do publish books for specific niche markets, but your best bet is to keep your potential audience as big as you can.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
I have a book for everyone,
and I ain’t telling lies,
that calls to that which we become,
for everybody dies.
I can help you down the path
to make the years worthwhile,
and if you want my autograph
I’ll give it with a smile.
Problem is, the book won’t sell
for no-one wants to face their end;
nor did I, when I was well,
and ’twas better to pretend
that death would happen, sometime, never
and summertime would be forever.
Julia Kay
Thank you for devoting the time to write and send these blogs. Some information is new to me, some blogs are great reminders to do what I know to do, but I find valuable content every. single. time.
Emily | To Unearth
Thanks for this info! It can be frustrating when I don’t hear back at all, although I know, like you said, agents receive hundreds of queries! That must be overwhelming. Thank you for taking the time to get this message out to us. 🙂 Do you have any suggestions for when we don’t hear back? Should we try again in a year after refining the query? Or keep trying other agents?
Morgan Tarpley Smith
Thanks for the insight, Rachel! I’ll keep this in mind when I start querying this year! 🙂
Kristen Joy Wilks
Thanks, Rachel. It can be baffling to keep sending stuff out and not hear back. These can give us a few clues.