If you are getting ready to send out your query and you are considering sending to Books & Such, this post is for you. I’d like to walk you through the behind-the-scenes process of what happens to your query letter when you send to Books & Such.
We accept queries that are approximately one page in length and we want them to include a brief description of the project and an author bio. Query letters should be emailed in the body of the email to representation @booksandsuch.com (remove space). We do not accept attachments.
When you email your query to us you should get an immediate auto-reply. Our auto-reply states that we have received your query and will look at it, but can no longer respond to all queries. We get more than 100 query letters each week, so it has become impossible to send individual replies. The auto-response also shares that we will respond within 30 days if we are interested in taking a look at a proposal or complete manuscript for the project. If you don’t hear back within 30 days, it is a sign that we do not believe we are a good fit for your project at this time.
All of the query letters are reviewed by our office assistant, and if she thinks the idea has merit, she will send it along to the appropriate agent for the final decision. If your query letter piques the agent’s interest, she will respond to you to request that you send a proposal with sample chapters. If the proposal seems like a good fit, we will request a full manuscript for fiction, or contact you to arrange a phone call to discuss representation for nonfiction authors. We don’t need a full manuscript for nonfiction projects, though it is often a good idea to have your book completed. Sometimes a publishing house will want to see the whole book, or at least additional chapters before accepting the project for publication.
Unfortunately, we have to pass on most of the projects we receive query letters for. We can only take on the ones that really speak to us. If you are rejected by us, it doesn’t mean that you can’t submit a future idea. We will also look at a second query for the same book if the idea has been significantly revised.
Always be sure to check out an agency’s website before sending a query!
I wish you the best as you begin or continue your hunt for agent representation!
Are you planning to query for a project in 2023? Do you have any query tips to offer other writers? Feel free to share here!
Four Priceless Perks of Attending a Writer’s Conference
Don’t think that I will send a query
this or any other year.
Things are rough, and it’s very
vital to stay with what’s dear.
Writing novels was a blast,
I don’t regret them, not a one,
but now they fade into the past,
a race that I’ve already run.
I care for wife and dogs instead,
and still will write some poetry,
build stocks for guns to clear my head,
and meditate for clarity
on how I might spend every day
as my loved life slips away.
Thank you so much, Rachel! It is always so good to see the curtain pulled back to reveal the mysteries of what is going on behind the scenes in publishing. I actually must admit that I miss sending out paper queries. I love the process of buying some nice resume paper (Ivory on linen maybe?) and holding my hopes in my hands before I send them out. Plus, the paper smells so nice! That is part of what I love about attending a writers conference. I get to pull out that box of resume paper and have one sheets printed, yay! Thank you again for this fun post and God bless as you guys read all those queries, wow!
Dear Rachel, Actually, I just sent a one page query to Janet Kobobel Grant before I saw your email.
“YOU ARE MINE” is a work of non-fiction.
Your Literary Management really stands out from all of the others. Thank you so much for being supportive!
Respectfully,
Linda A. Evans
Winner of the State House of Representatives of Arizona Primary for 2022, “candidate for the Unborn”