Querying Agents

As there is an art to writing, there is an art to querying agents.  When I told friends that I finished writing a book and was querying agents, they assumed it would be a quick process.  God bless their wee hearts.  

Querying an agent is like speed dating without the speed.  You both have something to offer, and you're trying to find a match.  Each agent, and rightfully so, will want something different from the author.  Some will want a query, a synopsis, and the first ten pages.  Others may want a query and the first fifty pages.  This is their method to see if they are interested enough to ask for more of the book.  Oh.  You didn't think there was an immediate offer of representation, did you?  Bless YOUR wee heart.  It's a true collaboration between two people wanting the same thing.

I've put out queries for "Chimera" and am still waiting to hear from probably two-thirds of the agents I queried.  But I received truly the best email of non-representation ever.  Let me share a bit:

Dear Crystal,  

 

I’m honored to be one of the agents you considered to represent your hard work. Unfortunately, though your premise is intriguing, I don’t feel as invested in the overall project as I need to be its best champion, and so I'm going to pass.  

*******

First of all, "honored."  She is "honored."  That's a nod to my hard work of banging my head and fingers against the keyboard to create a story I love with my soul and want to share with the world.  Then she goes on to say that my premise is "intriguing."  That's my little boost right there.  Thank you for taking the time to comment on my work.  It's beyond appreciated.  Then she says she doesn't feel she can be its best champion.

And I say thank you.

That's what the author needs.  That's what we're looking for.  A champion.  

I will DIE on that hill for this book.  Give my last breath.  My last heartbeat.  And I'm looking for someone willing to do the same.  That's what an agent will do for the author.  It's a collaboration, a marriage of sorts, between the two where they both work their hardest for the work.  

Still looking for my match.  But he/she is out there.  Because, as I've always said:  A good book will find a home.  Don't ever give up on yourself or your work.

Always writing*