Have you queried agents

Have You Queried Agents?

If you plan to publish traditionally, the least expensive way to see if your novel works is to query literary agents. Querying is also the most time consuming and possibly the most frustrating way to test your manuscript’s readiness. And, as mentioned above, you can burn bridges with potential agents if you query a novel before it meets traditional publishing standards.

If you have queried agents but haven’t received any requests for a full manuscript, it could mean that you are querying the wrong agents or that there’s a problem with your query letter. Or it might mean that there’s a flaw in your novel’s basic premise or that there are obvious issues around category norms or genre expectations. For example, if the word count is very low or very high, a novel can be hard to sell. First books are easier to get traditionally published if they are between 60,000 and 100,000 words (lower for children’s lit). There are exceptions, of course, but they are often by authors with track records. Even J. K. Rowling started the Harry Potter series in the 75,000-word range.

If you have gotten a request for the full manuscript but haven’t received an offer of representation, it could mean that the agent liked your query, premise, and the first few pages but doesn’t think they can sell your novel to a publishing house. If you can’t figure out why this is and they don’t tell you, and if you would rather stick with this novel than start a new one, you may benefit from the clear, relatively objective feedback of a freelance editor.