Vicky Weber is a literary agent at Creative Media Agency and a children’s book author. She appears frequently in my X feed, and I find her posts informative. One recent one directed me to a blog post in which she describes the reality of being picked up by an agent. You can find it here.
In addition to fewer agents and editors working (and editors acquiring fewer manuscripts), it’s easier than ever to query an agent thanks to QueryTracker. Agents are flooded with queries, but take on only a few new clients a year. (I’m sure that number fluctuates depending on an agent’s current list, etc.)
Vicky reports receiving 5,000 queries in 2025. Let’s be generous and say she took on 10 new authors. Now, do the math: 10 divided by 5,000 is .002. I’m not sure how many decimal places to move; it’s either 2% or 0.2%. Whatever the case may be, the chances aren’t good.
So, what to do?
Fortunately, writers have options that those in other artistic fields don’t: direct access to the market thanks to Amazon, B&N, IngramSpark, and many other platforms that allow authors to publish their work. I’m considering this option myself. It’s daunting, but an option all the same.
And I might requery Vicky. I made the mistake of doing so well more than a year ago when I shouldn’t have. When you think you’re ready to query any agent, ask yourself this: Has anyone who I don’t know read my work and given me feedback? If the answer is no, then don’t query. Will there be exceptions to the rule? Sure. But I’m a realist. If you can afford it, get your manuscript professionally edited. It’s expensive, but look at it as an investment. And learn from it. It doesn’t mean you’ll get an agent, but if you work with your editor and understand why changes might be needed, you’ll have a much better product.
So, thank you, Vicky. You may or may not see me in your QT inbox, but I might give it another shot. Oh, I follow back!
Like you, and like a vast majority of decent people, I am not listed in the Epstein files. At least nobody’s made me aware of my presence in them. I’m pretty sure I’ve never met the guy, and I know for a fact I was never on some creepy island with him.
The same cannot be said of a surprising number of people who are mentioned in the files. At least two current and former presidents (Trump and Clinton), a former treasury secretary (Lawrence Summers), and a bunch of others, like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and a bunch of other billionaires. Here’s a photo released by the Justice Department that depicts what I can only describe as a slew of Bond villains huddled around a table, planning world domination.
Here’s what I’d like to know: How many Epstein files are there? There must be a solid number; otherwise, we’d have infinite reams of paper that would tilt the planet off course into the sun. I woke up the other day to the news that 3 million more Epstein files were released. Look, the Justice Department has a library dedicated to him! And not the kind with two stone lions flanking the entrance.
Here’s a thought exercise: How many files are related to you? Like, if someone released the Manochio files, I’m certain they could fit in one manila folder. Nobody would have to pass legislation requiring someone to build an online database to hold them.
I suppose this is what’s known as “rich people problems.” Meaning, if you’re rich, you might somehow cross paths with a millionaire child predator and wind up in some devious archive.
Whatever the case may be, nobody will be satisfied. Even if Jesus Christ showed up and said, “There are no more Epstein files. They have all been released,” a cadre of people would still believe there are more out there, and they’re really awful, trust us.
When you’re contemplating going indie, you need to save money. It’s that simple. Because you may not want to, and many people likely don’t, but you will need to spend money if you realistically want to sell books.
You need to get your manuscript edited, and not by family and friends. You need an objective pair of eyes to scour your manuscript. And if the editor’s good, he or she will not hold back and will let you know what needs fixing.
Then there’s the cover art. That’s the second most important aspect of putting out your own work. At least I think it is, and I’ve never done it before. But after the story, you need something professional to go up against the Big 5 and the reputable (somewhat big) independent publishers, and there are a few that rival the Big 5.
A good cover, in my humble opinion (and I could be wrong and will gladly admit that I am), will cost a few thousand dollars, and that’s simply a guess on my part based on what I’ve seen out there.
Take Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes:
Version 1.0.0
Did you know Travis self-published his book first, not expecting his cozy fantasy to explode the way it did? Well, he did, and I recommend everyone who’s thinking of going full indie to read the wonderful chronicle of his journey. He is a strong advocate of ensuring a self-published book looks as close to a traditionally published one as possible. He doesn’t say how much he spent on his cover (and it’s a great one), but he implies it was not cheap.
Now, if you can’t afford a super-expensive cover, that’s fine. I get it. This is reality. We have more pressing purchases than a flashy cover, which doesn’t guarantee you’ll sell anything. At the same time, anyone can spot a bad self-pubbed book cover. That isn’t to be mean, it’s simply the truth.
If I go independent, I want to give myself the best possible chance to succeed, knowing what I am up against (professional book publishers) and that millions of books from trad/indie authors are released a year.
That brings me to my website. I’m not sure what I paid in 2013 to get a professional website made, but I’m guessing it was at least $500, and I didn’t mind paying it. I knew nothing about code and didn’t want the hassle. And I was pleased with the outcome. I wasn’t looking for anything flashy, just a logical landing spot. I’ll keep that landing page for a little while longer until I transfer to the WordPress site I’m building. It won’t look much different than my current one. The difference is that I spent roughly $150 to go it alone (paying for the WordPress subscription that provides access to all the features). I was given quotes of $750 to $800 for SquareSpace packages from professionals. I found those quotes fair, honestly. I’d received ones in the $2,000 range.
And I’m enjoying the process of learning it as I go. Does it look like some super-snazzy author website? Not right now. But it gets better-looking every day as I figure things out. The money I’m saving will absolutely go toward a cover if I go that route. And to me, that’s a worthwhile tradeoff. (I can always hire a professional if need be to help with the bells and whistles.)
Every dollar counts.
And I haven’t even gotten to marketing yet. Sheesh.
Website overhaul!
Please forgive the appearance of my website as it gets a much-needed overhaul.
As a former newspaper reporter from 1999-2011, I know layoffs happen. I managed to leave on my own terms; however, some friends didn’t, and I watched them clean out their desks and leave the office.
So, when word broke that the Washington Post laid off 300 workers, many of them journalists, I, like many other decent people, felt compassion for them, whoever they are. They have families and bills like the rest of us.
What is a bit overwrought is this notion floating around journalistic circles that reporters should never be victims of the economic laws of reality. The newspaper, like many, bleeds money: $100 million last year alone.
But because WaPo owner Jeff Bezos is a billionaire, he should essentially keep subsidizing the newspaper because reporters are precious to democracy, or something.
“If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission that has defined this paper for generations and serve the millions who depend on Post journalism, then The Post deserves a steward that will,” the Washington Post Guild, a union that represents Post employees, said on X.
I didn’t hear these same journalists lamenting Amazon (owned by Bezos) laying off 16,000 people last month. Bezos is a multi-billionaire and could probably subsidize the salaries and benefits for the 16,000 unfortunate folks. Did the Post run an editorial demanding that?
Also, did you know that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is closing entirely in a few months? I didn’t until I heard someone on television say it in passing. I’m sure whoever owns the PPG is a millionaire. Maybe he/she should’ve just sucked up the losses and kept throwing money into a losing venture.
But that’s not realistic. Newspapers aren’t the US Post Office, which loses millions of dollars a year, into the billions, and is subsidized by the government. If the government had to operate by reality’s rules and not get to print money, the USPS would’ve been nixed long ago.
So, what makes newspapers so special? Public polling routinely shows that our trust in the media is at record lows. Trust me, 99.9% of the country will quickly recover from the WaPo no longer having a sports section. And unlike the PPG, the WaPo will continue to exist, at least for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, the paper will figure out how to turn a profit; otherwise, the future’s looking pretty bleak.
Every author needs a website. I’ve had one since 2014, and based on what people I contacted on Reedsy said, it apparently dates back to the Stone Age.
So, new book or not, I need to update my site. The lady I hired more than 13 years ago was nice as can be. She built the website from scratch and it’s currently hosted on HostGator. And when I go to review the code, I see things like this:
HTML <<44 smfjoeodm xxxxx fdsoirms.fne>>
<tm> PL ^##skjed <crush> uuz # TML.
And there are HUNDREDS of those rows! I have no idea what any of that is, as I’ve never learned to code. And I hope I never have to. I could go back to the designer, but that would cost more. That’s fine. Or, I could hire someone to build a new website. I’ve gotten quotes on Reedsy ranging from $750 to $800, which I find reasonable. And I’ve gotten ones for thousands of dollars.
If you get to Squarespace, it’s quite intuitive. Meaning, in theory, I could build my own website without knowing any code.
I’ll have to renew HostGator in March, which will cost money. Or I could sign up with Squarespace and take the plunge (and still spend money, but it’s far less than $800).
I don’t need anything fancy. I just want something functional that looks nice and professional. I don’t need animations with dragons swooping across the screen. And if you’ve ever thought about going indie, you’ll need not just a good book cover, but a great one. That will cost over $1,000, likely more. (I got a quote for $10,000!) I won’t spend that much, but I will certainly invest in a great book cover because, let’s face it, some indie book covers look unprofessional. And this isn’t a knock on any author or artist. People choose what they can reasonably afford and what they think looks good on them. Heck, I had small presses (that are no longer in business) make excellent covers and, frankly, cringy ones. It’s the way it is.
But if you’re going indie, you want the most professional-looking product possible, both inside and out. That will cost thousands of dollars. Can it be cheaper? Sure. But it won’t look good. You and I both know it.
So, if creating my own website can save me money that can go toward a cover (I’ve already had it professionally edited, and that was pricey but worth it), I figure, why not try it? If I screw up, I can always go back to the professionals I originally contacted and see if they’ll take me on.
If you’re a querying author, you must know about Query Tracker or else you have no idea what you’re doing. It’s a helpful author resource for writers to query agents representing their genres and easily keeps track of to whom you’ve submitted, and also archives who’s rejected you, and who’s requested material, and whether you’ve received an offer of representation or publication. Publishers (mostly smaller, independent ones) also use it.
That’s the love part. Not long ago, writers either emailed their material (and some agents still require this; it’s made clear on their profiles) or snail-mailed their queries with a SASE. One of QT’s popular features is a form many agents use, allowing authors to enter all pertinent information and requested materials (synopsis, first chapter, query letter).
Then there’s the hate part. The rejections. If you’re an author who’s been through the query trenches, you understand rejection comes with the territory. Those agents who use the QT form tend to reply, and mostly use form rejections that are emailed to you with QueryTracker in the subject line. And whenever I see that in my inbox, I get this sense of doom. Why? Because I know it’s a rejection. I’m going by experience here. And I’m not complaining. This is the business I have chosen. You simply delete and move on because the agent’s already done that with you. That’s the harsh reality because most reputable (and disreputable) agents receive hundreds if not thousands of queries a month.
But you must do it. I received a material request from an agent I found on QT, but it didn’t work out. So, there can be a positive outcome, if not the desired one
Some agents ask for the bare basics: Name, email, Book Info, Query, and sample material.
Other agents pose several questions for the author to answer (some are optional). That was my experience with an agent I queried recently. I was asked: How long have I been a writer? What’s my biggest strength as a writer? What’s my biggest weakness as a writer? What genres do I plan to write in the future? What inspired me to write my manuscript? What is my favorite part of the story? Why do I feel this agent is the right fit for me?
Personally, I love the agents who ask these questions (not many do, and this agent asked by far the most). Some authors might be put off by this, like, why does the agent need all this info? What’s the point?
Those authors are idiots. Does answering them require more thought and time? Yes! But I found that answering them made me think about why I started doing this in the first place and got me to reflect on my good and bad experiences in the publishing industry. Never has an agent asked me about my favorite part of the story, and it got me thinking. I answered honestly and enjoyed it because I remembered writing the dialogue and laughing along the way! And most importantly, putting in the time and effort to answer all the questions made me believe in my work even more. Corny as that sounds, it’s true.
I hope the agents who ask these questions read all the answers before rendering judgment because writers personalize themselves more if they take the questions seriously, and give an agent a clearer picture of the querying writer.
In the end, do I think the agent will ask for more material? My gut tells me no simply because it’s been my experience. I’m a grim realist, and I attribute this to living in New Jersey.
But whatever the case, I’m glad I was asked, and if answering those questions can help tip the scales, by all means answer them!
Be professional, take the time, think about what you’re typing, and don’t cut and paste generic answers you might have concocted for simplicity’s sake!
In the end, you can and will get your book published. Be it traditionally, indie-trad, or full indie yourself. The journey might have bumps along the way. Learn from them. And keep moving.
