Agent

Why bash literary agents?

An X user (who I’m not convinced is real) recently posted a screed against literary agents for having the temerity not to represent her. It came off as pathetic.

I’ve had ups and downs in publishing, but I never entertained the idea of attacking agents. Is it frustrating to get rejected? Of course! But if you’re serious about publishing, you understand rejection is part of it. It’s part of any artistic field. It’s a part of life!

During my time querying (and even at one point getting an agent), never did one treat me unprofessionally.

What good would it do me to attack an agent because he or she passed? Who does it benefit?

If you post it on X, you’re broadcasting to the world “please, don’t ever consider working with me!”

Yes, you blew off some steam and feel self-righteous. And? You’re still unagented, and likely never will be.

Good luck out there to everyone stuck in the query trenches. Be strong. Above all else, be a pro.

Getting an agent rejection, and feeling relief?

An agent rejected me this morning. I saw the QueryTracker address in my inbox, felt the sense of doom that usually rears its head whenever I open a QT verdict from an agent, and then noticed something.

It was personalized! There was even a typo in it! Nothing major, and I don’t call it out to cast any aspersions on the agent–it was an open ( without a close. Any writer has had typos slip into his or her work; it’s a fact! Get over it. It doesn’t make them bad!

Simply put, the agent took the time to write some thoughts, specific ones!

Here’s what stood out: the agent said that I was a good writer based on my opening pages.

NEVER have I gotten a rejection that commented specifically on my writing. Speaking for myself, that’s the one thing I worry about above all else when an agent renders judgment: Is my writing any good? Is it up to snuff? I’d like to think I can string coherent sentences together without dreaded to-be verbs and go easy on adverbs/adjectives.

But until someone tells you, you don’t know.

The agent explained why the book might not be the best fit for the market, and that’s what gave pause.

Fine. I’m a big boy. I get how this business works. But I felt relief, in a sense. Not that I’m suddenly Faulkner or anything silly like that, but that I might have a puncher’s chance. Or not. It’s a brutal business, but I’ll navigate it with a little more confidence now.

And, no, I’m not naming the agent. So don’t ask!

Chances of getting picked up by an agent? Less than 2% (I think)

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!

Query Tracker: Hating rejection, but admiring Agents who ask questions …

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.

How many followers do you need in publishing?

The disheartening truth of modern publishing, it seems, is that your social media follower count dictates your probability for success.

I saw a tweet from a writer saying an agent loved the book but declined to take on the author because of too few followers.

I don’t know if this is true, but I’m inclined to believe it. That’s bad news for those of us who don’t like social media and prefer not to be on it because it’s unhealthy and time-consuming. That being said, I understand its importance but fear it’s relied upon too much by the publishing industry.

If a book is solid, people will buy it, and word will spread. Yes, social media helps this, but there was a time when it didn’t exist, and books still sold.

This doesn’t bode well for modern debut authors who might not have any following whatsoever. The way to gain followers is to publish a book that garners readers who want to learn about the author. You don’t need followers for that, just an account for people to find and follow

Regardless, that’s modern publishing, and you must adapt. I’m trying. I’ll follow you if you follow me. But it likely won’t be out of sincere interest on either part, only out of necessity to boost numbers.

So, how many followers is enough?

At What Point Did You Go Full Independent?

I’ve never self-published before. I’m old enough (50) to remember when readers at large frowned upon self-publishing. You’re not good enough for the Big Leagues. Why should I bother reading your crap?

Fortunately, that stigma, while not entirely gone, has been taken down a few pegs. Some of the most popular books (Legends & Lattes, Dungeon Crawler Carl, The Martian, We Are Legion [We Are Bob]) were all first self-published and are now massively successful. There are several other examples I could name.

So, it’s not that they’re not ready for the Big Leagues. They had to prove they were. And boy did they.

Many other authors got followers through independence, built a fan base, and were later picked up by the Big Five. It’s possible.

But when do you pull the trigger? At what point do you convince yourself that it’s you and nobody else?

I’m not there yet, but I am open to it. And I’d love to hear about when people reached their breaking points and hit publish on their own.

Is there anybody out there? (Say it like Roger Waters did from Pink Floyd’s The Wall.)