As I began to sit down and again start submitting to agents for my fifth project, I had a thought. How do other writers do it? It dawned on me that although I’d heard often how writers crafted query letters, I was not sure of their process for sending them out.

For the most part, I submit to agents the way I’ve always done it with a little recent help from a site I’m in love with called Query Tracker. 

Naturally, I start by picking the agents I want to submit to.  I find them a number of ways.  

First I look through all the books I think are similar to what I have written and try to find the writer’s thank you to their agent. This often involves a lot of research online.

I expand the search and attempt to find books that I might not have read, but that are in a similar genre.

Of course the trusty huge agent and publisher books are helpful, but I admit that I often find searching through them daunting, even with a “helpful” index.

Query Tracker has saved me from wrestling with those huge books, offering a fast searchable list of agents based on what they are looking for, and I love how easy it is to click on the website link and be brought directly to that agent’s page as opposed to have to type them in myself.

As far as the query letter, of course each one is addressed to a specific agent at that agency whose profile wants match what I’ve written (or so the hope goes).  

Most agents accept email submissions (thanks for getting with the times, guys), and a good number of them only want to receive queries that way.  I love this—it is far faster to cut and paste a letter (and cheaper) as opposed to having to print and mail it out.

Although some agents request that you inform them if you are doing multiple submissions, and even though I do send to many at once, I no longer include this information in the query letter.  I feel, perhaps incorrectly, that this biases them against me or makes me look undesirable in their eyes. Plus, I feel it is unfair for them to expect writers to send their work to only one person who, more times than not, will hold onto it for months, only to send a “Thanks, no thanks!” form letter. Better to have multiple agents holding onto the piece, and if you are lucky enough to have one say, “Yes!” Then a quick follow-up email or letter letting those other agents know your work is no longer available is not hard to do. 

Once all those no’s come in, I find the next agent or agents in my list and send a similar but tailored query letter to them. AndI make sure to record those submissions, the who and when, in an excel spreadsheet, which helps me keep all the players straight—most of the time!

But, sadly, although my query letter is professional, straight to the point and strictly tailored to the individual agent, I’ve had little success. 

In fact, the one time I was very successful was when I wrote a crazy, almost attacking query letter, to an agent, telling her how I was sick of not being taken seriously.  She responded, actually apologized for not getting back to me sooner, and I (floating on a cloud/walking through a dream) took an early morning bus ride to New York City. 

Needless to say, I didn’t get a book deal—if I had I probably would not be asking you this question.  When push came to shove I found myself unwilling (or unable?) to rewrite the novel strictly for the Young Adult market.  

(Often I ask myself if my decision was a big mistake…)  But,  skip ahead three years—new project, new list of agents, similar querying practices, wondering if there is another BETTER WAY.  

What, writers, do you do?