How I Got My Agent: A Lesson in Resilience and Hope
After spending roughly seventeen months from Labor-of-love first draft to polished, agent-ready manuscript, I was ready to send out my first compelling query letter.
I wanted to send it to agents who were looking for women’s fiction. In the days before the magical interwebs, you’d have to purchase the massive Publisher’s Marketplace book, a tome so heavy that if dropped would kill a small chihuahua. Mercifully, everything you need to know is now online. (Websites included below).
It’s all about the query letter
A wise, retired and slightly cranky lit agent told me, “Listen, agents do not have time for your drivel. They want the hook, the book, and the cook. Brevity is the soul of a good query letter.”
What does that mean, exactly?
The hook. This is one or two sentences that gets the reader hooked.
My hook: Nancy Hadley moves on to a sailboat rather than go back to her cheating ex. But when he conspires with an opportunistic widow to ruin the very marina where she lives, she does the only thing she can do: She challenges him to an epic, winner-take-all sailboat race to Mexico. Will she reclaim her freedom or run aground?
The book. This is where you write the main compelling moments of your story. The good stuff, as they say. This is a lot like book jacket copy without giving away the ending.
The cook. Anything interesting about you helps. In my case, I had written a Super Bowl commercial starring Jason Bateman that was clever and funny and showed my voice. Again, keep it brief.
Query letters are hard. Keep working on yours until it is crafted and compelling as hell. Try it out on family, friends, strangers at Starbucks.
It’s not all about the query letter
Think of it this way, the query letter is like a Tinder profile. You’re trying to get an agent to swipe right. Be sexy. Be provocative. Be funny. But then…
Back up your stellar query letter with a manuscript that is polished and edited (after feedback from beta readers or a freelance editor), and for the love of God, have it proofread. Even if you think you’re a great proofreader, have someone else do it.
Submissions: Read the Directions
Submission Guidelines are like a cookbook. Nuance is important. If you don’t pay attention, you can spoil everything by leaving something out. Every literary house has different guidelines. Read them three times before you send. Follow their specific directions. Get it right. Otherwise, they won’t read it at all.
Get in touch with your patience
In the age of technology where ‘likes’ come in at a rapid-fire pace and texting has replaced conversation, you’d think responses from agents would come in swiftly. You would be wrong. In the world of agenting, it’s still 1982. Responses take time. Some literary houses will tell you straight out not to expect a response for at least twelve weeks, if at all.
Harsh. But think about the sheer volume of queries the average agent gets in their inbox. The number is in the mid- to high hundreds. Every week. So, while you whipsaw between anguish and unfettered hope, just calm down and realize you’re in this for the long haul.
The 98% fail rate
Believe it or not, this is meant to be inspiring.
A traditionally published author friend of mine told me as I started my grueling quest for an agent, “You know it’s like a 98% fail rate, right?”
No, I did not know that. I took a big swig of my Hazy IPA and sat with that fact for a minute.
Somehow this rather depressing statistic helped me. This math equation helped me manage my expectations. It also helped me take rejections less personally. So, if I sent out one hundred query letters, I should (if the numbers ring true) get two agents interested.
It worked. As rejections rolled in, I tucked them away in an email folder and soldiered on. Then after forty or so rejections, I had a request for a full manuscript. HUGE WIN!
I sent off my manuscript according to their submission guidelines, full of glee and promise and––immediately got back to querying. There is a chance that even after a full request, an agent may decline your novel for a variety of reasons.
Fast forward three weeks: That is precisely what happened. The agent told me that she loved my novel but they had a similar concept they just signed to their list. Back to the query trenches. More lines in the river, more chances for a bite.
Ultimately, I sent out 82 query letters over the course of nine months. I got 77 rejections, two no responses, two requests for a full, and one ‘MAYBE.’
The Maybe Pile
The ‘Maybe’ came from an agent who wrote a very sweet note:
Dear Carrie,
I realize I have had your query for a while now, so I wanted to update you on its status. You are currently in my “maybe pile.” I thought I should let you know, because even if this doesn’t result in a request, it’s nice to know your work was appreciated.
Something about the kindness of this message struck me. With very little hope of ever hearing from her again, I responded:
Thank you for your considering it. This novel was a labor of love. If you’re looking for further evidence, my proofreader loved it and asked me if she could give it to her mom and her aunt. So, there’s that. 🙂
Four months passed as the rejections rolled in. Then on April 20, 2020 I got this:
Hi Carrie,
I know you’ve been in my “maybe” pile a long while, but every time I come back to BEWARE THE MERMAIDS, I’m enthralled. I’d love a chance to consider the you/the manuscript for representation if available? Please upload your full manuscript.
One June 17th, I got an email. The subject line read: OFFER OF REPRESENTATION.
I hyperventilated to the point where my husband thought I was having a heart attack. What followed was the most joyful phone call of my life, which led to a contract, which led to signing with my agent soulmate. She was someone whom I could talk to, who understood me and my novel, who championed my work. I had hit the agent jackpot.
So, my best advice is, don’t give up. Keep trying. Keep crafting your query letter. And in the famous words of Ted Lasso, my favorite fictional coach, “BELIEVE!”
The websites that helped me immensely:
https://www.publishersmarketplace.com
You can research recent deals, authors, and agents.
You can research by genre which agents are open and taking submissions.
https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com
Miraculously, agents tell you what kind of books they actually want.
https://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2004/07/query-letter-checklist.html
Janet gives it to you straight: Janet Reid’s blog on Query Letters.
—
Carrie originally cut her teeth as a writer at the age of seven on postcards to her dad. Her mom taught her how to write with heart and passion. But she’s pretty sure those postcards are where her sarcasm blossomed.
She has worked as a copywriter for over 25 years which all culminated in a Super Bowl spot in 2019 titled “Elevator” (starring Jason Bateman) in which the LA Rams lost.
When she’s not writing her next novel (a thriller this time) Carrie is working on perfecting a Bolognese sauce, rocking the lower third of her Peloton leaderboard, snuggling with her special needs rescue dog, fielding huge life questions from her teenage daughter, sailing on the Pacific, and listening to Bill Evans on vinyl with her audiophile husband. She currently lives in a coastal community in California.
When it comes to advertising, she’s a storyteller at heart and tends to like and create ideas that are smart, funny, and relatable.
Find out more about Carrie on her website http://carrietalick.com/
BEWARE THE MERMAIDS, Carrie Talick
Romance, betrayal, and an epic yacht race make Carrie Talick’s debut novel perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Susan Mallery.
Hermosa Beach housewife Nancy Hadley is no pushover. So when her philandering husband, Roger, is caught in flagrante with an opportunistic widow on their racing sailboat, Nancy sticks it to him. She tells him she wants a divorce–with the sailboat, Bucephalus, part of the deal, too.
Roger would rather make Nancy’s life a living hell than give up his boat. But Nancy has other plans. After moving out of their opulent home, she and her posse of girlfriends invest in a racing boat of their own to live on, and she teaches them the fine points of sailing. Meanwhile, and unbeknownst to Nancy, a big real estate development is under way that would destroy her beloved harbor and new home. When scheming Roger returns to ask Nancy to help capture the last committee vote–held by Nancy’s old college friend–Nancy prepares for battle.
Nancy is not skittish about taking a few risks, so in a bold gambit, she makes a bet with Roger: a showdown in the thrilling Border Dash Race from Newport Harbor down to Ensenada, Mexico. The winner of the race will get everything they want.
The stage is set for the race of a lifetime–and the tantalizing possibility of new romance for Nancy–in a novel as heartwarming as it is breathlessly exciting.
BUY HERE
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips
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