August 29, 2010

Thinking out loud ... or in print

Well, anyone who has been keeping up with my blog knows that I am now up to 15 rejections - translation, 15 agents weren't enticed by my query letter. I know that there are many now-famous writers who were rejected many times (sometimes in the 100s) before an agent finally took an interested. So, I know rejections are to be expected. Still, I think It's time to revise my query before I go any further, so that this ...


... doesn't sit in this neat little pile forever

Before I exert too many brain cells in the painful process of rewriting my query, I'm doing some research on agents I might consider. Since each agency has it's own set of guidelines, it pays to study those before proceeding further.

Some agencies I'm considering querying in the future
There are literally hundreds and hundreds of agencies. Here are just a few agencies that consider fiction queries and represent the type of fiction I've written (suspense/thriller). Each agency has multiple agents, each with different interests. This is where it really pays to do your homework - who you send your query to can mean the difference between a request for more, or an outright rejection.

This agency has offices in New York and Boston. There are eleven agents, each with different interests. They obtain most of their clients via recommendations - so, this one is a long, long shot. However, Esmond Harmsworth represents commercial and literary fiction. He may be a good agent to try. the worse that could happen is another rejection.

This agency is located in New York, NY. There are five agents and the beauty of the website is that it gives exactly what the likes and dislikes of each agent are. I'm impressed with what I've seen on their website, so I might move them up to the top of the list when my query has been revised.

This agency is located in Chatham, NY. The website lists three agents. Their, very user-friendly website gives lots information and clear instructions. They represent commercial fiction and non-fiction. After reading the information posted on their site (as well as information that I found in Writer's Market, I think this agency should move to the top of this group.

Located in New York, NY and has ten agents listed on the website. It's refreshing that this agency doesn't just ask for that pesky one page query, but also wants a synopsis, first three chapters, and an author bio. Although, I'm sure that a faulty query might make them lose interest in reading further (just my theory). Also a sampling of the books they represent shows a wide variety of interests. Definitely worthy of consideration.

Well, these are just a few agencies. There are so many yet to be discovered in the further adventures of this writer.

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