The Single Most Important Tip for Querying

And three other essentials for the art of querying

Thirty-some years ago, when I worked in the Production department of VH1 (back when VH1 had actual music shows), I was responsible for handling incoming resumes and forwarding them to the appropriate producer or executive (except for interns, who I hired).

And boy, did we get a lot of resumes. This was in the early days of the Internet, so most were printed on paper, and then there were the few who tried to stand out with gimmicks. The only one I remember is a guy who sent his resume on a cereal box with his demo reel inside.

He didn’t get hired, but we did eat the cereal.

Clever gimmicks didn’t work back then, and they’re the kiss of death in today’s publishing world.

Focus on showcasing your content, not your cleverness.

The Most Important Thing to Know When You're Querying

Follow directions.

Follow directions.

Follow directions.

Got it?

Here’s why: Many agents consider the query/or and proposal a test to see whether you can follow directions.

You may say, “Of course I can follow directions! What is this, kindergarten?” Well, kind of. Unless you’ve been through the trade-publishing process before (in which case, you know to follow directions), you’re a noob in publishing. I’m 57, and when my first book came out three and a half years ago, it was still called my debut.

Agents need to know that you can follow directions, because the agent will be giving you guidance and direction, and then your editor at the publishing house will be giving you direction, and your future agent needs to know you’re going to be able to do what’s asked of you. They also want to know that you’re not going to be a pain to work with (by, say, trying to circumvent the rules under the guise of cleverness).

Three More Important Details About Querying

1. Format your proposal, sample pages or manuscript correctly

In middle school, kids will triple-space assigned papers in order to make a few hundred words seem longer. The converse happens in the querying process: I’ve seen authors who write their sample pages in 10pt font, or who leave almost no margins at the edge, just so they can cram in more words within that “first 50 pages.”

This goes back to following directions. So many people, for whatever reason—busyness, carelessness, inattention—try to push their own agenda onto the agent. Please don’t do that. Nearly all agents receive roughly 100-400 queries every single week. You want to stand out for your book and query’s brilliance, not as “that guy who can’t format a Word document but thinks he can write a book.”

2. Don’t nudge unless you receive an offer from a different agent

Waiting to hear back from an agent can be excruciating. It’s second only to the nerve-wracking time when your book is out on submission (“on subs”). It can be so tempting just to say hi, just to double-check that she received the query, just to wish her dog a happy birthday…

Nope. Don’t do it. This is part of the unstated protocol of publishing. And also, the agent and you both know you don’t really know her dog well enough to send birthday greetings, but rather, you’re nudging.

The one exception is if you’ve received one or more offers of representation (concrete offers, not “just” calls)

In that awesome scenario, it’s fine to send a short email saying “I’ve received an offer of representation from XYZ agent at ABC agency.” Always use the agent’s name, or it will come across as you trying to get an answer from the agent.

3. There’s a fine line between adding a personal touch and sounding like a stalker

In your opening paragraph, you may want to add a personal touch to let the agent know you’ve done your research. “I saw you speak at the San Francisco Writers’ Conference” or “I loved X book that you sold.”

Even referencing their social media posts is fine.

Be careful, though, not to sound like, “I appreciate the way Leslie, your wife of 23 years, shaped the juniper hedges outside your house on Pineway Ridge Road in Lenox, Massachusetts. And little Charlie looked adorable playing in the maple leaf pile!”

It can be a fine line, though I hope we can all agree the above example is not at all ambiguous and totally inappropriate (and also a bit scary).

Focus instead on referrals or connections: Who do you know in common (make sure that person gave you permission to use their name)? What books have they sold that you loved? What’s on their #manuscriptwishlist that aligns with your book?

It’s okay, I think, to go a little farther and mention, for example, that you also have a Bernese Mountain Dog, or that you also are learning to paint—especially if those are relevant to your book. Step very carefully, though. If you cross that line, you won’t hear back.