If you haven’t yet read it, check out part 1 discussing how I tackle revisions prior to querying.

This post is specific to those looking to traditionally publish and seeking an agent to help them get there. The process of acquiring one comes in the form of “querying” where you effectively “pitch” your story to an agent & they let you know if they’re interested in reading more. You should only enter what we affectionately call “the query trenches” when you believe your manuscript is as polished as humanly possible. For other industry related terms and definitions, see my post here.

1. Create your query package. When submitting to agents, there are a few things needed beyond your polished manuscript. Every agent will have their own submission requirements, most of which can be found using the methods discussed in points 2 & 3. However, in general it’s a safe bet to assume they’ll want a combination of any of the following: a query letter, a synopsis, possibly a 1-2 sentence pitch, and a portion of your manuscript (could be the first 10 pages, the first 3 chapters, etc). I plan to write an entirely separate post on the best way to approach a query letter and a synopsis, so stay tuned for those, but the above are what I’ve seen most agents require when submitting. 
2. Invest in the tools. The main tools used by querying writers these days are both paid and free for use. I know that for most of us, money isn’t free-falling, but the two I would 100% recommend paying for are:
   1. Query Tracker – a database with information supplemented by multiple resources, inclusive of querying authors. This site allows you to find agents, see whether they’re open to queries, what their submission guidelines are, track the method you used to query (email, form on their agency’s website, Query Manager, snail mail, etc), how long it takes them to respond and the response you got, as well as the ability to add/read comments on what other writers experienced when querying this agent. Writers can manage their entire project’s querying journey and see how their request rates stack up against the average QT member.
      1. For transparency, here were my stats with what was able to be tracked on Query Manager (not all agents are in their database)
   2. Publishers Marketplace – a massive resource and one of the best places to research literary agents. A large percentage of agents have member pages, but personally I use this as a way to research what agents representing stories in my genre and age group are making the most deals (not necessarily the most expensive deals, as I care more about how often an agent is able to use their connections to find the right editors for their authors). Similar to QT, you can also use this to find the agents that rep your favorite authors, their agency’s submission guidelines, whether or not their open to queries, and more on what they’re looking for in their next big find.
3. Research agents. This is by far the most “tedious” part, but just know that it’s well worth it. I firmly believe that having no agent is better than having a bad agent. There are a lot of different ways to research agents that might be looking for a story like yours. As much as the platform has been destroyed over the last few years, a lot of authors still heavily use Twitter/X. I found several agents to add to my list there. Look in the acknowledgement section of your favorite stories. Most published authors thank their agent in their, which you can then use to look them up on QT or PM to find other authors or stories they rep. Join writer communities and hear personal stories of interactions with agents. The publishing community is much smaller than you think and rumors about amazing deeds travel fast, but whispers of bad behavior travel faster. 
4. Conquer it in batches. Some writers might feel the differently, but I don’t think it’s wise to query all the open agents on your list at once. Personally, I created a tiered system and tried to have no more than 10 queries out at a time. Doing this helped me balance ensuring I had some, but not all, of my top choices in each batch. The biggest benefit to this is that you aren’t putting all of your eggs in one basket. You may get feedback on your query package or first pages that you may want to implement prior to submitting to your “pie-in-the-sky” choice for an agent. Any time I got a rejection, I processed it however I needed to and sent out another query (sometimes literally sending them while crying) to keep my outstanding queries at 10.
5. Prepare yourself as best you can. This process is not for the faint of heart. It is brutal to choose a type of vulnerability that can feel like a gut punch or a chest stab with every rejection. There is only so much advice that one can give, sometimes it’s something you have to experience in order to truly understand. All I’ll say is, find a way to get yourself through every rejection however you need to. I’ve responded to rejections in multiple ways—sometimes with tears, others with anger and spite, but what kept me going is the thought of what’s waiting for me on the other side of it. You have to find the motivation to keep pushing through the pain, because unfortunately a lot of this industry is pain. Even if you secure an agent, you’ll face the pain of editor rejections, readers hating your story, industry pushbacks, and more. If that doesn’t sound like something you want for a career, that’s okay too! Know yourself, it’s the only way a person survives something like this. It’s said that something like 80% of traditionally published authors don’t write more than 1 book. That may seem depressing, but I actually find it incredibly insightful that people learn what they want/don’t want out of a career and make a decision that best serves them.I know that the best way to become a published author, traditional or self, is to write, so I distracted myself from querying by jumping into my next story. With each story I write, I know I become a stronger writer, whether I’m agented or not.Keep writing. Keep reading. Keep dreaming.