The Best Way to Query? In “Batches”

Once you’ve got your list of agents, it can seem tempting to fire off all those queries at once. You want to hear back, right? You should spend an entire day doing nothing but sending out 100 queries, right?

Wrong. 

The best way to query is in batches - sending out 5-8 queries every few weeks, so that you don’t go through your whole list of agents and then realize you need to make changes to your material. 

First, go through your list of agents and divide them into three categories - perfect fit for this manuscript, good fit for this manuscript, and ok fit for this manuscript. Base this assessment on what other books the agent represents, their MSWL, etc. 

Second, break your list into batches. Each batch should have 1-2 perfect fit agents, 2-3 good fit agents, and 2-3 ok fit agents. Then, make a calendar where you space out the batches. Aim to send a new batch out every 3-4 weeks. 

Why do it like this? Simple - if you get a bunch of form rejections for your first batch, you know that you need to work on your query and sample pages. If you get requests for full or partial manuscripts, you know your query package is good to go! If you then get rejections on those requested materials, you know that you need to revise your manuscript itself. 

Basically, querying in batches gives you the time and opportunity to make use of agent feedback, even if it only comes in the form of form rejections. Those are useful too! This way, you don’t blow through your entire list without the chance to retool and improve your query package.

NOTE: as of January 2022, COVID-19 has still slowed down the entire publishing industry. I recommend waiting a bit longer than normal to send out the next batch of your queries if you haven’t heard back—the average agent response time is (understandably) longer than normal these days. Unless an agent is explicitly stating that no response is a rejection, you can also nudge, but I would recommend doing this after 4-5 months, not 3-4 like in normal times.