One of the main reasons that talented authors don’t get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals is that they don’t understand the best strategy to use when coordinating their submissions to literary agents. As a result, those authors often get confused and overwhelmed–and eventually give up.
This article explains a different way to approach the process of submitting your work to literary agents. It’s based on my experience helping approximately five dozen authors get offers for representation from literary agents as an author coach. And it will give you the greatest chance of being successful quickly.
What’s the fastest, easiest, and most efficient way to send out queries to agents? How many query letters should you send out at one time? How long should you wait to hear back from agents before you send out more? And, how many submissions will you probably need to send out before you get an offer for representation?
Scroll below to
find out…
Reality Check Regarding Literary Agent Submissions
Don’t put too much weight on stories you might have read about those fortunate authors who sent out their first round of queries and got a top literary agent, publisher, and/or book deal in 90 days or less. You might have seen some of those success stories on my website.
They’re real, it happens.
But…
It’s also rare—so don’t get too excited.
You’ll probably have to send out many rounds of submissions before you get an offer for representation (if you get an offer at all). And, most likely, you’ll have to send out 5-10 times more queries than you think… before you get an offer for representation. IF you get an offer for representation. Some of my coaching clients have sent out hundreds (sometimes many hundreds) of submissions before getting an agent.
Don’t be delusional or overconfident.
Instead, be cautiously optimistic and be willing to do the work. Of course I hope you get a literary agent in 90 days or less without having to send out hundreds of submissions. But, odds are, you’ll have to send out a LOT of submissions and that process will take somewhere between 3-9 months. If you can deal with that, and stick with my process, there’s a good chance you’ll get an agent.
A More “Comprehensive” Approach to Literary Agent Submissions
There are two ways to approach the process of submitting queries to literary agents. The first method is to try to put the least amount of time and effort into the process and hope and pray that you “get lucky”. I’m not a fan of that approach. It’s lazy. It tempts fate. And it rarely leads to success. The publishing industry is too competitive for that. Most good to great literary agents get 1,500+ submissions each month.
So the better approach is for you to decide you’re going to do everything you can (regardless of how much work it requires, or how long it will take) to give yourself the best chance of getting one or more offers for representation. That approach will give you the best chance of being successful.
The Benefits of Sending Out a Lot of Query Letters to Literary Agents—Quickly
Obviously, the more submissions you send out to agents, the more likely it is you’ll get positive feedback, requests for additional material, constructive criticism that helps you improve your work, and an offer(s) for representation. However, there are also other important benefits (subtler benefits) that you might not be aware of.
First, if you’re willing to do the tedious work of sending out a high volume of submissions it’s going to increase your confidence, which will have a positive impact on your progress. By fully preparing or possibly somewhat “over preparing” you will have a greater expectation of positive results, which may positively impact your outcome.
Second, if you send out a lot of submissions during a shorter period of time (instead of dragging out the process), it’s going to give you momentum and make it easier for you psychologically and emotionally. In other words, if you send out one round of submissions and get a couple requests for more material, you certainly can/should celebrate. But that is NOT the time to sit back and simply see what happens next.
If you get “comfortable” like that, you’ll probably wait months to hear anything, start getting depressed, and then get really depressed when one of the agents sends you a rejection letter and the other one never gets back to you at all. Why? Because that’s usually how it works. For the same reason that you will probably need to send out several dozen queries to get 1 or 2 requests for more material… you might need to get 4, 6, 10 (or more) agents requesting more material to get one or more offers for representation.
That’s why you shouldn’t wait months to see what happens next after one or more agents request additional material. If and when you get one or more requests for more material, in most cases, it’s a sign that you should begin to aggressively send out more submissions… in the hope that you’ll be able to get more agents reading. That way, if the first agent(s) to request more material go silent or send you rejections, you’ll already have more good things happening.
The third reason to send out a lot of submissions quickly is that it gives you greater leverage. Remember, if you’re confident about your work and educated about the publishing industry, your goal shouldn’t be to get one agent interested in you and your work. Your goal should be to get multiple agents interested.
It’s rare that an author is able to get multiple agents interested (even when he or she is working with me as a coach/consultant), but getting multiple agents offering you representation should be your goal. That approach will increase the chances of you getting ANY agent offering representation. And it will give you options if you get more than one.
So, that all sounds great, right,
but how do you do it, exactly?
First, get over the idea of querying a small number of agents, getting a quick and positive response from dream agent, and riding off into the sunset with him/her.
It might happen that way for you.
But, probably not.
So…
This Is How You Should Send Out Queries to Literary Agents
Think of the query submission process as something that should happen in two phases. Before I explain the two phases, however, make sure you make a note that each time you send out a new round of queries… you should always do so during the span of just one day, a few days, or, at most, one week.
That’s because each time you send out a round of queries, I’m going to suggest you wait a certain amount of time after that before you send out your next round of submissions. And it’s much easier to keep track of your submissions when you’re sending them out in groups, as opposed to sending out a couple or a few every day. By the way, the time you should wait between sending out subsequent rounds of submissions will vary.
I’ll explain that below…
PHASE 1 – Small “Test” Round of Submissions
Most of the time I suggest my coaching clients sent out a small number of submissions in their first round of queries as a “test”. I suggest an even smaller number of submissions in their first round of queries if the author’s book falls into a genre with very few agents, or if I can see that there is more than one way to pitch their book… and I’m not sure which approach is going to be more successful.
Think of this first round of submissions as a “test” round to see how easy (or hard) it’s going to be to get agents interested in your project. That said, just because this first round is a “test” round, make sure you query your dream agents during your first round. In other words, make sure your favorite agent at each of your favorite agencies that you believe are a good fit is part of your first round.
DO NOT query mediocre or lower level agents during early rounds of submissions. If you do, you might get an offer of representation from a mediocre or lower level agent. If that happens, you’ll probably end up signing with that agent because he or she is the only agent offering to represent you. Or, you’ll have to decline the offer and that might turn out to be the only offer you ever get. That would mean you not getting an agent. You probably won’t be able to go back to the person who made you the offer later if you strike out with other agents later.
Now, there are two reasons you don’t want to contact
too many agents in your first round of submissions:
1. You don’t want to burn any bridges
If you submit your query to lots of agents, and lots of them end up wanting to represent you, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. That’s because you’re only going to be able to work with one agent. And you’ll have to turn down the others. What’s so bad about that?
Well, if things don’t work out with the agent you do choose, and that agent hasn’t yet shopped your manuscript all over town, you might be able to get a NEW agent. But you probably won’t be able to interest the agents that were interested before, that you already turned down–even if you go to them on your knees.
That’s just the way it works.
At that point, it will be much easier for you to get an agent that you haven’t already contacted (and turned down). So, although the idea of having several agents (or more) fighting over the opportunity to represent you might sound appealing, there is a down side.
2. You might want/need to make adjustments
The other reason you shouldn’t send out too many query letters at once is that you might learn something during the process… something that will allow you to improve your pitch materials. If you’ve already sent out 100 or more queries (I know someone who sent out 200 queries at once), it’s too late to make adjustments.
So, don’t jump the gun.
And stay open and humble.
You might have an important insight after the first round of queries has been submitted. Or, you might get valuable feedback from one or more agents who make an important comment or ask an important question. Give yourself room to make changes to your pitch materials.
I always did this as an agent, too.
For example, I would write a pitch/cover letter for every project I represented… exactly the same as a query letter (the only difference being that I wasn’t asking permission to send the project). That’s because I already had permission to send the project since I would call first or meet with an editor face-to-face.
But, before I would send the project (with my pitch letter) to EVERYONE… I’d “test” my pitch on a few people FIRST.
Then I would get very quiet, and listen.
The result?
Every once in a while I would get some valuable feedback. Then I would often make an adjustment to my pitch. Sometimes I would address questions or concerns that I hadn’t addressed previously (or sufficiently). Other times, I’d hear things that I would have never even thought of. So, again, stay open and pay attention. Someone might shed new light on the pitch and/or the project.
There are also some situations where something might happen in the media that you have no control over, that you might want to capitalize on. For example, one author I was working with wrote a novel based on true events that happened while he was a presidential aide for Nixon during the Watergate scandal. He was the man who was asked to destroy the 18-1/2 minutes of audio tape that would have gotten Nixon impeached. A few days after the author sent out his first round of submissions, the grand jury tapes of Nixon’s testimony were released to the public. The media started giving the story lots of new exposure. We immediately tweaked the query and sent out another round of submissions to take advantage of the new publicity.
Just keep in mind that if you get very little response (or no response) from your first round of submissions, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should change something in your pitch materials. In other words, just because multiple agents don’t immediately request more material doesn’t mean something is wrong. It might just mean that agents aren’t as excited about your book concept as you’d like… and that you might need to send out a lot more submissions to find the agent who will be interested.
PHASE 2 – Sending Out Subsequent Rounds of Submissions
After you’ve sent out your first round of submissions and you’ve received one or more requests for more material… OR… you haven’t received any requests for more material and you’ve considered making changes to your pitch material… it’s time to send out your second round of submissions.
The number of submissions that you send out during your second round (and all subsequent rounds) of submissions will depend on a few variables (I help my coaching clients figure that out as well).
But here are some basic guidelines…
By the time you’re done sending out your second round of submissions, your favorite agent at all of the very good to great agencies should have been sent a submission. The more quality agents there are who represent your genre, the more agents you’ll be able to query. When you’re done sending out your second round of submissions, mark your calendar with a reminder to send out your THIRD round of submissions 8-12 weeks later. And you can/should keep repeating this process every 8-12 weeks.
You have to wait 8-12 weeks in between rounds of submissions because, during your third round of submissions (and any/all subsequent rounds of submissions), you’ll sometimes be submitting your query to different agents at agencies where you’ve already contacted someone. Agents working at the same agency don’t want to compete with each other, so you’ll want/need to give any agent considering your query sufficient time (8-12 weeks is enough) to ask for more material or reject the project before you query someone else at the same agency.
Submitting to more than one agent at the same agency is a great way to increase the number of potential agents that might represent you. If your dream agency has more than one agent listed as interested in your genre, and one agent rejects your work, query another one. And then another one. Etc. 9 times out of 10, if an agent hasn’t responded to your query within 8-12 weeks, it’s a rejection (and the agent probably won’t ever reply). So you should move on to the next one.
Most literary agencies don’t mind if you query more than one agent at their agency, as long as you query them one at a time (again, just give them 8-12 weeks before moving on to someone else at the same agency). You can literally repeat this process with multiple agents until you’ve queried every agent at an agency that might be interested in your book. However, pay attention in case an agent rejects you and says something like, “Sorry but this isn’t right for us or our agency.” If that happens, don’t query anyone else at the agency.
If you implement this more “aggressive” strategy of sending out lots of submissions and only waiting 8-12 weeks before sending out each subsequent round… it will get you to the finish line faster, with the most momentum, leverage, and peace of mind.
And, if you want 1-on-1 support to help you apply this strategy in the best way for your unique project and situation, post a question for me below… and/or… click here to find out how to schedule an introductory coaching call with me. You’ve probably invested hundreds (possibly thousands) of hours writing… with the hope of getting a top literary agent, publisher, and book deal. Don’t spend one minute trying to get there without the best pitch materials or strategy.
Remember, getting published
isn’t luck–it’s a decision,
Mark
* * *
* * *
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
I very much appreciated your wise and well-informed advice. My question is: I’m writing about aging and how to cope—well documented and personally enriched through professional and personal experiences. What is my genre?
Thank you, I’ll be enrolled soon in your counseling opportunities/programs.
Mary Shuck
Hi Mary, thank you!
Regarding your question, it depends. When it comes to book genres, I often tell my coaching clients they’ll need to (or they can) call their book different things… depending on who they’re pitching. Some books can be categorized in more ways than one, and that’s good news since that means more agents to pitch to. Based on what you said though, it sounds like nonfiction… maybe self-help… but it could also be memoir, narrative nonfiction, or something else. The fact that you’re planning on talking with me at some point is a good thing because then I’ll be able to tell you for sure.
In the short-term take a look at this, it might help: http://book-genres.com (my website devoted to book genre definitions), along with this article about which book genres are “best”: https://literary-agents.com/book-genres/.
If you want help with anything else, you can post more questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And, when you’re ready, you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/.
I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
If I send out multiple queries and receive more than one request for partial or full manuscripts and each one wants an exclusive read, should I send to all or wait for one to finish reading and possibly rejecting before sending out the next?
Hi Cynthia, that’s tricky and it depends. I treat every situation like that differently with my coaching clients because it depends on who the agents are… where you are with each of them… etc. The general idea… of course… is to try to get as many reading as possible… without blowing it with anyone… but the short of it is that… obviously… you can’t give someone an exclusive if someone else is already reading… so it’s about making each agent feel special and not scaring them off. Sorry I can’t say more but… like I said… each situation is a little different… which is one of the reasons I coach people when it comes to things like that. I’m thrilled you’re getting that much interest though… sounds like you’re off to a good start!
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/. Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Lots of very good advice here, however don’t expect too much “constructive criticism that helps you improve your work”.
Sadly,such constructive criticism is rarely given by agents.
Hi John, thank you and don’t give up on agents just yet… and the better your pitch… even if you get rejections… the more likely it is you’ll get positive feedback and/or constructive criticism with the rejection.
Also… you can often get a drastically different response by tweaking or changing something in your pitch materials (query letter, synopsis, first 50 pages, etc.). My favorite example of this is one of my coaching clients who’d pitched her favorite “dream” agent three times over the course of two years. Rejections every time. After I helped her rewrite her query letter, she approached the same agent a fourth time and he requested the full manuscript. So don’t get too discouraged. You might just be a few changes away from getting what you want.
Hang in there,
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Brilliant!
Thank you Robin…
and have a great weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
thanks great help!
Thank you Maria, and have a great weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Thank you so much for this article! I have submitted to very many agents with very little to show for it. Recently, I exhausted my initial list of agents to submit to, and was in search of a strategy to move foreword with. This is it! Thanks again.
Hi Tim, thank you and I’m glad it was helpful. Also, you can often get a drastically different response by tweaking or changing something in your pitch materials (query letter, synopsis, first 50 pages, etc.). My favorite example of this is one of my coaching clients who’d pitched her favorite “dream” agent three times over the course of two years. Rejections every time. After I helped her rewrite her query letter, she approached the same agent a fourth time and he requested the full manuscript. So don’t get too discouraged. You might just be a few changes away from getting what you want.
As a next step (if you haven’t already done so) click here to access to all the resources I have about getting an agent in my private, members-only area (no charge): http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. Once you’ve entered your name and email address there, click on the link that says, “Audio Training Library”. Then you’ll see my main audio training (and text transcript), which reveals the 7 Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Get a Top Literary Agent, Publisher, and Book Deal. That might have what you need to get to the next level.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/. Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Mark, your articles are always informative as well as entertaining. I have sent out many dozens of queries over the past two years and, if I received a reply at all, it was a form rejection letter with no feedback. The only one I received with a response was from the Curtis Brown Agcy in the UK, the rep of which said my novel was well-written and original – but he couldn’t represent me because he had no publishers that dealt with my kind of storyline. Back to work…
Thank you Jeff, although I’m sorry to hear you’re having issues getting your work read. The good news is that you can often get a drastically different response by tweaking or changing something in your pitch materials (query letter, synopsis, first 50 pages, etc.).
My favorite example of this is one of my coaching clients who’d pitched her favorite “dream” agent three times over the course of two years. Rejections every time. After I helped her rewrite her query letter, she approached the same agent a fourth time and he requested the full manuscript. So don’t get too discouraged. You might just be a few changes away from getting what you want.
As a next step (if you haven’t already done so) click here to access to all the resources I have about getting an agent in my private, members-only area (no charge): http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. Once you’ve entered your name and email address there, click on the link that says, “Audio Training Library”. Then you’ll see my main audio training (and text transcript), which reveals the 7 Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Get a Top Literary Agent, Publisher, and Book Deal.
That might have what you need
to get to the next level…
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/.
Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Congratulations on writing clearly, cogently and grammatically, with impeccable punctuation. You advise what I’ve been beginning to work out for myself, but it doesn’t solve the problem of making agents ‘fall in love’ with my work, whatever that means. Anyway, full marks for keeping on plugging at my email address, just as I intend to keep on plugging away at agents until the day I die. I’m seventy, so that day is probably less than a couple of decades away. Cheers, Richard Riddall
Hi Richard, thank you and I’m glad you found the article helpful. My oldest coaching client is 91 and she just signed with a literary agent!
If you haven’t already done so, make sure you click here to access all the valuable resources I have about getting an agent in my private, members-only area (no charge): http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. Once you’ve entered your name and email address there, click on the link that says, “Audio Training Library”. Then you’ll see my main audio training (and text transcript), which reveals the 7 Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Get a Top Literary Agent, Publisher, and Book Deal.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/. Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
How do you know a good agency from a bad one?
Hi LaVonne, take a look at this: https://literary-agents.com/finding-a-literary-agent/.
Also…
If you haven’t already done so, make sure you click here to access all the valuable resources I have about getting an agent in my private, members-only area (no charge): http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. Once you’ve entered your name and email address there, click on the link that says, “Audio Training Library”. Then you’ll see my main audio training (and text transcript), which reveals the 7 Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Get a Top Literary Agent, Publisher, and Book Deal.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/. Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
What is the best pitch material to use for a book of short stories?
Hi Paul, I’m not sure what you’re asking. You’ll still need a query letter if that’s what you mean, and a book proposal if they are nonfiction stories instead of fiction.
Also…
It’s extremely difficult to get an agent or publisher for a collection of short stories… unless you’re already a well-published and/or award-winning author. I usually recommend that authors expand one of their short stories into a novel, while seeking publication and awards for some of their individual stories.
Before you do anything else, if you want to get an agent, read these 3 multi-part guides about literary agents: https://literary-agents.com/guide-to-literary-agents/, https://literary-agents.com/finding-a-literary-agent/, and https://literary-agents.com/get-a-literary-agent/getting-a-literary-agent/.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/.
Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
I get the part about waiting 8-12 weeks between pitching but what about the number of pitches each submission period? What is a good number each time?
Thanks!
Hi Carol, it depends on a few variables which is why I didn’t get more specific… anywhere from 10-100 depending on the genre, number of quality agents in the genre, strength of the book concept, and the strength of your platform.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/. Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
All very true. I have learned from experience that your advice is always dead on, and more importantly, gap-free! You answered a question before I could even ask it, which was what to do if the AGENCY sends you a rejection letter when you only queried one agent. But I am curious…. does this mean you sent it to one agent in the agency, but the whole agency reviewed it, or is it the agent’s personal opinion that none of their colleagues would be interested?
Hi Nikki!
🙂
Thanks for the love but I’m not sure what you mean here… it doesn’t matter who you query… if you get a not right for “us” or “our” agency… you can’t submit to someone else there… otherwise you probably can. Is that what you’re asking?
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Well, I’m asking that if you queried one agent, how does it come to be that suddenly no one at the agency wants you? Do all the agents review every query together, or does the agent you sent it to decide that nobody at the agency wants to read your stuff? Or does some sort of secretary or intern act as a filter and decide before it even reaches the agent you are querying? I’ve never sent a query to an entire agency, just single agents. So I’m just wondering how nobody at an agency is interested.
Hi Nikki, if an agency says this isn’t right for “us” or “we” aren’t interested… it just usually means that they have one person who screens things for everyone… if that’s what you’re asking. 🙂
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Good advice, Mark. I’ve been going through my manuscript, making corrections in the format.
But I’m also finding areas where I can strengthen the prose, or clarify some comment better.
Getting there.
Thanks,
Del
Hi Del… glad to hear it… take your time… and have a great weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Good advice, Mark. Makes a lot of sense to me. And I believe I’m closer to begin submitting queries sooner than I first thought. But we’ll see after I schedule a coaching call with you, as I’m quite certain you’re going to tell me things that are good about my query, synopsis and 1st 50 pages, but also what’s bad, too. That will truly be the first “test submission.” Thank you so much for sharing your extensive knowledge.
Hi Chris… thank you… glad to hear it… and that’s true… your pitch materials will certainly be a bit different after we talk.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Great! It’s a pity that you are not an agent for screenplays. Cheers,
Miodrag Milanovich
Thank you Miodrag, and good luck!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
I love your positive attitude and practical advice. I’m 23 and working on a young adult fantasy novel. I will hopefully reach out when a first draft is done and edited!
Thank you Ben, much appreciated.
And…
I’m looking forward to it!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Great guidance, Mark. Since we’re getting close to doing this, the timing is perfect. I understand your process better. Test first and then 8-12 weeks between rounds.
Hi Somraj, glad you’re reading but that’s the “light” version and I’m going to give you something a bit more detailed before you start sending out submissions. 😉
Clients only!!!
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
And THANK YOU.
🙂
Mark
For a picture children’s book, would it be a good idea to add the illustrations I have created to a query or should it strictly be the pitch?
Hi Lyndsay,
Some agents only accept picture book submissions from authors who are also illustrators (they’ll let you know on their websites if that’s the case), but most agents accept picture books without illustrations. And, unless you’re a professional illustrator and/or working with a professional illustrator, it’s often best to wait to illustrate the work. In fact, even if you are a professional illustrator and/or working with a professional illustrator, it’s can be best to wait… to illustrate.
Why?
Your agent and/or publisher will likely want to edit the book and that might change the number and/or type of illustrations needed. Your publisher will often want to lay the book out in a certain way, and that might also change the number and/or type of illustrations needed. Lastly, your publisher might want to use a different illustrator and/or artist.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/.
Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Learned a lot here. The wait time of 8-10 weeks and different agents at the same agency. Thanks! Elle
Thank you Elle, and have a wonderful day!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Thanks, Mark. Sound strategy. Keeping at it!
Hi Richard, thank you… and glad to hear it. By the way, I recently updated my Pt 3 Guidelines for my coaching clients… and they talk about the above in more detail. Check your email, just sent them to you.
😉
Have a great day!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
I found your suggestions very helpful. The only reply I received was a suggestion that I not include the full manuscript as an attachment. I had reason somewhere that a non fiction manuscript should be sent that way My manuscript – BREAST CANCER CHRONICLES was nonfiction.
Hi Jean, only send agents what they want… and the way that they want it… which is rarely an attachment during the initial submission.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/. Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com