The most daunting thing in my life right now is writing query letters. It doesn't matter if I'm querying literary agents or querying possible employers.
I sent out a handful of queries to literary agents last year. Most of them did not reply. Their agency web sites and agent profiles warned me this could happen; if I never receive a reply, I should assume they are not interested in my manuscript. Some agents were kind enough to reply to my queries and tell me that they weren't interested, but I don't expect that from any of the agents I contact. I have sent out a few queries this month, but but since they've all rejected my pitch, I will need to rewrite my query letter before I contact more agents.
I don't mind that my manuscripts have been rejected. It's not fun, but I don't take it personally. It just means I have to try again. It is a bit of a concern that there are a limited number of agents out there, and if I can't interest one, then I'll really be in trouble. But I don't have to worry about that just yet. I've queried only a handful of agents, and I've found many more agents that, I hope, will be interested in my work. Right now, all my worries and concentration are focused on crafting the perfect query letter.
It's daunting. What turn of phrase in my pitch would intrigue an agent? I don't know these people, and they don't know me. All I know about agents is what I learn from their blurbs, interviews and blogs; what their agency web sites say about them and about their agencies; and what their client list reveals about the kinds of books the agents are looking for. It doesn't seem like enough to really get a clear picture of what a particular agent wants to represent and what they think will sell in this market I barely understand. What if my query letter is too long or too short, too vague or too detailed? What if I come across as arrogant or desperate in my query letter? When if I work so hard on crafting the perfect pitch that I accidentally suck all the life out of the paragraph, and the agent tells me the pitch wasn't intriguing (which has actually happened to me)? I have never considered myself to be a wordsmith. I have struggled to learn proper word choice, along with a host of other aspects of writing, while studying for my degrees. Now, I find myself combing over my query letter again and again, picking out words, inserting others, re-writing sentences over and over again. I will never understand how some writers can enjoy doing this very sort of nitpicking to stories and novels. I don't know how poets can choose the right words and turns of phrase. I've read agents' blog posts about good query letters, and I've studied query letters that published authors used to find their agents. There's a lot of literature on the internet about the perfect query letter, and I will have to keep trying until I find the perfect one for me.
I sent out a handful of queries to literary agents last year. Most of them did not reply. Their agency web sites and agent profiles warned me this could happen; if I never receive a reply, I should assume they are not interested in my manuscript. Some agents were kind enough to reply to my queries and tell me that they weren't interested, but I don't expect that from any of the agents I contact. I have sent out a few queries this month, but but since they've all rejected my pitch, I will need to rewrite my query letter before I contact more agents.
I don't mind that my manuscripts have been rejected. It's not fun, but I don't take it personally. It just means I have to try again. It is a bit of a concern that there are a limited number of agents out there, and if I can't interest one, then I'll really be in trouble. But I don't have to worry about that just yet. I've queried only a handful of agents, and I've found many more agents that, I hope, will be interested in my work. Right now, all my worries and concentration are focused on crafting the perfect query letter.
It's daunting. What turn of phrase in my pitch would intrigue an agent? I don't know these people, and they don't know me. All I know about agents is what I learn from their blurbs, interviews and blogs; what their agency web sites say about them and about their agencies; and what their client list reveals about the kinds of books the agents are looking for. It doesn't seem like enough to really get a clear picture of what a particular agent wants to represent and what they think will sell in this market I barely understand. What if my query letter is too long or too short, too vague or too detailed? What if I come across as arrogant or desperate in my query letter? When if I work so hard on crafting the perfect pitch that I accidentally suck all the life out of the paragraph, and the agent tells me the pitch wasn't intriguing (which has actually happened to me)? I have never considered myself to be a wordsmith. I have struggled to learn proper word choice, along with a host of other aspects of writing, while studying for my degrees. Now, I find myself combing over my query letter again and again, picking out words, inserting others, re-writing sentences over and over again. I will never understand how some writers can enjoy doing this very sort of nitpicking to stories and novels. I don't know how poets can choose the right words and turns of phrase. I've read agents' blog posts about good query letters, and I've studied query letters that published authors used to find their agents. There's a lot of literature on the internet about the perfect query letter, and I will have to keep trying until I find the perfect one for me.
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