The QueryTo Society Papers, Volume 24

Dearest Querying Community,

Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of tea, and do try to keep your composure. The literary marriage market has produced an extraordinary assortment of developments this week, including a suspiciously successful debutante, several new alliances, and an alarming number of people who appear to consider rejection a cause for celebration.

We have questions. Naturally, we shall be asking all of them.

Whispers from the Query Trenches

“Woke up and didn’t have 13 agents warring for my love in my inbox??” asks @haileyevansauthor. “So weird hope they’re ok.” We wholly admire her confidence. Where lesser debutantes might question their manuscripts, this lady has sensibly concluded that something must be wrong with the patronesses.

“No requests today but I didn’t get a rejection today so a win is a win,” announces @binamariangeles. We are delighted to witness the invention of a new querying milestone: Nothing Happened. We expect it to become enormously popular, particularly among debutantes whose inboxes have been practicing this achievement for several days.

A new contender approaches the literary marriage market! @jacquelyngilmore_books announces that she is “About to start querying soon,” and has adopted the gladiator's challenge, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?” We are thoroughly entertained already. We only hope the patronesses appreciate the performance. They have a distressing habit of watching the entire spectacle and then announcing that it is not quite right for their lists.

“Another day, another query tracker doom scroll,” reports @kathaleengrace, who has taken to obsessively refreshing the pages of agents holding her full manuscript. We understand the impulse. Why wait for a patroness to contact you when you can spend the afternoon investigating whether she has contacted absolutely everyone else?

A new gentleman approaches the literary marriage market! @david_tells announces, “About to start querying this manuscript. Wish me luck.” We welcome him warmly and also recommend that he make no important plans for the next six months. Not because querying requires constant attention, but because he will be giving it constant attention regardless.

@dr.samchung assures literary agents that they are “doing a great job” and should “Take your time,” immediately after admitting to refreshing her inbox. We recognize this particular form of politeness. It is the querying equivalent of standing outside a gentleman's drawing room, insisting one is in no hurry, while repeatedly peering through the keyhole.

“Don’t mind me... just having a mild panic over here,” writes @bookishcarly, whose unanswered query is highlighted in yellow amid a sea of reported rejections. We are beginning to suspect that QueryTracker has inadvertently invented a new form of psychological thriller. The protagonist watches everyone around her disappear, knows the danger is approaching, and cannot persuade herself to stop looking.

“Using my lunch break to send out agent queries!” reports @ericamaebooks, who has decided that the hour traditionally reserved for nourishment might be better spent courting literary patronesses. We cannot fault her reasoning. A sandwich lasts perhaps fifteen minutes. A query may occupy one's thoughts for the next six months.

@doriandawes has reminded Society that querying a novel is hardly the glamorous occupation outsiders imagine. After six months of waiting, a debutante may receive nothing more than “I couldn't connect with the material.” We wonder whether the patronesses realize that by the time such a response arrives, the author has already imagined twelve possible outcomes, rehearsed an acceptance speech, and begun planning how to announce the representation deal to her relatives.

Requests, Rumors & Other Encouraging Developments

@brandy.onice_writes has secured her second full manuscript request after sending a query at 6:30 p.m. and receiving an invitation at 7:50 p.m. Readers may remember her previous adventure, when a prompt email response required a consultation with her wife and several breathing exercises, only to reveal that the patroness had nothing to report. We sincerely hope her wife was home for this one, and if she was, we trust the household is recovering.

@mayagawoniiwrites has received six full requests from the first six agents to respond to her very first queried manuscript. An editor has requested it as well. We’ve all heard the old assurances that exceptional outcomes do occur. Until now, we regarded them much as we regard sightings of unicorns: charming, encouraging, and generally reported by someone who knows someone who once saw one. We appear to have found the unicorn. She has a Threads account.

@mostly_cozy_annie has received another full manuscript request following weeks of silence. We consider this a delightful turn of events. Readers may remember her earlier concern that nudging the patronesses could result in a 95,000-word bonfire. Evidently, the literary gods have decided that her manuscript has suffered enough imaginary indignities.

@drkorieleigh has received a partial manuscript request for her narrative nonfiction project! “The lessons and stories within need to be shared, the world needs this right now,” she declares. We don’t doubt her conviction. We merely hope someone has informed the patronesses that the matter is urgent. Their customary response time suggests they believe the world can wait until next spring.

@literarykey_ has been invited to submit another manuscript to an agent who previously read her work. She is celebrating the milestone and feeling rather like Princess Tiana: “I’m almost there.” We hope this particular fairy tale requires neither a villainous magician nor an extended stay in a swamp. A straightforward offer of representation would be quite sufficient, thank you.

“Got my first rejection!! The query season has officially begun!” announces @dawnfulness, who is celebrating the fact that a patroness read and enjoyed her first three chapters. This is the same debutante who recently announced her first query with an exhausted Frodo. She has now encountered her first obstacle on the road to literary representation and appears remarkably cheerful about it. We suspect the Shire prepared her rather well.

“I got my first query rejection about an hour ago, and I am feeling strangely happy?” reports @jamiebagels. She is relieved to have “cleared the hurdle of The First Query.” We would like to point out that the hurdle in question was an agent declining to represent her manuscript. Nevertheless, the debutante has somehow managed to turn being told no into evidence that things are going rather well. Descartes gave us *I think, therefore I am*. The query trenches have produced a rather less conventional proposition: *I was rejected, therefore I am progressing.*

@emiliepoplett has recently secured representation with agent Camille, following a pitch at @joypit_pitch_event that attracted nine manuscript requests. She is now sharing what she believes made the pitch successful. Visit her Instagram account to examine the evidence. Nine interested patronesses cannot all have been acting on a whim.

The Literary Marriage Market

Fernanda Martinez of Fernanda Literary has welcomed paranormal romance author Jelena Kolomenskaja to its roster! “For the girls who grew up on Twilight and never quite got over it,” reads the announcement. We suspect there are considerably more of these ladies than anyone cares to admit. Some have acquired husbands, children, and respectable careers, all while maintaining suspiciously strong opinions about vampires. And for debutantes still seeking their own literary match, Fernanda is currently accepting queries through QueryTo. We cannot promise a supernatural romance, but a literary introduction is certainly possible.

A most satisfactory conclusion to a prolonged investigation! “Bye bye vague news... for now!” declares @author_elaraprice, revealing that Andi Twaddle of Spencerhill Associates is her literary agent. *Beauty and the Broken God* is now bound for publishers. Our intelligence department may finally close the case. Unfortunately, the phrase “for now” suggests the suspect intends to offend again.

A most agreeable addition to the neighborhood! @authorntmaddox has announced that she is now represented by Tianna Kelly of Neighborhood Literary. “Beyond excited, grateful, and happy,” declares the newly agented author. The agency has even issued a formal “WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!” A wonderful neighborhood, we are sure! In publishing, one must be especially careful about moving in next door to people who insist they are very interested and then disappear for six months.

The literary marriage market has produced another happy match! @byelsieraymond is now represented by Claire Friedman of Inkwell Management, whom she describes as “as smart as they come.” We offer our warmest congratulations. Finding someone who loves one's manuscript is a wonderful thing. Finding someone who also knows what to do with it is considerably better.

Lunar Literary Agency has announced that it is now representing the “beyond talented” character artist Jemlin C. The accompanying artwork features three individuals who look perfectly capable of causing a scandal, surviving it, and then eliminating anyone who dares mention it. We consider this an excellent addition to the arts.

@colleenmoody_author has found her literary match in Kristen Bertoloni of Trident Media Group! Unable to contain her excitement, she has announced the news before sharing the full account of her querying journey. “I have no poker face,” she explains. We suspect the enormous smile and celebratory cake may also have compromised her efforts at discretion.

Ryan Nuzzo has announced his newest client at Speilburg Literary Agency: Blane Bellamy. The pair previously worked together when Ryan was an acquisitions editor. Society finds the circumstances rather romantic, in the strictly literary sense. The gentleman admired the author's work, changed his professional circumstances, and still wished to continue the association. Jane Austen would surely have found a subplot in it.

Invitations from the Patronesses

A new patroness has opened her doors! Savanna Wicks of Watson, Little Ltd is welcoming children's and SFF submissions, with a particular fondness for fantasy and romantasy. “Send her your very best,” the agency urges. We advise authors to comply. The lady has scarcely entered the ballroom, and already we suspect she is about to be introduced to an extraordinary number of morally questionable princes.

Authors of horror, your hour has come. Haley Warrington of The Booker Albert Literary Agency is accepting select queries and wishes to be frightened out of her wits. “PLEASE MAKE ME WANT TO LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON AT BED TIME I BEG!!” Society is delighted by this rare opportunity. Authors spend months losing sleep over their queries. It seems only equitable that a patroness should lose a little sleep over the manuscripts.

Christine Goss of FinePrint Literary is opening to queries November 1–7, and her wishlist includes Witchlings,Blood Bound, The Family Experiment, Bye Forever, I Guess, and Moss'd in Space. “Here are a few comps I'd love to see!” she announces. Society applauds the range. One patroness is prepared to entertain witches, romantic entanglements, psychological intrigue, and adventures beyond Earth. Evidently, the only limit to her curiosity is the seventh of November.

And finally, a departure from the season. Liz Gettle of Myth Literary is closing to queries today, October 31, possibly until 2027. We understand that a patroness must occasionally withdraw from public courtship to attend to the manuscripts already seeking her favor. Nevertheless, we anticipate a certain amount of anguish among debutantes who have spent the past fortnight debating whether their query letter needs one more comma. The comma, regrettably, may have won. Interested authors should consult her QueryTo profile while submissions remain open.

From the QueryTo Community

Dear readers, Society has noticed something rather curious about the literary marriage market.

An author may spend months searching for someone who understands her manuscript, when the very person who could help her strengthen it is another author, equally desperate for a fresh pair of eyes, sitting only a few introductions away.

The QueryTo Beta Matchmaker has a growing collection of manuscripts awaiting just such an introduction.

There is dark romantasy featuring a siren bound to the man destined to kill her. A science fiction story about an Appalachian soldier haunted by the voices of a five-mind. Gothic horror with a sapphic romantic subplot. A post-apocalyptic science fiction romance exploring survival and disability. An upmarket historical novel about an Afro-Latina actress navigating Hollywood in 1972.

A most interesting assortment of prospective acquaintances, and certainly enough trouble to keep any respectable reading circle occupied.

If you are looking for a beta reader or critique partner, do visit the Beta Matchmaker. Browse the manuscripts already listed, see whose interests align with yours, and consider making an introduction. And if you have a manuscript of your own in need of attention, do not be shy about posting it.

Society would also like to draw attention to the QueryTo feedback groups, where authors may seek help with their pitches, query letters, opening pages, and other particularly troublesome pieces of literary correspondence.

The One Paragraph Pitch Polish group, for instance, has authors sharing their premises and asking fellow writers to examine their hooks, stakes, and clarity. Among the current discussions are The Black Acre Archive: The Miles Before, SISTER KNIVES, and Birchwood House.

And here, dear readers, we must make a small appeal.

If you belong to one of these groups, do consider answering a fellow author's request.

You need not be a literary agent, an editor, or a person who has successfully negotiated a six-figure publishing deal to offer a useful observation. Sometimes another writer can spot a confusing sentence, an intriguing premise buried too deeply, or a question the author has become too familiar with the manuscript to notice.

We understand that offering feedback can feel rather intimidating. But one need not arrive with a red pen, a twenty-page editorial letter, and the authority of a publishing house. A thoughtful comment is an excellent beginning.

And for those browsing the QueryTo Pitch Showcase, do remember that authors have placed their stories there to be discovered and encouraged. If a premise intrigues you, tell its creator. If a character catches your attention, say so.

A kind word costs nothing, requires no synopsis, and most remarkably, comes without a six-month response time.

The patronesses may hold the keys to representation, but surely we need not wait for their permission to help one another.

From the QueryTo Ballroom

Well, dear readers, what an extraordinary week it has been.

We have witnessed an author receive six full requests from six responding agents on her first queried manuscript, a gentleman preparing to enter the arena armed with gladiatorial confidence, and several debutantes celebrating rejection with an enthusiasm ordinarily reserved for offers of marriage.

We have also seen new literary partnerships formed, promising manuscripts requested, and patronesses opening their doors to fresh introductions.

It is tempting, after reading so many announcements of good fortune, to imagine that everyone else is progressing while one's own manuscript remains stubbornly stationary.

But we would caution against drawing such conclusions.

For every public announcement, there are countless quieter moments: an author revising a difficult chapter, another preparing a query, someone reading a stranger's opening pages, or a writer deciding, despite yesterday's disappointment, to try once more.

These are not insignificant undertakings. Indeed, they are much of what makes this literary community worth belonging to.

So this week, we leave you with a modest invitation. Do something for another writer. Read a pitch. Answer a request for feedback. Browse the QueryTo Beta Matchmaker. Leave a thoughtful word where someone has been waiting for one.

You may not be able to persuade a patroness to open her inbox, but you can certainly make the query trenches a more agreeable place to inhabit.

And should you encounter the lady with six full requests from six responding agents, do be civil. Society has already established that unicorns are rare, and we should hate to frighten this one away.

Until next Saturday, I remain...

Yours in the Trenches,

Lady QueryTo