Is this a bad time to query?

Wayne K · Feb 6, 2009

My wife is a member of the Writers Bridge, and she tells me that it's a bad time to send out query letters according to people there. I haven't noticed any kind of chatter about it here, and from the limited amount of time I've been here I see that you guys are in the know. So what do you think?

KTC · Feb 6, 2009

Not if you have an excellent book and a drop dead query letter. They won't refuse a sure thing. It'll be what they're looking for.

Danthia · Feb 6, 2009

Things are tougher out there now, but that's true for every industry, not just publishing. But agents are still taking on clients and publishers are still publishing books, so query away. But it's probably smart to take a little extra time and make sure both your query and your novel are as good as they can be. You probably won't see a lot of publishers taking any risks for a while.

gothicangel · Feb 6, 2009

Think of it this way; when life gets tough for people on a daily basis they go looking for escapism. Think The Great Depression and Musicals.

Publishers need to publish otherwise they go bust; to do that they need writers.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Feb 6, 2009

Query. Just do it. Trust me on this.

Laurie PK · Feb 6, 2009

I'm represented by Jon Sternfeld over at the Irene Goodman Agency; in their regular newsletter, the agency is very encouraging about book publishing prospects (so I think magazine and ezine writing is similar!). They say it's tough out there, and houses are buckling down, but it's no time to give up. My agent is enthusiastically pitching my book proposal to publishers -- and I encourage all writers to query away!

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," said Wayne Gretzky.

Go for it, fellow scribes!

Clair Dickson · Feb 6, 2009

KTC said:
Not if you have an excellent book and a drop dead query letter. They won't refuse a sure thing. It'll be what they're looking for.

Exactly.

dawinsor · Feb 6, 2009

In terms of the odds, it's always a bad time to query. You can't wait for a good time.

Kitty Pryde · Feb 6, 2009

I read this on Rudy Rucker's (SF writer) blog last month:

I’ve been writing and publishing for about thirty years now, and I think that during each one of those 30 years, someone has told me that times have never been worse in publishing.

Wayne K · Feb 6, 2009

Thank you all for your responses. I was feeling a little down after ECW Press turned down my book after looking at it for six months. The publisher there says it's publishable, and that I shouldn't move on to my other project just yet. Anyway, I trust that you're all right and I'm wrong. (Take a picture of that sentence) and thank you all very much for lifting my spirits.

Wayne K · Feb 6, 2009

And...as luck does change. The David Black Agency has asked me for a synopsis today. I chalk it up to AW karma.

Is this a bad time to query?

Wayne K

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Danthia

gothicangel

Toughen up.

Ol' Fashioned Girl

Hand? What hand?

Laurie PK

Fulltime blogger & freelance writer

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

dawinsor

Dorothy A. Winsor

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

Wayne K

Wayne K