Send out my first batch of 15 queries and haven't gotten a single bite.

It sounds like your query and opening pages might need some work. I wouldn’t send out anymore right now. I’m taking a break myself because of the holidays. Once you get your 50 word count share your query and opening pages on SYW.

You can get more posts by critiquing other people’s work. You’ll learn a lot.

I don’t have an agent yet, but I’ve gotten over ten full and partial requests. PM me and I’ll be happy to look at your query and pages.

You’ve just hit a little bump in the road, but I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without this site. I think it’ll help you out a lot too.

This is why I recommend sending out small batches of queries, 5 or 6 to start with. If you don't even get a nibble then it's time to revisit your query and sample chapters to see why. Share Your Work forum will be a lot of help for you, with other eyes taking a look at the query.

That's how my first batch went too. After reading a ton of agent interviews I realized my query was horribly generic. I changed it up and sent out my second batch. So far, I've had one full request (that resulted in a pass) and two form rejections. I'm still waiting on three more queries.So while you're working up your posts I would suggest reading agent interviews about what they receive a ton of and what they're looking for. It might help you adjust your query for better results. I still haven't reached the 50 post thing and I've been a member of this site for years, haha. It's easier to lurk!

Knowing that a book is never finished (and therefore a query is never finished), I query in small batches of 5 or so. As I've refined the book and, of course, the query, I've gotten better at it. So I get more response now.

For what it's worth, I received the nicest personalized rejection about six weeks after a submission. Their typical response time was four weeks. At six weeks, I wasn't even expecting a response so their words were a surprise. It was clear that they read it thoroughly (they requested query +50 pages) because they referenced specific things about it. She offered a specific way that it could be improved and said I "have a gift for writing" and that they were impressed with the quality of the writing overall. My submission simply ended up in a pile of work that was neither an automatic rejection nor an instant acceptance. And they chose to pass because it just fell a short of that "cream of the crop," if you will.

So, take heart. You never know what can happen. Remember, you NEED those rejections. YOUR AGENT - the perfect one for you - is at the end of your list. Your perfect agent is the last one you will talk to. And you can't get there if you don't sift the rejections out of the way first.

Look on the bright side; you're now a legit writer jumping into the fray! Be proud!

I feel you, gbhike! I did the same thing, queried without posting on SYW, and got no bites whatsoever in my first 10 queries. From what I've heard, that isn't a good sign and likely has to do with your query, so I'll be revising mine. But its pretty brutal, I had to take a break because I felt so bad. And I definitely want to get some better responses before I query my "dream" agent. Good luck, and know that you have my moral support! Belle_91, would you be open to looking at my query? I would really appreciate it, as I'm still getting through my 50 posts to post on SYW.

I sent out query #12 today and got rejection #4. No requests and silence from the other 8 and it's been 1 day to 14 days since I contacted them. Maybe silence is better than a flat out reject???? I posted my work and query on syw soooooo many times, had a hand full of betas, and got so much great feedback. The critiques stung so bad I cried, but got back up and kept redoing it. Still it might not be good enough to catch an agents eye...or anyone else's.
I just told my husband I got another rejection and that I was a loser. Lol!!! You know what he said? He said The Rolling Stones wrote 18 crap albums until they finally released one that caught on.

Jamills08 said:

I sent out query #12 today and got rejection #4. No requests and silence from the other 8 and it's been 1 day to 14 days since I contacted them.

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Two weeks is nothing. You need to be patient. It could be months before a reply. And, commonly, no response means no interest, but again, you won't have a handle on that until at least three months have passed.

caw

artisanne said:

I'm still getting through my 50 posts to post on SYW.

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A really really good way to build up your post-count is to go into SYW and crit other writers. You'll learn heaps, and you will also show that you're a real community member and therefore worth spending time on.

The password is vista, and you can critique right away - you don't need to have 50 posts to crit, only to open your own thread there.

Good luck! And remember, when you do open your own thread, specify if you want people to go hard or soft. A lot of new writers find hard crits very daunting.

one thing that may help is to be confident and shave your words down to bare skin, if that makes sense. start your query off strong. don't hold back. hit the reader in the nose or in the gut or down below somewhere or wherever they should feel it the most. and lose all of the...'i'm writing you today to tell you about...blah blah blah' and at the end 'thank you so much for your time and i hope to hear from you' stuff. i do think starting off a query with 'hi' and telling them your name is a nice thing however, like anyone would do when meeting someone in a coffee shop, etc, before getting into the reason for the reaching out. and of course a brief introduction somewhere is appropriate, etc. a simple 'thank you' at the end will do.

but i think it may help to get rid of all of the page-eating niceties which carry no weight. what is the blood and guts etc of what you've written. i mean, what is it! why would anyone want to read your story? where is the hidden gold. give at least a hint. get that in your query, and in a tight way. tight. unless you think letting more line out is better. but let them know you think you know what you're doing. easier said than done obviously!!! i never know what i'm doing. good luck.

ancon said:

one thing that may help is to be confident and shave your words down to bare skin, if that makes sense. start your query off strong. don't hold back. hit the reader in the nose or in the gut or down below somewhere or wherever they should feel it the most. and lose all of the...'i'm writing you today to tell you about...blah blah blah' and at the end 'thank you so much for your time and i hope to hear from you' stuff. i do think starting off a query with 'hi' and telling them your name is a nice thing however, like anyone would do when meeting someone in a coffee shop, etc, before getting into the reason for the reaching out. and of course a brief introduction somewhere is appropriate, etc. a simple 'thank you' at the end will do.

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'Hi' is not terribly professional and there's no need to tell the agent your name in the body of the query because a) it's probably in your email address and b) it's there in your signature.

ancon said:

but i think it may help to get rid of all of the page-eating niceties which carry no weight. what is the blood and guts etc of what you've written. i mean, what is it! why would anyone want to read your story? where is the hidden gold. give at least a hint. get that in your query, and in a tight way. tight. unless you think letting more line out is better. but let them know you think you know what you're doing. easier said than done obviously!!! i never know what i'm doing. good luck.

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Query Letter Hell in SYW is a great place to learn about queries.

Helix said:

Query Letter Hell in SYW is a great place to learn about queries.

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Learning is good

gbhike said:

I see a lot of people saying to jump into SYW and critique other people's work in order to get your post count up, but as someone who sent out 15 queries and got zero bites, I'm not sure I feel comfortable critiquing anyone ELSE's queries at this time. Ya know?

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It's really a great way to learn. Maybe start small, and comment on one or two aspects: Is the query clear throughout, or are parts of it confusing? Does the query make you want to read the story? Do you agree or disagree with other critiques?

gbhike said:

I see a lot of people saying to jump into SYW and critique other people's work in order to get your post count up, but as someone who sent out 15 queries and got zero bites, I'm not sure I feel comfortable critiquing anyone ELSE's queries at this time. Ya know?

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Another good place to start in SYW are the "hook me in 200 words or less" threads. Your feedback as a reader is as valid as anybody else's, and no specialized knowledge of querying conventions is needed.

Marlys said:

It's really a great way to learn. Maybe start small, and comment on one or two aspects: Is the query clear throughout, or are parts of it confusing? Does the query make you want to read the story? Do you agree or disagree with other critiques?

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This (and Anna Iguana's post) is great advice. Everyone has opinions as a reader; you just need to learn to trust yours. A lot of queries are confusing, because the author is trying to pack so much story info into a small space. Admitting you were confused is the beginning of offering helpful feedback. (I think people tend to be reluctant to admit when they're confused, because it makes us wonder if we're just too stupid to "get it." But be aware that if you feel confused by a query, other readers almost certainly feel that way, too. Pro editors never fear admitting they're confused, in my experience. Possibly the note they give writers MOST often is "I don't get what you're trying to say here.")

Just imagine yourself as an agent reading a bunch of queries in quick succession on your phone on the subway. Why does one query make you go, "No, I don't want to hear any more about this book"? Why does another make you go, "Hmm, tell me more"? You don't have to couch your critiques in those absolute terms. Just think about why one query makes you want to hear more and another doesn't, and then explain: "I was interested in your premise, but then I got confused by the super-long sentence right here, and you lost me..." Or whatever. Every reader's opinion is useful.

gbhike said:

Just wanted to share this out there because it's a little stressful and discouraging. I queried about 15 or so agents starting approximately two months ago and haven't had a single partial or full request. That doesn't feel good.

Unfortunately I found this site a tiny bit too late and just recently discovered the share your work section. I hope to build up my post count and post my query in there for all to see.

Is it normal to get no responses or requests in your first 15 or so rejections?

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As many others said, right now is not the best time to query. Publishing is a notoriously slow industry, impeded even more by the holidays. Check back with the agents you queried by mid-January. Right after New Years, a ton of writers tend to flood agents' inboxes with queries so you don't want to get lost in that.

Out of curiosity, are you keeping an Excel spreadsheet of the agents you've queried, their status, and agency? You don't want to query two agents at the same house.

I've sent out 7 queries and received 5 rejections so far. So, I'm definitely doing something wrong. Going to try and get more opinions on my opening and query...

something that may help (i believe it helped me) is to try and place a couple of pieces with magazines, websites, etc. sort of establish a writer resume type thing. also may help to connect your story to your background, or your work, etc. good luck!

Dear Mr. AgentSmith,

"Let me tell you something, boy. Nobody ever leaves that place. It leaves with them."

Hi. My name is blah blah. When I was 12 years old, I blah blah blah. My Southern Gothic novel, ABOLUTEWRITEMORE, is based on that experience and if I put TRUE GRIT and DAVID COPPERFIELD in a blender, the concoction would taste a bit like ABSOLUTEWRITEMORE. It is a story of redemption as Ty Gehrig Mantle struggles to blah blah blah.

I am a former circus performer (I got shot out of cannons) and I have written pieces for blah blah blah blah. Give me a shout if you'd like to read ABSOLUTEWRITEMORE.

Best,
your name

contact info

a query needs to be brief, and a writer needs to somehow get the guts of the story in there. i have tried all kinds of formats. this one has worked for me, but sure it isn't for everyone. it has helped me to start off with hopefully a bang (something from the story to grab the reader's attention...in a good way), then a bit about the story, a bit about me, and contact info. and write it like you know what you're doing...my gosh, you're not asking for a favor, etc. a few writing creds in there can't hurt...it shows you've been paid for your words before. at the end of the day, query-land is tough. you gotta be flexible, try new things and don't let the rejections get to you too much. adapt when you think you need to and keep putting one foot in front of the other. and i agree about not blasting out a bunch at one time. small batch. my most successful query, as i have said here in some other thread, was pasting a first chapter in the body of the email after Dear AgentSoandSo and ending it with, 'give me a shout if you'd like to read more.' i got a lot of shouts. after mounds of rejections, i was stunned.

gbhike said:

Just wanted to share this out there because it's a little stressful and discouraging. I queried about 15 or so agents starting approximately two months ago and haven't had a single partial or full request. That doesn't feel good.

Unfortunately I found this site a tiny bit too late and just recently discovered the share your work section. I hope to build up my post count and post my query in there for all to see.

Is it normal to get no responses or requests in your first 15 or so rejections?

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Yes. That is normal. Especially for first timers just starting out.

Read WM for tips on how to query and do a book proposal.
If you need more there are books on how to do specifically those things.

Your query is a sales document. You need to focus it towards the agent in question.
And it has to sell both the book as well as yourself.

Every agent is different. Check their website for exactly what they want and do it their way.

Yeah, I did tailor them to specific agents and even supplied a reason why my background lead me to write my particular story... but something in either my query or pages wasn't attracting a response. Not sure how to proceed. Might take a break and go back to them with more opinions on them so I can tweak, or might even just chuck it out and start writing a new thing. But I hope it isn't going to take me as long as this one! Otherwise it might be another decade before I'm published...