Querying over Christmas?

I remember reading a similar thread lately. I think the basic consensus of that thread was: query whenever you want.

Good luck. I hope you find that golden egg.

Jolly-Boo said:

I think the basic consensus of that thread was: query whenever you want.

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x2.

Though my own preference is to avoid the holiday season, not because of the agents, but because I have enough shit to deal with that I don't want the added suspense of constantly wondering if I've been rejected yet.

I wouldn't do it. I would wait a week or so into the new year so they can catch up with accumulated work.

But if they are open to queries there is no reason you can't.

Waiting makes no sense at all. You can find a reason not to query during every period of the year, but waiting is always a mistake. Agents and editors look at queries in the order they arrive, and if you wait you'll be behind all the thousands of writers who didn't wait.

And that one slot a publisher had open for a book just like yours might be filled while you're waiting, and someone else didn't.

When you have a query, or a manuscript, ready, send it. If you don't, someone else will beat you to it.

If you're hesitating because, like me, you're a chicken who's terrified of rejection, then wait until January 1. But acknowledge that you're doing it out of fear, nothing rational.

Otherwise, if the query and the manuscript are ready, and the agency is open to queries, and you're not a chicken looking for excuses to delay, then just send it and forget about it. No, they probably won't read it on Christmas or Christmas Eve or even the week between Christmas and New Year's, but it'll be higher in their queue than if you wait until January to send it.

ETA: JAR was posting at the same time as I was. Didn't see his response until mine went up.

Wait until January. They're shoveling out their email boxes from the influx of post-NaNoWriMo submissions.

I already have about 30 subs out there ranging from three weeks to five months old. My agent has about ten. We both decided, once we exchanged information, to wait about two or three weeks and let our load settle in. Three publishers have also asked that I re-submit after the new year.

I just fear the January slush kill, where everything that's stacked up is taken care of by an intern who has instructions to get through this stuff as fast as possible, and with merciless abandon. Delete, click, delete, click, delete click and on and on...

tri

The intern won't be rejecting good or appropriate submissions, though: only things which aren't up to scratch, or which the publisher doesn't publish.

Interns are very carefully briefed before they're let loose on submissions.

BenPanced said:

Wait until January. They're shoveling out their email boxes from the influx of post-NaNoWriMo submissions.

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So waiting until January means you'll end up being behind all the writers who ARE querying now. Send your query so you can get in line. Waiting longer to query means waiting longer to get an answer.

triceretops said:

I just fear the January slush kill, where everything that's stacked up is taken care of by an intern who has instructions to get through this stuff as fast as possible, and with merciless abandon. Delete, click, delete, click, delete click and on and on...

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That doesn't happen. If an agent is open to queries, it means they want good submissions, so the slush pile is still handled with care.

There are always extra-busy times in the year. There's the December holidays, and Easter, and July 4th, and Thanksgiving. And there's conferences, and personal affairs, and and and...

I agree with James here, definitely.

And Corinne said it best, "Waiting longer to query means waiting longer to get an answer."

The only bad time to query is when the agent/editor says, "I'm closed to queries." Or when your book isn't ready.

jeffo20 said:

The only bad time to query is when the agent/editor says, "I'm closed to queries." Or when your book isn't ready.

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That's encouraging!

Great info here. Thanks guys.