The query for my last novel (YA) has been getting a consistent 30-40% request rate. But the query for this new book, a comic mystery is 0; out of 15 queries not so much as a form rejection from anyone. Apart from the quality and content of the query, which I've submitted to the Query Letter Hell people, I'm wondering if the mystery/crime genre is really slow these days. Or if mystery and crime are one and the same and is one selling better than the other? Also, since I'm calling it a comic mystery, maybe I'd be better off pitching it to agents who specialize in humor/satire. I've just about run out of the ones who specialize in both humor and crime.
Query Queries
- Thread starter popmuze
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one way to figure out if a category isn't hot anymore is to see how many debut authors are being published in it. I think comic mysteries are hard to sell. Other agent's opinions may vary.
Mystery, thriller, and suspense is glutted, from what I hear. It's a tough genre to break into at all.
But what genre isn't?
But what genre isn't?
Within the last several years, a lot of agents who use to handle MTS have moved on to other genres, mostly non-fiction. Others are typically sticking with more established writers, and some are simply keeping the catagory open for, I believe, the one in a million shot they think will revitalize the genre.