Personalisation in queries

Isa_Halley · Feb 21, 2017

Hi Guys,

I have a quick question. Shall I say in a query letter why I'm choosing the agent or not?

I read somewhere that it makes the agent feel special and the agents like it. But it can go wrong...you may rub them the wrong way. To be honest, I'd rather not personalize...will that be harmful?

But if you personalize, what do you normally say....

Many thanks

Cyia · Feb 21, 2017

You don't have to personalize, but if you want to say that you read their blog, or mention a request they made on Twitter, then go for it.

Isa_Halley · Feb 21, 2017

Cyia said:
You don't have to personalize, but if you want to say that you read their blog, or mention a request they made on Twitter, then go for it.

Thanks so much Cyia! :Hug2:

Laurasaurus · Feb 21, 2017

If you can then it's a nice addition, but I probably don't do it in at least 90% of my queries.

MaggieMc · Feb 21, 2017

I personalised about half of my queries. I'm not sure if it made any difference - I think maybe I had a higher request rate from the personalised ones, but I think that was because I only personalised those for which I found relevant info (you know the kind of thing - I noticed on MSWL you enjoy the work of Tana French and you are looking for mysteries on the darker side...blah blah) and didn't personalise where I couldn't find relevant info. Therefore the personalised ones were agents who might have been the best fit for my MS. Still the request rate was only marginally higher. So for me its a nice to do but not necessary. If you want to do it google the agent, read any recent interviews, read their MSWL and twitter feeds. if you find something good, use it, if not, don't worry about it. Just make sure you read their sub guidelines and best of luck!!

Writes-With-Wolves · Mar 3, 2017

MaggieMc said:
I personalised about half of my queries. I'm not sure if it made any difference - I think maybe I had a higher request rate from the personalised ones, but I think that was because I only personalised those for which I found relevant info (you know the kind of thing - I noticed on MSWL you enjoy the work of Tana French and you are looking for mysteries on the darker side...blah blah) and didn't personalise where I couldn't find relevant info. Therefore the personalised ones were agents who might have been the best fit for my MS. Still the request rate was only marginally higher. So for me its a nice to do but not necessary. If you want to do it google the agent, read any recent interviews, read their MSWL and twitter feeds. if you find something good, use it, if not, don't worry about it. Just make sure you read their sub guidelines and best of luck!!

Personalizing for relevant agents is, I think, a solid strategy. But again, only when you can find relevant info. I haven't had a lot of success with queries so far, but the best responses--consisting sometimes of just personal rejections, a couple times some more interaction/partial request-- have come from me engaging an agent about something interesting I came across on their Twitter or blog. A lot of agents are pretty heavy on Twitter use these days, and while I use it periodically, I'm still getting used to using it more.

Personalizing doesn't seem to be a necessity by any means, but if it's, say, a Twitter post about their manuscript wishlist that includes a book like yours, I'd reference it.

Thomas Vail · Mar 3, 2017

I would think that you'd want to at least make it sound like you're addressing it to the specific agent, and not sound like a form query that all you have to do is change the name and before shotgunning it out.

Siri Kirpal · Mar 3, 2017

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I had much higher success rate with personalized queries than plain vanilla.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

blacbird · Mar 3, 2017

Siri Kirpal said:
I had much higher success rate with personalized queries than plain vanilla.

Siri Kirpal

I have failed with equal success at both.

caw

stormie · Mar 4, 2017

Agents have said they like personalized queries ("I follow your blog" or "I read you represent *type of book*").
It's not necessary, but it's like the icing on a cake. Not needed but oh-so-good.

ww412 · Mar 4, 2017

I'm currently struggling through my query letter and I wondered this as well. I'm not using persoanlizations, but the actual content of the query will matter more, no? I'm unsure myself.

ericalynn · Mar 5, 2017

I think personalization is helpful, as long as you're not really "reaching" for something to say. It should come somewhat organically--say you saw a blogpost they wrote, or they represent an author who you admire, or you saw their MSWL. I also think keeping it simple is better--they're looking for books about complicated families, which your work centers around, etc. If you're grasping at straws to find something to write ("you went to <insert college> and I once visited there!") then it's probably better to leave it off.

Undercover · Mar 5, 2017

stormie said:
Agents have said they like personalized queries ("I follow your blog" or "I read you represent *type of book*").
It's not necessary, but it's like the icing on a cake. Not needed but oh-so-good.

This.

Barbara R. · Mar 5, 2017

As a former agent for 14 years, I recommend giving the agent a reason for your submission. There ought to be a reason; smart writers don't carpet bomb, they do their research and submit to agents who might actually be right for them. It could be that they've sold similar work, or something they said in an interview that spoke to you, or your admiration for one of their clients...There's no reason in the world not to share that reason with the agent. It's one sentence--how is that going to rub them the wrong way?! On the contrary, it shows that you're smart enough to have done your homework and gives them more of a reason to read your query and, one hopes, sample pages.

Congrats on getting to this stage, btw, and good luck!

Old Hack · Mar 5, 2017

When I was recently looking for an agent I didn't personalise any of my queries. I sent out about 18; ended up with about twelve full requests from those submissions, out of which I got about five rejections with referrals to other agents, and two offers of representation. I did select the agents I queried very carefully, though.

Laurasaurus · Mar 5, 2017

Sometimes the agent I'm submitting to has specifically mentioned they're on the look out for something similar to my book, or recently confirmed their looking for more books in my genre, and if so I would certainly mention it. But even though I always do a ton of research and select my agents carefully, usually the reasons I'm targeting them are because they handle my genre, are great at their job, seem like they'd be a good fit for me, and are really nice on Twitter(!). I wouldn't really know how to (or want to) say any of that in my query.
For some reason, even if was true, I would worry they might think I sounded fake saying I admired one of their other clients. Maybe it's the reserved Brit thing? Or just me being an idiot.

But Barbara R.'s post has given me food for thought!

frimble3 · Mar 5, 2017

And don't over-personalize: nothing that sounds stalkerish, like "Nice neighbourhood you live in" or "How are your children: Annie, Bob and little Charlie?" Not that anyone would actually do that! :evil

Brightdreamer · Mar 5, 2017

frimble3 said:
And don't over-personalize: nothing that sounds stalkerish, like "Nice neighbourhood you live in" or "How are your children: Annie, Bob and little Charlie?" Not that anyone would actually do that!

Many years ago at a con panel, I remember an editor saying how they'd received a query that threatened their dog... and they didn't even own one. (If you're going to stalk, at least do it right. Someone who can't even stalk properly probably has glaring research errors in their manuscript, as well.)

Barbara R. · Mar 5, 2017

frimble3 said:
And don't over-personalize: nothing that sounds stalkerish, like "Nice neighbourhood you live in" or "How are your children: Annie, Bob and little Charlie?" Not that anyone would actually do that!

You'd be surprised. Just about all long-time agents have their stalking or overly-persistent-writer stories. One agent in CA was attacked at a red light by a man whose book she had rejected; he was driven off by her Jack Russell and later arrested, having thoughtfully sent threats in his own name. An agent friend of mine was handed a ms. at her husband's funeral. My most recent book, A DANGEROUS FICTION, has an account of the agent-stalker from hell, and literary agent Janet Reid identified to the extent that she live-tweeted reading it under her bedcovers. It's fiction, but every agent knows these folks are out there. That's why it's always a good idea to aim for manifest sanity in query letters.

Believe it or not, agents are dying to find work they love and think they can sell. They're really not such scary people. But for anyone who's positively hankering for rejection, here's my list of the top ten ways to get rejected.

Barbara R. · Mar 5, 2017

Laurasaurus said:
usually the reasons I'm targeting them are because they handle my genre, are great at their job, seem like they'd be a good fit for me, and are really nice on Twitter(!). I wouldn't really know how to (or want to) say any of that in my query.
But Barbara R.'s post has given me food for thought!

Perfectly good reasons, and you've just stated them succinctly here.

Qwest · Mar 9, 2017

I really enjoyed your "top ten ways to get rejected" article, thanks for sharing. Some very funny, scary stuff popping into agents' email boxes.

I do actually call agents by their first names when I query them. Is that an absolute no-no? I saw it was number 3 on your list. Oops...

Carrie in PA · Mar 9, 2017

Barbara R. said:
Believe it or not, agents are dying to find work they love and think they can sell. They're really not such scary people. But for anyone who's positively hankering for rejection, here's my list of the top ten ways to get rejected.

LOL My favorite was #5.

Quickbread · Mar 9, 2017

Wow, handing a manuscript to an agent at her husband's funeral? That's totally beyond the pale.

I personalized my query to my eventual agent, and I'm sure that was one of the things that caught her attention. But I really meant my words, and I kept it short and professional. If you can't come up with something that doesn't sound canned or artificial, I'd skip it because you risk turning the agent off, which is the worst thing you can do. And ultimately, agents will read for the story anyway.

blacbird · Mar 9, 2017

Quickbread said:
Wow, handing a manuscript to an agent at her husband's funeral?

You have to admit that's pretty personalized.

caw

Old Hack · Mar 9, 2017

Barbara R. said:
You'd be surprised. Just about all long-time agents have their stalking or overly-persistent-writer stories. One agent in CA was attacked at a red light by a man whose book she had rejected; he was driven off by her Jack Russell and later arrested, having thoughtfully sent threats in his own name. An agent friend of mine was handed a ms. at her husband's funeral.

I am reminded of this, which features Carole Blake:

Old Hack said:
I was at the York Festival of Writers with her a few years ago: we were both speaking there. In a break between events we went to the ladies' loos together and there was a long queue, which we joined. An aspiring writer spotted Carole (she was difficult to miss: platinum blonde hair, bright purple clothes, statement jewelry) and hurried over, and started pitching her novel to Carole.

Carole was gracious and polite and friendly and suggested another time would be better, but the writer persisted. As the queue kept moving, the writer kept with us, pitching away and all the time Carole was polite, friendly. And then we got to the cubicles and I thought the writer might at last stop but nope, on she carried, pitching and pitching, and when Carole went into the cubicle the writer stood outside the cubicle and carried on with her incredibly long, detailed and dull pitch.

I had had enough. I told the woman she was being inappropriate and should go away now, and the woman argued with me, and carried on. And it was only when Carole came out of the cubicle and said she'd heard enough that the woman left her alone.

After that episode Carole told me that once, she was at a writers' conference and went to the ladies, and someone slid their manuscript under her cubicle door. I am astonished that anyone would be so crass.

Personalisation in queries

Isa_Halley

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

Isa_Halley

Laurasaurus

MaggieMc

Writes-With-Wolves

Thomas Vail

What?

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

blacbird

stormie

storm central

ww412

ericalynn

Undercover

I got it covered

Barbara R.

Old Hand in the Biz

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Laurasaurus

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Barbara R.

Old Hand in the Biz

Barbara R.

Old Hand in the Biz

Qwest

Here on a catnap

Carrie in PA

Write All The Words!

Quickbread

blacbird

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman