2023: A Writing Rearview Review
Well, 2023 is in the books, and as writing years go, it wasn’t all I hoped it would be. Though not a complete failure by any means, 2023 was nowhere near as productive as years past. This is largely due to a focus on querying my novel SECOND DAWN, which ate into both writing and submission time far more than I expected. Still, there were some bright spots to 2023, primarily what I learned and can take into 2024 to make it a more productive year. Below, I’ll cover the broad strokes of the major areas of my writings/publishing endeavors in 2023. Let’s get into it.
Short Story Submissions
Here are the raw numbers for my short story submissions in 2023.
- Submissions: 38
- Acceptances: 3
- Rejections: 31
- Pending: 4
- Published: 7
Ugh, right? I haven’t done a year-by-year comparison, but I think this is my worst year in both number of submissions and number of acceptances since 2012. A lot of this has to do with a lack of new material, and most of the rejected stories are those that have been in the trenches for a long time. I still have a lot of faith in some of these stories, but holy shit are they taking a long time to sell. As far as my acceptance percentage, it’s just under 10% if you don’t count pending subs, and a measly 8% if you do. Yuck. This is an area I definitely want to improve in the coming year.
I did manage to publish seven new stories, some of which were accepted in 2022. Here are links to the ones free to read or listen to online.
- “Coffee Fiend” published by Factor Four Magazine.
- “Reporting for Duty” published by Flash Point SF.
- “Hell to Pay – Installment Plans Available!” published by Tales to Terrify.
- “When Gods Walk” published by Radon Journal.
- “Brave New Apocalypse” Factor Four Magazine.
Novel Queries
Last June, I started querying my novel SECOND DAWN. It was my first attempt at querying a novel, and I learned a lot, even if those lessons were somewhat painful. Let’s start with the numbers.
- Queries: 53
- Full Manuscript Requests: 3
- Rejections: 34
- Closed No Response: 19
Technically, one of the FMRs is still awaiting reply, and I won’t officially mark it as a CNR for another week or so. That said, based on other FMRs sent to the same agents, I’m pretty sure I won’t hear back on this one. I’m going to do a full breakdown on my first querying experience later this month, but here’s the broad strokes. I researched around 150 agents and queried 53 of them. I received three FMRs in fairly short order, and, perhaps foolishly, I got my hopes up. While I expected CNRs on basic queries, I naively expected full manuscript requests would always result in some kind of response. Sadly, this is not the case, and when I start querying my next book, I’ll treat FMRs with a little more caution.
It wasn’t all bad news with queries, though. The FMRs tell me I can put together a decent query package, and with what I learned in 2023, my query package will only get better. Additionally, I know a lot more about the agents I want to query and those I should avoid (not because they’re not good agents, but just because my style and subject matter isn’t a good match).
Freelance Work
The bulk of my actual writing in 2023 was on freelance projects, primarily for Privateer Press. I wrote/published a novels-length of words of Iron Kingdoms fiction for the latest version of the tabletop miniature game WARMACHINE. Generally, this fiction is a steampunk-esque fantasy adventure, but this last year there was an opportunity to add a horror element to the setting, and that was REALLY fun. Anyway, here’s a quick recap of the work I did here.
- Novellas: 2
- Articles: 7
- Short Stories: 6
I’ve already signed contracts for more Iron Kingdoms stories and articles in 2024, and I’m looking forward to diving back into the land of warcasters and warjacks in the coming year.
Trials & Tribulations
Although I certainly wasn’t idle this last year, and I took some clear steps forward in pursuit of an agent and publishing deal, the pervasive feeling was one of spinning my wheels. I think this is largely due to the fact that I spent so much time in the querying process–both in the writing and refining of my query package and the actual queries themselves–and I feel like I didn’t get anywhere. Now, that’s not actually true, of course. I did receive three full manuscript requests from prominent agents, and I certainly learned a lot about the querying process. Still, I won’t sugar-coat it; querying is a real motherfucker that can quickly erode your confidence if you let it.
I also struggled a bit with what some folks might call writer’s block. I’m not a big fan of the term because I think it doesn’t accurately represent what, for me, was largely a dearth of creativity. It’s not that I couldn’t write or even that I couldn’t write publishable material, it’s was just very difficult getting started and even more difficult to get into the so-called groove. I think much of this stems from simple burnout. I’ve spent that last decade fighting the good fight, pushing my work out there, weathering rejections, and for the most part I’ve rolled with punches. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little more affected by my setbacks in 2023 than in other years. So what does that mean? Well, it means I need to get back into some good habits that tend to recharge the ol’ creative batteries, and first among those is reading. I don’t think I finished more than a dozen books in 2023 and that, for a writer, is unconscionable. So, in 2024 I want to get back on the reading train and not just in my genre. I’ve already got three new novels on my kindle–one horror, one crime/mystery, and one sci-fi–and I’m looking forward in losing myself in someone else’s creation for a bit.
Goals
I’m not gonna go crazy setting grandiose goals for myself in the coming year, but there are a few things I want to get done in 2024.
1) Finish revising and query my horror/thriller novel Hell to Play. This book just needs some fairly light revision and it’ll be ready to query. I think in a lot of ways it’s a more marketable book than the one I queried in 2023, Second Dawn. Comps are more obvious and the tone and subject matter is more indicative of my usual writing style. There are no guarantees, of course, but I think I stand a better chance of landing an agent with this one.
2) Write and submit more short stories. A perennial goal, but this time I’m not gonna shoot for a specific number. I simply want to write and submit more, and that’s enough.
3) Read, read, read. A lot of folks set out to read 100 books a year, but, like with short story subs, I’m not going to shoot for a specific number. I’m just going to commit more time to reading and focus on discovering new authors and maybe even new genres.
And that was my 2023. Some ups and some downs, but I think the best way for me to look at 2023 is as a growth year. Growth can be painful, but ultimately it’s a good thing, and that’s where I’ll sign off. 🙂
Leaving the Nest: Where To Send My New Story
I recently finished a new story, and it’s time to send my poor little word baby out into the dark, feral wastes of submission land. In this post, I thought it might be fun to talk about how I go about deciding which markets to target first with a new story. This process is rife with rejectomancy, so it’s perfect for the blog. Let’s discuss. 🙂
The Story
My new piece, which we’ll refer to as “Baby Bird” for this post is a sci-fi cyberpunk-ish crime thriller and clocks in at just under 6,000 words. I generally don’t write stories over 5,000 words and rarely over 4,000, and the reason for this is simple. Once you get over 5k, the number of markets willing to accept the story shrinks considerably. But a story needs to be as long as it needs to be. That said, this one did creep all the way up to 7,000 words, but with the help of my very excellent critique partners, I whittled it down to a more manageable (and hopefully publishable) size.
The Markets
As I usually do when submitting a short story, I start with pro markets and work my way down. So, turning to Duotrope, when I enter the genre, length, and pay rate I want for “Baby Bird”, I come up with thirteen possible markets. However, I’ll be focusing my initial efforts on just five. I’m ruling out the others due to a number of factors, but primarily I’m just going with markets where I have a track record. So, the five markets I’ll submit to first are:
- Clarkesworld
- Analog Science Fiction & Fact
- Escape Pod
- Asimov’s Science Fiction
- Strange Horizons
These are in no particular order (that’ll come later), and I’ve subbed to all of them with various degrees of success (though I haven’t had a story accepted by any of them yet). There are, of course, other pro markets that might accept “Baby Bird” that are not currently open to submissions, and I’ll adjust my list according if and when they open up. I should note that I think all five of these markets are fantastic, and I would be overjoyed to have a story appear in the pages of any of them.
Track Record
Okay, now it’s time to take a look at my track record with each of these markets, so I can figure out where “Baby Bird” goes first, second, third, and so on. The biggest factor for me in determining the order will be my submission history with each market, but response time (from Duotrope) will play a part as well. So, how have I fared with each publisher?
Clarkesworld
- Submissions: 14
- Acceptances: 0
- Shortlists: 0
- Personal Rejections: 0
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has failed to make a dent in the slush pile of Clarkesworld. It’s a very tough market that gets a ton of submissions for very few spots. The subject matter and themes of “Baby Bird” look like they could be a good fit, but my track record here says I might want to start elsewhere. With fourteen form rejections, I just don’t have much to go on.
Analog Science Fiction & Fact
- Submissions: 1
- Acceptances: 0
- Shortlists: 0
- Personal Rejections: 1
Yep, just one submission to Analog. The reason for that is, well, I don’t write a ton of straight sci-fi. Sometimes my stories have science fiction elements, but they’re usually mixed in with horror. Their guidelines are very clear on the type of science fiction Analog is looking for, as stated: We publish science fiction stories in which some aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. Unfortunately, my stories rarely meet that standard, but “Baby Bird” does, as did the only other story I’ve sent them. That story, “Time Has No Memory”, was rejected, but the editor added the following note after the form letter.
“I like your style of writing and suggest that you try us again.”
That’s encouraging, and since “Baby Bird” is written in the same style as “Time Has No Memory”, it puts Analog right at the top of the list.
Escape Pod
- Submissions: 5
- Acceptances: 0
- Shortlists: 1
- Personal Rejections: 4
I’ve done okay here, and one of my stories made what I’d consider a short list. I think Escape Pod adds a personal note to most rejections (at least they’ve done so for me), and that’s helped me decide which stories to send them. Now, the story they shortlisted is “Time Has No Memory”, the same story the editor of Analog commented on. Generally, that would put Escape Pod at the very top of the list, especially since “Baby Bird” is similar in tone to “Time Has No Memory”, but it’s important to read the guidelines. Though Escape Pod does take stories up to 6,000 words, their guidelines state that the sweet spot for a submissions is between 2,000 and 4,000 words. So “Baby Bird” is right at their maximum and well outside the sweet spot, and I have to take that into consideration.
Asimov’s Science Fiction
- Submissions: 6
- Acceptances: 0
- Shortlists: 0
- Personal Rejections: 0
As you can see, I’ve had no luck with Asimov’s, and I’ve received nothing but form rejections. That said, I have a feeling that “Baby Bird” might be a solid fit. That’s based on nothing but reading a few stories from the magazine and some gut intuition. I could be dead wrong, of course, and I have nothing to go on but six boilerplate form rejections, but, hey, sometimes you gotta go with your gut.
Strange Horizons
- Submissions: 5
- Acceptances: 0
- Shortlists: 0
- Personal Rejections: 0
Another market I’ve had very little luck with. Some of that has to do with when they’re open for submissions and what I have ready to submit when they are. Strange Horizons is a broadly speculative market, so I generally like my chances there since many of my stories are difficult to put into a single genre. Research and experience have led me to wonder if the tone of my work is a good fit for Strange Horizons, but since I’ve received only form rejections, it’s hard to say. This is another case where I’ll have to go with my well honed (hah!) writerly instincts.
Final Order
With all the information and variables I discussed above, the order in which I’ll submit “Baby Bird” to the five markets I’ve chosen is:
- Analog Science Fiction & Fact
- Escape Pod
- Strange Horizons
- Asimov’s Science Fiction
- Clarkesworld
Now, there might be some wisdom in submitting to the markets that respond the quickest first, and since I’d be thrilled to be published in any of these journals, it’s tempting to order them that way. But I think I want to send “Baby Bird” to the markets where it’s most likely to get published, and from experience, feedback, and that good old gut feeling, I think the order above is probably right. Again, these are all fantastic markets, and I would be thrilled to place a story with any of them.
And there you have it, my super scientific process for choosing markets to submit to. The list above is not set in stone, of course. Some of these markets could close to subs before I get to them, and/or another better-fitting market could open up. It’s a good place to start, though, and here’s hoping “Baby Bird” soon takes flight. 🙂
Query/Submission Statement: November 2023
I was fairly active in November, but, overall, it was a disappointing month for both short story submissions and agent queries. It was a month of cleansing, and I cleared out a lot of stale agent queries with the goal of heading into 2024 with a clean slate. Anyway, let’s have a look at the numbers.
November 2023 Short Story Submissions
- Submissions Sent: 5
- Rejections: 3
- No Response: 0
- Acceptances: 0
- Further Consideration/Shortlist: 0
- Withdrawals: 0
Another five submissions in November, though they didn’t amount to much. My short story numbers for 2023 are, to put it bluntly, abysmal. Much of this has to do with the fact that I haven’t written much new material, which means I haven’t sent many submissions. Getting an acceptance is a numbers game, and I generally hover around a 15% acceptance rate, but this year I’m at about 10%. That wouldn’t be so bad if I’d sent more submissions. I’ve sent a grand total of 37 in 2023, the fewest in a decade. In other words, 10% of say, 75 or 80, which is where I’m usually at, would sit a lot better than 10% of less than 40. I still have some subs pending, so it’s possible another acceptance or two will come in. I also plan to fire off a few more subs in December, and I’ll probably end the year with somewhere between 40 and 50.
November 2023 Agent Queries
- Queries Sent: 3
- Rejections: 4
- CNR: 9
- Full/Partial Request: 0
- Withdrawn: 0
- Nudges: 2
I sent three more queries for my novel SECOND DAWN in November, and they are the last three I’ll send on the project in it’s current state. I received four rejections, one of which was a rejection on a full manuscript request. That last one hurt, especially since it didn’t come with any feedback, but them’s the brakes. I CNR’d nine stale queries in November, and I’ve CNR’s another two this month. That leaves me with six outstanding queries and two outstanding full manuscript requests.
I sent nudges to the two agents who are still reviewing my full manuscript. I’ll nudge them again this month, and if I get no response, I’ll CNR both. It’s certainly disappointing to think about getting no response on an FMR, but, unfortunately, it’s not uncommon.
By the end of the December, I expect all outstanding queries and FMRs to be resolved one way or another. That one way will likely be rejections and CNRs. If/when that happens, I’ll pull SECOND DAWN and start querying my other novel HELL TO PLAY in 2024. I think I might fare better with HELL TO PLAY. It, too, is a supernatural thriller, but comps are easier to find, and it’s not part of a so-called dead genre (vampires). I’ve learned a lot querying SECOND DAWN, and I’ll put the knowledge to good use in the new year.
And that was November. My goals for December are fairly sedate. I want to finish a short story or two, send out a few short story submissions, and then finish the revision of HELL TO PLAY so I can start querying it in 2024.
How was your month of querying/submitting/writing?
Writing Challenges: The Four Brain Weasels of the Apocalypse
It goes without saying that writing and publishing is a tough gig. To make matters worse, the writerly brain is beset by a myriad of doubts, insecurities, and plain old fears that make it even tougher. Speaking from my own experience, there are four primary fears and doubts I battle on a regular basis. I like to call them the Four Brain Weasels of the Apocalypse. So let’s talk about them, and, more importantly, how to fight them.
1) The Brain Weasel of I’m Not Good Enough
Often the first of the four to appear, this brain weasel lurks on blank pages and in the space between outlines and first draft. It says, why even bother to start that story or novel? You’re not good enough to get it published. This brain weasel seeks to keep you from writing at all, and its main weapon is procrastination. It will lure you away with minor household chores and video games and working on other projects that feel safer or aren’t as important.
Battling the Brain Weasel of I’m Not Good Enough: For me, there’s only one way to defeat this brain weasel, and that’s to simply start writing. No matter how awful it feels, no matter how much my brain screams TERRIBLE with each labored sentence, I do it anyway. After the first couple hundred words, things get easier, the words start flowing, and the the Brain Weasel of I’m Not Good Enough slinks away in defeat. In almost every case, when I come back and look at my “terrible” writing the next day, it’s nothing of the sort, which just proves that brain weasels are full of shit. 🙂
2) The Brain Weasel of Why Not Me
This brain weasel often rears its misshapen head when its siblings are having a good chew on your confidence. When another author posts some wonderful news about a story acceptance or landing an agent or getting a book deal, this brain weasel likes to scream IT’S NOT FAIR. You’re as good as that other author. Why aren’t YOU getting that book deal or acceptance?
Battling the Brain Weasel of Why Not Me: We all compare our work to the work of others, and that’s a normal and healthy thing to do, especially when you’re looking for ways to improve. BUT the second you start thinking you deserve something more than someone else, you have to shut that brain weasel down before it leads you down a path of bitterness and misery. The absolute best way to defeat the Brain Weasel of Why Not Me is to charge in and congratulate authors who posts good news. Be the first person to say CONGRATS! Be the first person to tell that author how much they deserve that accolade after all the hard work they’ve put in (because they do and they have). Revel in the success of others, learn from it, and most of all, take inspiration from it. Do that, and I guarantee you’ll shut down the Brain Weasel of Why Not Me long before it can sink its teeth in.
3) The Brain Weasel of I Used to be Better
This brain weasel often accompanies I’m Not Good Enough and tends to plague authors with some publishing experience. It insists that your older work is much better, and you’re not the same writer you used to be. In fact, you might have actually gotten worse and MAYBE you’ve lost the ability to write publishable fiction entirely.
Battling the Brain Weasel of I Used to be Better: Like all brain weasels, this one’s a liar. Its primary goal is to keep you from writing, to keep you from even starting that next project, story, or novel. It can be defeated by simply barreling through and writing, but I also find it can be sent packing with a little positive reinforcement. I like to go back and look at acceptance letters, especially recent ones, and even read the odd positive review. You still have to buckle down and write, but reviewing the hard evidence that you haven’t “lost it” can help you put that first word on the page, which leads to the first sentence, which leads to the first paragraph, and soon enough the Brain Weasel of I Used to be Better turns tail.
4) The Brain Weasel of Phantom Feedback
Perhaps the sneakiest of all brain weasels, this one slips into your mind every time you get a rejection letter. With a form rejection, it tells you there’s some hidden meaning behind that boilerplate not for us or not the right fit. That hidden meaning is, of course, that you’re writing is terrible. Worse, it whispers lies into your brain when you get a good review or a nice personal rejection or when anyone says something positive about your work. This brain weasel insists they’re “just being nice,” and that, in truth, they don’t like your work because, of course, your work is terrible.
Battling the Brain Weasel of Phantom Feedback: This is a tough one to fight because it’s so insidious. How do you prove someone doesn’t mean what they haven’t said? The best thing to do is simply take folks at their word, because, for the most part, editors and agents and readers are going to be honest. If that form letter says it’s not a good fit, than that’s what it is, and you should send out that story or query letter to someone else. If someone says they like your work, it’s because they do, and it’s okay to take them at their word, too. The Brain Weasel of Phantom Feedback wants you to chase figments of your imagination, so tell it to go fuck itself and focus on the things you have actual evidence for.
There are of course many other species of brain weasel that plague the writerly brain, but these are the four that inhabit my gray matter. Whatever brain weasel you deal with on the regular, just remember that brain weasels, by their very nature, are liars and should never be believed. I know that’s easier said than done, but it’s possible; I promise. 🙂
Which brain weasels do you wrestle with? How do you deal with them? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
The Regularly Rejected Story: Give Up or Keep Submitting?
Although most of my recent submission efforts have been focused on querying my novel, I have sent out the occasional short story submission. Admittedly, I haven’t written much new material over 1,000 words in a while, so I’ve been grinding away at the stories I haven’t managed to sell yet. In today’s post, I want to discuss three of those stories, which have, by far, accumulated the most submissions and rejections. Is it time to give up on these three? Let’s discuss.
First, let me give you the submission numbers on these pieces. I won’t be mentioning the titles since two of the stories are currently out on submission. I’ll just call them A, B, and C.
| Submissions | Pending | Shortlists | |
| Story A | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| Story B | 15 | 2 | 3 |
| Story C | 13 | 0 | 0 |
Okay, now it’s time for some high-level rejectomancy to see if I can figure out why I’m struggling to sell these stories. What follows is pure speculation on my part, so don’t take it too seriously. 🙂
*puts on High Rejectomancer hat*
Story A: If I had to pick the best of the bunch, I’d say it’s this one. It’s straight-up sci-fi, which tends to have a slightly broader appeal (there are certainly more markets for it), and, if I may be so bold, I think it’s one of the better examples of my writing. It’s been shortlisted by three high-profile pro markets, and the feedback has been very positive. This is where you ask, if it’s so good, why haven’t you sold it? Good question, and I can only speculate. First, it’s about time travel, and though I think I have a unique spin, it’s still an overused trope that you often see in do-not-send lists. Two, it’s an epistolary, which is a format not to everyone’s taste. If I had to guess, it’s more the time travel bit that’s hurting me than the format. I’m not ready to give up on this one, though I am running out of places to send it. That said, I feel like I’ve got a decent shot with the two markets it’s currently on submission with, one of which has published a couple of my hard-to-place stories before.
Story B: Like Story A, this one has gotten close to publication at some very good pro markets, but hasn’t crossed the finish line. Unlike Story A, which received a fair amount of feedback, some of which I actually used, Story B has collected a whole bunch of generic not the right fits and we’re going to passes, even on its shortlist rejections. So what’s the problem with this one? Again, I can only speculate, but this story is similar to a number of my hard-to-place stories in that it doesn’t fit neatly into one genre. It has elements of sci-fi and horror, but it would be a stretch to call it either or to call it a true hybrid. It’s simply speculative. I tend to write those stories a lot, and I tend to have a hell of a time selling them. I almost always do sell them, but it’s often to a market that is specifically looking for, well, unspecific speculative stories. Anyway, I think I will sell this one. It has a unique premise and the fact that it has gotten so close to publication before tells me the piece has some merit. It, too, is currently subbed to two markets, so fingers crossed.
Story C: As you can tell, I’ve had ZERO luck with this story. It’s received nothing but form rejections and well, I think that says a lot after thirteen submission. So, what’s the problem here? Speculation time, but I think this story faces a number of challenges. First, it’s set during the height of the Covid pandemic, and while it’s not putting forth any kind of agenda on that topic, it does feel like publishers are somewhat leery of the subject. Second, it contains one of the big three. Those three being the monsters most often seen on do not send lists: vampires, zombies, and werewolves. In this case it’s vampires, and, well, if you want to submit a story on hard mode, just stick a vampire in it. Lastly, the story is kind of a bummer, and while stories that end on a very dark note aren’t unsellable, I do think when you layer touch sell after tough sell on a story, you’re definitely facing an uphill battle. If I want to have a better chance with this one, I think a heavy revision is in order that removes one or maybe two of the tough sell elements. So, for the moment, this one is a trunk story.
Of course, I have engaged in ridiculous amounts of rejectomancy in this post, and while I have enough experience to make some educated guesses about why I’m struggling to sell these pieces, my speculation could be completely off base. This is one of the reasons I keep submitting a story even after double-digit rejections. An acceptance still comes down to putting the right story in front of the right editor at the right time, and I’ve sold plenty of stories with the tough-sell elements I mentioned above. This is not to say that if you are truly getting nowhere with a piece, you shouldn’t reassess (like I’ve done with Story C), but make sure you’re giving the story a fair shake before you do.
Thoughts on the rampant rejectomancy in this post? Tell me about it in the comments.
Query/Submission Statement: October 2023
October was another busy month, and I sent a fair number of queries and submissions. That said, queries are winding down as I wait for replies to those still outstanding. Anyway, here’s how I did in the tenth month of the year of our lord 2023.
October 2023 Short Story Submissions
- Submissions Sent: 5
- Rejections: 3
- No Response: 0
- Acceptances: 0
- Further Consideration/Shortlist: 0
- Withdrawals: 0
Five submission is the most I’ve sent in a single month in 2023, which is kinda sad. In years past, that would be a very slow month. I’ve managed a paltry 32 submissions this year and only three acceptances. I’d like to hit 50 submissions in 2023, but I’d need to send 9 subs in November and December. We’ll see if I can pull it off.
October 2023 Agent Queries
- Queries Sent: 9
- Rejections: 8
- CNR: 2
- Full/Partial Request: 0
- Withdrawn: 0
Nine more queries in October, which brings my total up to fifty. At this point, I’m content to wait for the queries I have outstanding to resolve before I send any more. That said, if an agent who seems a particularly good fit opens to queries in the near future, I’ll definitely fire one off. The rejections and CNRs have been rolling in, and October saw record highs in both. I expect November to also be a month of rejections and CNRs.
I’m still waiting on responses for the three full manuscript requests I received in July and August, and I’ll send status queries on two of them in the next few weeks. The third agent asked for three to six months to review a manuscript, so I think it pays to be patient there.
I admit I’m a little worried about the fact that I received three manuscript requests in short order when I started querying, and I’ve gotten nothing but rejections and crickets since. It might be that just through sheer blind luck I queried the three agents most likely to be interested in my book from the get-go. Hard to say, but best not to read too much into it.
And that was October. My goals for November primarily to send more short story submissions. I’m also working on another novel I’d like to have ready to go if/when SECOND DAWN doesn’t pan out.
How was your month of querying/submitting/writing?
Query Quest: Who Should I Query? (Redux)
Recently, someone asked me what my process is for vetting agents before I query them. Since the question was asked on a social media platform (Bluesky), I could only answer briefly, but I think a longer, more in-depth explanation could be educational. I’ve previously covered this topic on my blog, but that was earlier in my querying journey, and I’ve since refined my process. Now, nothing I do is revolutionary, unique, or even uncommon, but if you’re getting ready to query agents for the first time, you might not know about all the resources available to you. I didn’t. So, let’s dive in.
I should note that my process, such as it is, relies on paid subscriptions to two different services, QueryTracker and Publisher’s Marketplace. Both can be used for free, but the way I use them requires a paid subscription. The total for the two is about fifty bucks a month, which, admittedly, is pretty steep. I don’t think they are completely necessary when you’re vetting agents, but they do make the process a little easier.
Okay, the process.
1) QueryTracker. I start with QueryTracker and search for agents who represent my genre (horror), are based in the US, and possibly also rep an adjacent genre like thrillers or mystery. Currently, these search criteria produce a list of 55 agents currently accepting queries. If I just search for agents who rep horror, I get 77 matches. The only thing to do from this point is to click on each agent and dig a little bit further to see if the agent might be a good fit for my work. Luckily, QueryTracker makes that a little easier by providing links to the agent’s website (or their agency’s website), their Publisher’s Marketplace member page, their Manuscript Wish List page, plus their Twitter account, and a few other possibly helpful links. QueryTracker also gives you a list of known clients, which links you to the author’s Amazon page. Additionally, QueryTracker lets you look at comments left by other querying authors about the agent. Most authors simply note when they queried, what they queried (genre and length), and when they were rejected or received a manuscript request. I find the client list to be a tad more helpful than the author comments, which can take a while to slog through to really glean anything useful. Just my opinion, though.
2) Manuscript Wish List/Bio. From QueryTracker, I usually go straight to Manuscript Wish List to see if the agent has posted a list of what they’d like to see in queried manuscripts. It’s important to note that this will not always match up with the genres listed for the agent on QueryTracker. Most agents, in my experience, list far more genres than a) they want to see currently and b) have worked with on a regular basis. So, I might find an agent that lists horror in the genres they rep on QT, but when I go to their MWL, I’ll find they’re really looking for something else entirely, and it’s clearly not the time to query them with my horror novel. Next, I’ll got to the agent’s website or their agency’s website to read their bio. Often, they’ll list the kinds of manuscripts they want to see here as well. Again, this can differ from what you find on QT, so it’s always a good idea to look at both the bio and the MWL.
What I also look for in the MWL and bio are the peripherals, the stuff that goes beyond genre that will tell me if the agent is a good fit for my book and my writing style. For example, an agent who reps horror and lists some of my comps as favorite books is definitely an agent I want to query. Conversely, an agent who reps horror and wants to see lyrical prose and weird horror is probably not going to dig my Spartan line-level style in a vampire thriller. I’m not salty about any of this, of course. Finding an agent is all about matching your project, writing style, and voice with the right agent. The last thing I want to do is waste my time and the agent’s by querying a novel I’m fairly certain they’re not going to like.
3) Publisher’s Marketplace. If an agent reps my genre on QT and their MWL and/or bio states that they want to see horror manuscripts, the next place I’ll go is Publisher’s Marketplace. What I’m looking for here are the agent’s recent deals, the books they’ve sold, and if those books are in my genre. If I see recent horror sales, that’s definitely a plus, but if an agent has not sold a horror novel, it’s not necessarily a deal breaker, especially if they’ve sold novels in adjacent genres and have expressed a willingness to read horror manuscripts. Agents sometimes expand the genres they represent, and I’m more than willing to query a good agent looking to expand their client list with different types of authors.
One of the things Publishers Marketplace will definitely tell you is how experienced an agent is. It lists all the deals they’ve made past and present, how lucrative those deals were, and where they were made. This brings up a conundrum. Querying an established and experienced agent is appealing because, hey, they’ve got a proven track record, BUT these agents already have a lot of clients and tend to receive a TON of queries. So your chances of getting representation are, well, probably slimmer than usual. On the other hand, a newer agent, with a few good sales under their belt and actively looking to build out their client list is appealing because you might have a better chance of getting your manuscript read and obtaining representation. I’ve queried a little bit of both, though, oddly, I’ve had more luck with the established agents (full manuscript requests), so take my talk of “chances” with a big ol’ grain of salt.
So that’s my process. As I said earlier, you’ll need a subscription to QueryTracker and Publisher’s Marketplace to search like I do and see some of the data I’ve mentioned above, but you can tell a lot about what an agent wants from their Manuscript Wish List and bio, both of which are one-hundred-percent free. Of course, there are other ways to research agents, likely with resources I’m unaware of, so don’t take this as anything even approaching the right or best way to vet agents. These are just the techniques and resources that I’ve stumbled on over the last 50-some queries. If you know of another resource useful for vetting agents, please share it in the comments below.
Happy writing and happy querying. 🙂
Short Story Subs vs. Agent Queries: Two Big Differences
In the last four months, I’ve been querying my novel SECOND DAWN, and while querying a novel is a new to me, submitting my work to publishers is definitely not. I have sent well over 700 short story submissions, so it’s fair to say I’m familiar with sending my work out to be judged. Even so, I was still somewhat surprised by some huge differences between querying novels and submitting short stories (yes, I’m just that naïve) , so I thought I’d go over a few of those here. It should be noted that what follows is not an admonition of how agents or short story publishers handle their business. It goes without saying that novels and short stories require vastly different approaches, but, if you’re like me and coming from a background in short fiction, you might find what I have to say interesting, maybe even educational. 🙂
A couple of quick notes before we get started. One, when I talk about the short fiction market, I am talking exclusively about the genre short fiction market. I have zero experience with lit-fic, but I know things work a little differently on that side of the fence. Two, most of my data on agent queries comes from QueryTracker, which seems to be a pretty reliable source, but it’s not perfect, especially for those agents that still accept queries through email, other online forms, or even snail mail. Okay, with that out of the way, here are two major differences between submitting short stories and querying agents and my theories on why these difference exist.
Reply Rate: If you submit a short story to a magazine or journal, you can expect a response of some kind about 99 percent of the time. It might take a while, but there are only a few markets I can think of that state outright they may NOT reply. On the contrary, many of the agents I’ve queried or researched state outright in their guidelines that they won’t respond unless they’re interested in the project, and I’ve seen query response percentages on QueryTracker as low as 2 percent.
Let me give you some numbers to back this up. I have, to date, submitted 728 short stories over the past decade, and I have withdrawn a grand total of nine due to nonresponse. That’s a paltry 1.2%, and to be fair, half of these nonresponses are because the journal went out of business. Conversely, I’ve sent 44 agent queries since the beginning of June, and I’ve already CNR’d three of them, and I’m getting ready to CNR three more. Sample size, sure, but it’s 7% out of 44 (double that soon) in four months compared to 1% out of 700 in ten years.
So why the difference? Volume appears to be the biggest factor. It seems that many agents are essentially one-person operations, and the number of queries they receive in a year can sometimes be measured in the thousands. Here are some more numbers. One agent that recently rejected my query has received 2,600 queries in the last twelve months (according to QueryTracker). That’s roughly 215 queries every month. This agent asks for a query letter, a synopsis, and the first ten pages in the query package. What I sent her totals around 5,000 words, a word count that exceeds the maximum for many short story markets. So, if the agent is actually going to read all that material (we all want that more than anything, right?) and also focus on all their existing clients, well, then, yeah, I kind of understand why reply rates can be so low. Again, I’d like to point out that this agent did respond to me, which is much appreciated.
Look, do I wish every agent would at least send a boilerplate form letter response for every query? Of course, but in my experience this just isn’t how the industry works, so I’ve just gotten used to it. That said, most agents are very up front about the fact they’re not going to reply unless they’re interested in the project, so it’s hardly a surprise when they don’t respond. Most will also give you an expected time frame for a response. If there’s no response within that time frame, you can close the query out and move on mostly confident the agent has passed on the project.
Sim-Subs: Simultaneous submissions are a hot topic in short story circles because so many publishers forbid them. You won’t find that when querying agents. In fact, it’s just kind of understood that you’ll be sending your book to multiple agents at the same time. That’s a refreshing change, and with response rates so low, and chances of representation so slim, it’s a necessary one, in my opinion.
For agent queries, the attitude toward sim-subs balances out the low reply rate in my opinion. See, for short stories, a lot of markets do not allow simultaneous submissions and will hold your story for 120 days or more until they make a decision. Agents seem to understand this is simply not a tenable position with novels, and from what I’ve seen, it’s not uncommon for authors to query dozens of agents at the same time. Additionally, if an agent does offer you representation, there’s an understanding that you will notify other agents currently reviewing your query/manuscript and give them a chance to respond. This, too, is completely different from the short story market where the expected procedure is to immediately withdraw the story from any other publishers considering it.
The difference here is pretty easy to understand. Novels and short stories are completely different beasts, and the time it takes for an agent to review a query package or entire manuscript, especially one they’re interested in, can be months. For example, one of the agents who has requested my full manuscript for SECOND DAWN states in her guidelines that it could be up to six months before she responds to the submission. When you factor in the time it took for her to respond to the query, I could be looking at most of a year before I find out the ultimate fate of my manuscript. Obviously, the agent understands this and expects that I will continue to query other agents, which I am.
As with all my posts on querying my novel, this is based on my still somewhat limited experience, but I feel like I’m getting a pretty good sense of how things work. One thing I did take away from my experience in the short fiction market is how to dig into the numbers, and, luckily, the numbers are far more accessible and in depth for agents queries than they are for short story submissions. So, take this post with a grain of salt if your experience differs, and if it does, please tell me about it in the comments. I can always use more data. 🙂
Query Response Round-Up: Week of 10/6/23
Another three weeks of querying gone by, so it’s time for a another response round-up. After a few weeks of crickets, the responses have started coming in more regularly. All rejections, but what are ya gonna do? Anyway, there are a couple of interesting rejections I thought I’d share. Let’s jump in.
First, here’s my overall query stats as of today.
- Total Queries: 44
- Rejections: 17
- Full Requests: 3
- CNR: 3
- Pending Queries: 21
- Pending Requests: 3
Rejections
I received six more rejections since I last posted one of these updates, and I want share two with you, mostly to illustrate how different agents handle form rejections.
Rejection #1 – 9/19/23
Thank you for thinking of me for SECOND DAWN. Unfortunately your project does not sound like a fit for me at this time, and so I will have to pass. Best of luck with your future queries, and I hope you’ll soon find the perfect advocate for your work.
This is a very standard form rejection. One paragraph, a simple no, well wishes, and out. Of the seventeen rejections I’ve received thus far, most look like this. But let’s look at the other end of the spectrum for form rejections.
Rejection #2 – 10/5/23
Thank you so much for your query. I appreciate the opportunity to consider your work, but unfortunately, after careful consideration, I have decided to bow out. I am truly sorry not to be able to offer you representation, and I wish you the very best of publishing luck as you move forward.
At [agency], we understand that writing is a passion, an intensely personal calling, a long-time dream for many, and frequently a lonely endeavor. We have great respect for authors, and we share the writer’s passion—that is why we are literary agents.
Unfortunately, publishing is a business that necessarily involves a lot of rejection, at every stage. One of the most difficult things for us as agents is to have to say no. Yet, we can take on only a small fraction of all the work we see, and this is simply a business reality.
We say no for many reasons—because of changing trends in the market; because we already have something similar on our list; because we know of similar published or forthcoming titles; because something isn’t right for us; because although something may be strong, well-written and even publishable, we didn’t fall in love with it.
Please do try to keep this one “no” in perspective. This is a highly subjective business and another agent may adore your work. All it takes is one “Yes.” We wish you success in finding that “Yes,” whether with us or another agent and publisher.
Thank you for thinking of us and giving us this opportunity to consider your work.
Vive la difference, huh? There is a lot of info in this form rejection (and I am fairly certain this is form rejection), and my initial reaction to that information was “I don’t need all this.” Then I thought about it, and, yeah, as a fairly seasoned pro, maybe I don’t need it, but there are folks who might. There are folks who are just beginning their publishing journey, and the information and words of encouragement in this rejection could go a long way. I mean, if you haven’t been submitting fiction for that last decade-plus, then you might not know that rejection is just part of the gig and a no doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. You might need to hear that, even in a form letter. So, kudos to this agent for their kind, informative rejection letter. I apologize that my crusty, jaded ass didn’t see its benefits right away. 🙂
The other four form rejections I received were very much like the first one I posted here, so no need to share those.
I still have three full manuscript requests pending, but they’re getting a little long in the tooth. According to the stats on QueryTracker, that’s pretty normal for one of the agents, but I might have to chalk up at least one of the subs as a CNR. Bleh.
Thoughts or questions about queries or these responses? Tell me about it in the comments.
Query/Submission Statement: September 2023
September was another busy month, as I fired off more agent queries for my novel SECOND DAWN. I even, somehow, managed to find time to send a few short story submissions. (I know!). It was a productive month, but not necessarily a fruitful one. That’s just how it goes in the query/submission trenches. Anyway, here’s how I did.
September 2023 Short Story Submissions
- Submissions Sent: 3
- Rejections: 1
- No Response: 0
- Acceptances: 0
- Further Consideration/Shortlist: 0
- Withdrawals: 0
Still not exactly lighting the world on fire with my short story output, but, hey, three subs is three times as many as I sent last month. 🙂 I have actually written a bunch of new stories; I just haven’t done anything with them yet. That’ll change this month. I’d like to send out at least half a dozen subs if possible.
September 2023 Agent Queries
- Queries Sent: 10
- Rejections: 5
- CNR: 1
- Full/Partial Request: 0
- Withdrawn: 1
I only sent ten queries last month because, well, I’m running out of agents to query. There simply aren’t as many agents that rep horror as say sci-fi or mystery/thriller, so I find myself checking QueryTracker’s New & Updated Agent list everyday to see if any potential agents have opened to queries. The five rejections last month were run-of-the-mill form rejections with no feedback, and the withdrawal was just a brain fart on my part. I queried an agent at an agency where I already had a query pending with another agent at that same agency. That’s a no-no, so I withdrew the query with a polite and very apologetic note.
In other query news, I’m still waiting on responses for the three full manuscript requests I received in July and August. I fear at least one of those is going to be a CNR, but that’s just the reality of querying.
Anyway, if you’d like to follow my querying journey and get my thoughts and insights on the process, I’ve been documenting the whole mess on the blog. Links to those posts below:
- Query Quest: A New Rejection Frontier
- Query Quest: Baby’s First Query Rejection
- Query Quest: Agent Query Checklist Part 1
- Query Quest: Rejection #2
- Query Quest: What Are My Chances?
- Query Quest: Full Manuscript Request
- Query Quest: Who Should I Query?
- Query Response Round-Up: Week of 8/18/23
- Query Response Round-Up: Week of 8/25/23
- Query Response Round-Up: Week of 9/15/23
- Query Quest: What Are My Chances Part II
And that was September. My goals for this month are more agent queries and a lot more short story submissions. I’ve already got a jump on the queries, so it’s time to get busy on the submissions. I’d also LOVE to report another full manuscript request or, dream of dreams, and offer of representation in October. I wouldn’t hold your breath on that last thing, though. 🙂
How was your month of querying/submitting/writing?
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Acts of War: Aftershock
Acts of War: Stormbreak
Aeryn Rudel's Rejectomancy 