I get it! After teaching language arts for years, I’d drag my work bag home—and end up leaving it under the dining room table, because I just couldn’t face it! They were 5th and 6th grade writers! But then I realized how immediate feedback, in teaching anyway, was much more impactful. So I switched my strategy, sat side by side with the student and expected less of myself in terms of reading it all. I read shorter, gave more feedback and didn’t try to nitpick over everything. One or two things could be teachable, and that was more helpful to the kids and to me. This is a lot, I know. But, working smaller, not harder, made me better. I’m so glad you’re still open to queries—happy holidays to you—just burn through those babies!! lol! You can probably tell if it’s a yes or a no more quickly than you think, and then you can live your own good life without them hanging over your head!! 💃
Thank you for this post. As a writer with very practical information on queries, I found your straightforward honesty about the process very refreshing and enlightening. Nice nod to Rent, too, by the way. :-)
Kate - I am so with you on this. I wish I had the secret to quickly and efficiently blaze through the mountain of queries... but sadly I don't. I was hoping you'd tell me. I've added an extra layer by attending TWO writing events last month where I was pitched tons of amazing stories that I also want to read. But it's SO important to be able to have some down time. I swear I can smell my brain burning.
I’d be happy to be a helper for you. I’m currently a volunteer reader Slush Piles for uncharted magazine, and would love to be a literary agent’s intern (crazy to offer in a comment, I know) but it is a serious offer 🤗
Thanks for the honesty, Kate. As frustrating as it can be to get the rejections, this helps put a perspective on things. Reading queries is only one part of your job, and your job is only one part of your life. We're all trying our hardest!
Hi! Thanks for this (and all) the great posts. When is appropriate to give up on an agent and send to a colleague at the same agency? Do we need to let the original agent know we are doing this? I assume some agencies have a database. My reason for not alerting the first agent is because I assume their inbox is majorly clogged, and they'll never see it anyway. Thanks!
the guidelines for sending to an agent at the same agency are usually on the agency website (some say you can query simultaneously, some say wait 4-6 weeks, some say only query one and they will pass it on to a colleague if they think they will be interested, etc)
Very honest inside view of the realities of being a literary agent. I worked for one in 2013. She’s right; they get absolutely inundated by queries. Just the nature of the biz at this point.
It's brave and honest that you shared this post, so I am replying in kind. I am not a literary agent, but I have what I think is a similar experience; up until 2 years ago, I was a primary care doctor. Instead of emails, every day generated hundreds of messages, questions, lab results, and reports. At the end of a full patient day, I usually accrued 125 of these bits of patient life. Most were routine, but some were a harbinger of something serious, so I had to get through them all. I wasn't paid for any of that work, which took hours every day: hours when I wanted to be spending time with my young kids. Every doctor you know will relate to this story. We all complained about it, but that was the job.
I'm here to encourage you to be honest with yourself, and then with the people who want to work with you about what you can properly do. I quit primary care and do only hospital work; I was sad to give it up but I couldn't carry that burden of trying to meet unrealistic expectations any longer. When I stopped, my life became so much sweeter, more open, more calm. I didn't realize how much pretending as if I could keep up tainted all my time. I think the fact that you are writing this post speaks to your similar experience.
The most important thing I've learned in this decade of my life is to be honest with myself about my limitations. When I left my clinic, I dreaded explaning it to my patients, some of whom drove for a hundred miles to see me. But to a person, they all got it. They all wished me well. They all understood. Be transparent with writers who want to work with you. No one wants to wait for a year for someone to get back to them; you know this. I think that when you are real and honest with people, you open yourself up to recieving a lot of grace.
Kate, I love your candor. You have given me so much useful counsel. But as an un-agented author, I need you to be better at this reading part of your job now. The gifts you have for the other work are profound, but they help clients only. Who deserve your help, of course. You are not alone in this, but you are the only agent to address it so publicly. Thank you and good luck in swimming to the bottom of your pile. Please tell us how you do.
Thank you for taking the time to write and share this, Kate.
Once my first book is written and the first round of queries have been sent, I’m going to dive headfirst into composing choral music. I’m grateful to have already learned that when you query a new piece with choral music publishers, it’s expected that they will take one full year to get back to you. 😳 Probably longer. It sounds like most composers only send to one publisher at a time, as well.
While I was a little shocked to hear this, it’s helped me to put things in perspective. I continue to be drawn to traditional publishing (for both books and choral pieces), so I’ll learn more about this waiting soon. In the meantime, I’ll keep creating, performing and producing. 😊
There are also those of us who fully intended to have our queries sent out 4 months ago, but our lives got taken over by our day job, raising hay, and a garden being attacked by plagues of grasshoppers. I'm speaking hypothetically, of course. ;) You clearly care very much, even when you're overwhelmed by a pile of things to read. That is amazing. Thank you for taking the time to respond to all those!
Kate, I so appreciate this honest post. You're right - it's hard on both ends. It's a lot of work - on both ends. And I find it really touching that you're owning up to it all. (It also makes me feel a teeny bit better about the 300 unread email I have in my inbox.)
I appreciate everyone’s work, everyone’s story and perspective on the world. I learn a lot of great things from it. https://slopegame.onl
I get it! After teaching language arts for years, I’d drag my work bag home—and end up leaving it under the dining room table, because I just couldn’t face it! They were 5th and 6th grade writers! But then I realized how immediate feedback, in teaching anyway, was much more impactful. So I switched my strategy, sat side by side with the student and expected less of myself in terms of reading it all. I read shorter, gave more feedback and didn’t try to nitpick over everything. One or two things could be teachable, and that was more helpful to the kids and to me. This is a lot, I know. But, working smaller, not harder, made me better. I’m so glad you’re still open to queries—happy holidays to you—just burn through those babies!! lol! You can probably tell if it’s a yes or a no more quickly than you think, and then you can live your own good life without them hanging over your head!! 💃
Thank you for this post. As a writer with very practical information on queries, I found your straightforward honesty about the process very refreshing and enlightening. Nice nod to Rent, too, by the way. :-)
Kate - I am so with you on this. I wish I had the secret to quickly and efficiently blaze through the mountain of queries... but sadly I don't. I was hoping you'd tell me. I've added an extra layer by attending TWO writing events last month where I was pitched tons of amazing stories that I also want to read. But it's SO important to be able to have some down time. I swear I can smell my brain burning.
I’d be happy to be a helper for you. I’m currently a volunteer reader Slush Piles for uncharted magazine, and would love to be a literary agent’s intern (crazy to offer in a comment, I know) but it is a serious offer 🤗
Thanks for the honesty, Kate. As frustrating as it can be to get the rejections, this helps put a perspective on things. Reading queries is only one part of your job, and your job is only one part of your life. We're all trying our hardest!
Thank you for showing me the agent’s side of the query process. My fav line might be: “You have more power than you might think.”
Yesssssssssss. From a fellow agent.
Hi! Thanks for this (and all) the great posts. When is appropriate to give up on an agent and send to a colleague at the same agency? Do we need to let the original agent know we are doing this? I assume some agencies have a database. My reason for not alerting the first agent is because I assume their inbox is majorly clogged, and they'll never see it anyway. Thanks!
the guidelines for sending to an agent at the same agency are usually on the agency website (some say you can query simultaneously, some say wait 4-6 weeks, some say only query one and they will pass it on to a colleague if they think they will be interested, etc)
Very honest inside view of the realities of being a literary agent. I worked for one in 2013. She’s right; they get absolutely inundated by queries. Just the nature of the biz at this point.
That was honest and, doing the math, made me gulp. Whatever you do will be awesome. Thanks for taking us on.
Dear Kate,
It's brave and honest that you shared this post, so I am replying in kind. I am not a literary agent, but I have what I think is a similar experience; up until 2 years ago, I was a primary care doctor. Instead of emails, every day generated hundreds of messages, questions, lab results, and reports. At the end of a full patient day, I usually accrued 125 of these bits of patient life. Most were routine, but some were a harbinger of something serious, so I had to get through them all. I wasn't paid for any of that work, which took hours every day: hours when I wanted to be spending time with my young kids. Every doctor you know will relate to this story. We all complained about it, but that was the job.
I'm here to encourage you to be honest with yourself, and then with the people who want to work with you about what you can properly do. I quit primary care and do only hospital work; I was sad to give it up but I couldn't carry that burden of trying to meet unrealistic expectations any longer. When I stopped, my life became so much sweeter, more open, more calm. I didn't realize how much pretending as if I could keep up tainted all my time. I think the fact that you are writing this post speaks to your similar experience.
The most important thing I've learned in this decade of my life is to be honest with myself about my limitations. When I left my clinic, I dreaded explaning it to my patients, some of whom drove for a hundred miles to see me. But to a person, they all got it. They all wished me well. They all understood. Be transparent with writers who want to work with you. No one wants to wait for a year for someone to get back to them; you know this. I think that when you are real and honest with people, you open yourself up to recieving a lot of grace.
Good luck.
Kate, I love your candor. You have given me so much useful counsel. But as an un-agented author, I need you to be better at this reading part of your job now. The gifts you have for the other work are profound, but they help clients only. Who deserve your help, of course. You are not alone in this, but you are the only agent to address it so publicly. Thank you and good luck in swimming to the bottom of your pile. Please tell us how you do.
Thank you for taking the time to write and share this, Kate.
Once my first book is written and the first round of queries have been sent, I’m going to dive headfirst into composing choral music. I’m grateful to have already learned that when you query a new piece with choral music publishers, it’s expected that they will take one full year to get back to you. 😳 Probably longer. It sounds like most composers only send to one publisher at a time, as well.
While I was a little shocked to hear this, it’s helped me to put things in perspective. I continue to be drawn to traditional publishing (for both books and choral pieces), so I’ll learn more about this waiting soon. In the meantime, I’ll keep creating, performing and producing. 😊
Take care! ☮️
There are also those of us who fully intended to have our queries sent out 4 months ago, but our lives got taken over by our day job, raising hay, and a garden being attacked by plagues of grasshoppers. I'm speaking hypothetically, of course. ;) You clearly care very much, even when you're overwhelmed by a pile of things to read. That is amazing. Thank you for taking the time to respond to all those!
Kate, I so appreciate this honest post. You're right - it's hard on both ends. It's a lot of work - on both ends. And I find it really touching that you're owning up to it all. (It also makes me feel a teeny bit better about the 300 unread email I have in my inbox.)