When I completed my book, A New York Lady In Helldorado, I was determined to get a Literary Agent and a Publishing deal. I self-published my first book, but getting it noticed was difficult and expensive. I researched how to acquire an agent and looked up examples of query letters that got results.  I went to work and wrote a query. And another. I researched agents who represented my genre and sent letters I was sure would bring me success.  Nothing. No reply, not “this stinks”, no “drop dead”. Nothing. But it wasn’t all bad. Early on, I got a request for my full manuscript. Huzzah! My query letter worked. I sent off the manuscript, hoping to get the “phone call” that she loved it and wanted to represent me and my stupendous manuscript to the major publishers who would give me a huge advance, and my books would sell a gazillion copies in no time. 

Sadly, no phone call, but a nice email telling me the sad news. My work didn’t “engage” her as much as she had hoped.  My story needed work.  That’s a whole other topic.  After revising, deleting, and hearing from a few editors, I felt I was ready to attack the literary agents again.  I signed up with a writing group, which gave me wonderful training, reams of information, and wise support. In the meantime, I found great tools, like Query Tracker, Publisher’s Marketplace, and Manuscript Wish List, that helped me find the right agents, what they wanted, their publishing history, and lots of other important information. My writing group helped me with tweaking my query and my pages, and I was sure everything was bound to click. Others in the group received full manuscript requests, and some found their agent.  I was happy for them. Kinda.

I spent hours researching each agent and tailored my query to that person. I did everything right. My bonding opening was spot on. My blurb teased out the details of what the book was about. Not too much, but enough to interest the agent.  The wrap-up was simple and sweet, with my writing credentials, awards, and author memberships. All under 300 words!  Remember, if you don’t hook 'em with the first few lines, you’ve lost 'em. That’s hard to do, and it took time. A lot of time.

Sometimes I found an agent I believed was perfect for my story. But she was closed. Many agents take time off from receiving queries to catch up with their work.  Literary Agents receive 400 or more queries every month. The popular ones receive many more. Besides processing all the queries, these agents must still manage their client list, sell manuscripts to publishers’ acquiring editors, and much more.  Seeing a favorite agent closed, I’d set up a notification trigger, and when the agent opened, fire off my query.  But sometimes, during the time the agent is closed, he/she decides to delete a genre that the public isn’t into right now and start working with a more popular genre. This happened to me a lot and made me crazy! I spent over two years querying over and over and over. I got a few positive hits, but no takers. I began to believe no one wanted a historical fiction set in the Wild West. Some agents even said they would not accept a “Western” of any kind. What do they know in New York?

Then, I got the bright idea to query publishers, bypassing the agent. With information from my cousin, a published Western author, I submitted my query to his publisher.  Huzzah! I got a contract! It did not come with a big advance or a guarantee of huge sales. Yet, when I signed that contract, a huge boulder rolled off my shoulders. It’s wonderful. No regrets. Not one.  

So my suggestion to all you writers who want a book deal. It’s possible. Debut authors get book deals every day. Before you send out your query, do your homework. Spend time, serious time on your query. You slaved on your manuscript, making it the best it can be. Don’t send out a query that doesn’t demonstrate your skill. No shortcuts. Research the publishing business and Literary Agents. The Agent wants to know who you are and that you’re right for her. Prove it with your professional skills, no typos, and personalize every letter. Good Luck!