Like last week’s letter, this week’s letter answers some frequently asked questions. Next week, I’ll be closing this series with a letter about one of the most challenging aspects of the submissions process: rejection. Question: Should I try to write a book that fits current trends? Answer: It’s fine to be aware of trends, but I don’t encourage […]

In this week’s and next week’s letters, I’ll be answering some frequently asked questions to wrap up this submissions series. Question: Most literary agents ask that authors submit only a handful of sample pages alongside a query letter. How can agents make a decision based on so little material? What if those pages aren’t the

In last week’s letter, I shared the five main parts of a query letter (Salutation, What, Why, Pitch, and Who), along with a sample query letter for a fictious project. This week, let’s unpack that sample query letter further, starting with a topic that can prompt a lot of debate in the writing world: word counts.

After you’ve identified WHERE to submit by researching literary agents, it’s time for HOW to submit: writing a query letter. Your query letter’s job is to introduce potential agents to your book—what it’s about, who its readers are, and how it fits the agent’s interests. Though I’ll be sharing tips and suggestions for this stage of the submissions

Once you have an initial list of agent names, I recommend using a spreadsheet to collate and organize your research about WHERE to submit. You might include columns like: Agent name: I typically recommend addressing agents by their full name (e.g. “Dear Julie Scheina”) or first name (e.g. “Dear Julie”) in order to avoid potential honorific

Once you’ve determined that you want to pursue traditional publishing and are ready to submit to literary agents, the next step is deciding WHERE to submit by researching agents who might be a good fit for your work. While there are many websites that provide information about literary agents (see below for some of them), one of the

Some of the most frequent questions I hear from authors are about submitting their work to agents and publishers, and understandably so. After the writing process, which is largely within an author’s control, the submissions process can feel particularly opaque, outdated, and slow. If you’ve decided to pursue traditional publishing, this series of letters will

One of the first business decisions authors make is deciding whether to pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing. Authors who choose traditional publishing typically begin by researching literary agents and publishers; authors who choose self-publishing typically begin by researching self-publishing services and platforms.  Today’s letter discusses some factors to consider when choosing a publishing path for a