It's time.

You have a polished manuscript, a killer query, a compelling synopsis, and a list of reputable agents or publishers who represent your manuscript's genre and category. Good job getting this far! Now it's time to begin submitting.

--Before you send, whitelist the domain of the agent's or publisher's email address. You want to be sure you get all replies!

--Submit in small groups.

I recommend submitting in groups of five. Why so few? Because submitting in small groups gives you an opportunity to evaluate the responses you get and revise as necessary.

If you have followed all of the steps in this book and TRULY have a polished, professional query package, then you might want to start at the top of your A list and work your way down. If, however, you might have rushed the process and perhaps not revised the manuscript as well as you should have or not workshopped the query as extensively as you could have, you might want to query some names from the middle of your list first, in case you discover you need to do some revision.

Remember: You get ONE shot at a specific agent.

--Track your submissions. Earlier I recommended that you either use a tool like querytracker.net or create a spreadsheet. Information you want to track includes:

      Name of agent/publisher

      Contact information

      What materials were sent

      Date query package sent

      Information (if any) about expected response time

      Date response received

      Reject (Y/N)

      Partial requested / Materials and date sent

      Full requested / Materials and date sent

      Notes

--As you get responses, update the spreadsheet, and send out another query.

Sadly, some people have a "no response means no" policy, which means you won't get a response unless they want to see additional materials. Most agents reply to queries within two or three weeks. If you haven't heard by then, assume it's a rejection and send out another query.

--Don't pore over the rejection letters for queries to try to figure out why they rejected you. 99% of those are form rejections. Even the very occasional personalized rejection won't go into detail. Why? First, because it's time consuming to give feedback to people who aren't clients. Second, because too many queriers respond with "Yeah, but" or outright attacks.

If an agent does send a personalized note, you may respond with "Thank you" but nothing else! If you disagree with the feedback, let it go. It's a rejection. Move on.

--If you get a request for pages, reply to the same email (so the previous correspondence will be included at the bottom), but change the subject line to REQUESTED MATERIAL: BOOK TITLE. Requested partials and fulls can be sent as attachments.

--Track the percentage of agents or publishers who request material. This tells you if your materials are working.

--If fewer than 10-15% of agents or publishers are requesting additional material, STOP submitting and reassess. Either your query or your opening pages (or both) aren't working. FIX THEM, and then resume querying.

--If you get requests for partials, but those don't turn into requests for fulls, particularly if they come with a form rejection, STOP submitting and reassess. Your first three chapters (or first 50 pages) aren't grabbing their interest and making them want to read more. FIX THEM, and then resume querying.

--If you get requests for fulls, congratulations! That's huge and wonderful. You are getting close to getting published. Chances are good that any rejections will be personalized. If you learn that your story isn't well organized or the ending isn't working, STOP submitting, FIX the problem, and then resume querying.

--Be patient. It can take weeks to hear back on a query. It can take MONTHS to hear back on a partial or full. Track when you sent the pages and the stated response time. If they say they respond in 12 weeks to a full, then you can politely nudge after 12 weeks or so to make sure they received your pages.

--In the meantime, write another book!

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Did this chapter answer a question you had? It would be great if you would press that little star graphic in the top right corner. If not, just carry on reading and vote for one you find more helpful. Oh, I'd be happy to answer your questions in the comments below, as well. --XG