Today's post isn't so much a helpful tip as it is a statement of fact: I--and all interns, agents and editors--only request things we love.
Sometimes, it isn't about your query or your writing or even your concept. Sometimes, things just don't click. And sometimes that's not your fault, its ours. Because we only request things that we can see ourselves falling in love with. Otherwise, why take the time to read? If an agent chooses to represent you, they are going to be spending quite a bit of time with your work. They need to LOVE it. And that's what you want too. Someone who's passionate about your work.
If there's nothing you can do about an agent's preferences, why am I telling you this? Because SUBMISSION GUIDELINES!
Every agent has them. Agents love to talk about what their favorite things are. And though you can't change them, you can use them to figure out who the best match for your book is. That way you save yourself a little heartbreak of being rejected by an agent who probably wasn't the right fit anyway.
I'll be doing a post about this sometime soon on my own blog in a little more detail. For now, remember: Everyone has a personal preference. Do your research and you'll have no trouble finding the right match.
3 comments:
Such a wonderful reminder. Thanks for sharing this!
On one very large hand, it makes a great deal of sense.
On the other teenie, tiny, microscopic hand... Sushi wasn't my favorite thing until I tried it for the first time. So, while it makes a GREAT deal of sense when writing something that fits into the categories that everyone knows (romance, witches, robots, time-travel), it's hard to find someone with an interest in something they've never heard of before.
But I love any and all tips. Keep them coming!! :)
Its true, sometimes writing something in a strange genre makes querying difficult. But agents tend to be good at mentioning elements they like in their submission guidelines as well. Types of characters and tones (light or dark) and other such things. Agents tend to perk up at things they've never heard of before, but only if its in a genre they are particularly interested in/ have the contacts in the publishing world for. There are very few things I know that can't fit into a genre of some kind. Just don't go for agents who very clearly don't rep your book and do lots of research on ones that might.
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