Dear O'Abby: Do my previous sales matter?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm querying again...  Long story so I won't bore you.  What I need to know is, do I need to let the agents I'm querying know that I have been published before?  Both self-published and traditionally.  None of my books have had what you would call significant sales and my new book is in a different genre and I have written them under a pseudonym.

Do I need to tell agents about the lackluster sales performance of previous books?

Best,

No-sale

Dear No-sale,

This is not an enviable position to be in.  Agents and publishers are always interested in previous sales figures and will research this.  Using a pseudonym for your new books is a good idea, but at some stage you will need to reveal your real name to the people who are representing you and that is not the time for your poor sales record to be revealed.

I don't think you need to include your previously published work in your query letter, but it is something you need to reveal to any prospective agent when you are having "the call".   It is something that will influence their decision-making and you need to be upfront about it before you get to the stage of signing an agent contract.  Dishonesty is never the best policy.

I'm going to be perfectly honest here.  Any agent considering representing you will look at your previous sales figures regardless of whether they are for the same genre or not.  And poor sales figures do influence agent decisions.  Remember that agents only get paid when you do, so they need to know that whatever you send them is something they can sell.  And if you have a history of books that don't sell, it's not great for you.

My advice is to be upfront about your previous sales once you have agent interest.  If an agent loves your new work enough, and sees its potential, they will find ways to get around your previous record.  Using a pseudonym is a good idea as it will keep your older work at a distance for a while.

I hope this helps!

Good luck with the querying.

X O'Abby