How to Publish Your Bestselling Novel: Part 1 (Querying)
This series will walk you through (almost) everything you need to know to publish your bestselling novel, from finishing your book, finding an agent, and building an audience. To learn when new posts are added, subscribe to my email list (scroll to the bottom of this page).
I wrote a book. Now what?
You have a manuscript that you’ve poured your heart into.
So how do you get it onto shelves?
There are two routes to publishing a book: you can self-publish (meaning you publish to a site like Amazon) or you traditionally publish, where you sell your book to a publishing house and they help bring it to shelves. My experience is entirely in the latter - that’ll be my focus, because that’s what I know best!
If you are interested in self-publishing, there are some really fantastic resources. I’d start with Jane Friedman’s blog, and I’ve also heard good things about Kindleprenuer.
If you want to traditionally publish, the first thing you need (aside from a finished manuscript) is an agent. You find an agent by sending a query letter and sample pages (more on those later).
An agent is basically your literary advocate, business manager, cheerleader, coach, confidante, industry expert, and so much more rolled into one. Ideally, they’re with you for your entire career. They represent you and your work, they submit your manuscripts to editors (who work at publishing houses), they negotiate contracts, they answer every question you could possibly have about the publishing world, etc.
They also help you think about your career. For example, my agent and I strategize to figure out the best projects I should pitch based on the market, my audience, industry trends, and my long-term goals to best grow my career.
Let me start by being honest. It’s not easy to get an agent. Many reject up to 96% of the submissions they receive. I say this not to discourage you but to remind you that rejections are just a part of the game.
So how do you end up in the 4% of writers with an agent?
Getting an agent
How to find an agent
There are so many agents in the world, and so many of them are wonderful. It only takes one (a cliché! But it’s so true!) to help you become a published author, and you want to make sure they’re the right fit.
Where do you even start looking for agents?
Acknowledgments: Go to the library or bookstore. Flip to the acknowledgments of books that are similar to the genre you’re writing and find the author’s agent. Write their name down! Go to their website and see if they’re open to queries.
Manuscript Wish List: I’m not super familiar with this site, but it does list the projects agents are most excited about. It’s a good way to see:
What agents want to see
If there’s an agent specifically interested in a project like yours
Query Tracker: This has an agent database and lets you filter agents by genre to see who’s open to queries.
Conferences and retreats: These are opportunities to improve your craft, network, or just have time to work. Some offer opportunities to meet with agents, editors, and other publishing insiders.
One of my favorite conferences is Aspen Summer Words. Participants can meet 1-2 agents and editors and get feedback on their manuscripts. Sometimes, agents would share their emails and invite authors to submit more work.
Publishing shorter work in well-regarded publications: Getting short stories or essays published in well-regarded literary magazines can draw agent attention.
Entering literary contests: There are contests for short fiction and book-length projects, and agencies and editors can be judges. Even if you don’t win, you can get on their radar. (Being a contest runner-up was how one of my friends got an agent!)
Writing the query letter
Once you find an agent (and confirm that they’re open for queries and read all their submission guidelines), you’ll send them a query letter and sample pages.
My friend, acclaimed writer Margo Steines, likens entering the querying process to taking off your author hat and putting on your business hat. (Read my interview with Margo.)
A query letter is a one-page email to an agent that gets them excited about your book.
It should follow a pretty standard format:
The greeting: Please, please, please make sure you’re addressing it to the right agent. It’s not a good look if there’s no name listed (because it feels like you’re sending this out to anyone) and it’s a worse look if you use the wrong name.
The hook: The one- to two-sentence opener that grabs an agent and makes them pay attention. They’re reading so many of these. Make it impossible for them to do anything other than read your sample pages. (Scroll for examples)
The basics: Title, genre, word count (in terms of word count, make sure you’ve done your research and your manuscript is within a typical word count range for your genre).
The personalization: It doesn’t hurt to mention other books the agent has worked on that are similar to yours. It shows you put in the effort to research them and understand what types of books they represent.
Comp titles: Two to three recently published (aka, last two-ish years) titles in your genre that show 1) where your book fits into the market and 2) that you’re aware of what’s succeeding in the market
Your bio: This does not need to be a resume or a laundry list. (Quickly) share relevant background, as well as writing experience, like an MFA or publications. Only share non-writing details if they back up why you’re the person to write this book. Don’t worry, if you don’t have a writing background yet, you won’t be penalized for it.
Putting on your business hat while writing queries is also a reminder that you can’t take rejections too personally. Agents might reject you for a wide variety of reasons: they might have a similar author already on their roster, the manuscript might not be a personal fit, they might be looking for a specific type of writer, etc.
On the other hand, if you’re consistently not getting bites or if you’re hearing the same feedback over and over, that could be a good sign to reassess your manuscript or query letter.
Basic best practices:
I recommend starting a spreadsheet with every agent you want to query and querying in batches of 10. This gives you time to make tweaks if you hear consistent feedback or think of ideas to make your work stronger.
Only query agents that are open to querying! Usually, you won’t be able to find contact info if they’re closed, but if you do, don’t reach out. You’re not going to win someone over by disregarding their boundaries.
Make sure the agent reps your genre. You gain nothing by submitting to every agent in the world, especially because a rejection from one agent can mean a rejection from the agency as a whole. Do your homework.
If an agent asks you for money, run. You never pay your agent. They take a percentage of what you earn.
Take deep breaths. Separate the joy of what you’ve done (you wrote an actual book) from the outcome. Be patient. Start on the next book and get excited about a new story.
Examples of query letter hooks:
What became “Throne of Glass”
“What if Cinderella went to the ball not to win the heart of the prince, but to kill him? In THE EYE OF THE CHOSEN, the first book of my fantasy trilogy, QUEEN OF GLASS, Celaena Sardothien is not a damsel in distress—she’s an assassin. Serving a life sentence in the salt mines for her crimes, Celaena finds herself faced with a proposition she can’t turn down: her freedom in exchange for the deaths of the King of Adarlan’s enemies.”
Sarah J. Maas (has sold over 12 million+ copies of her books)
(“The Art of Racing in the Rain”)
“The Art of Racing in the Rain is the story of Denny Swift, a race car driver who faces profound obstacles in his life, and ultimately overcomes them by applying the same techniques that have made him successful on the track. His story is narrated by his "philosopher dog," Enzo, who, having a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), believes he will return as a man in his next lifetime.”
Garth Stein (the book became a New York Times bestseller)
(“You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny”)
“When I was 18 years old, I moved from my hometown in Oregon (population: 7,500) to live with the most powerful man in Hollywood and be a nanny to his three children.
In my memoir: You’ll Never Nanny in this Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, I describe my unusual experiences with the rich and famous, and provide a peek into their private lives.”
Suzanne Hansen (the book became a New York Times bestseller)
Sample pages
Most agents also ask for the first 5-10 pages of your manuscript. My agent, Laurel Symonds, said that those pages are more important to her than the query letter.
And if an agent likes those, then you need to be ready to submit your manuscript.
Your manuscript should be as polished as it can possibly be. Yes, when you get an agent, and then an editor, it will likely go through revisions. But you should send the best version of the book that you can create at this point. Don’t disqualify yourself by submitting a book that’s not ready. This is very much a “best foot forward” situation.
Continued in part two, coming soon. Sign up for my email newsletter to keep up to date!
Resources
Some of my favorite go-to resources during querying (some helpful, some comforting);
“Before and After the Book Deal” by Courtney Mann: This is a treasure trove of insights from publishing and entertainment industry heavyweights about what it’s like to be an author, from pursuing an MFA to finishing your book to getting it on shelves. I regularly return to it.
Chocolates: Treats are very important during querying. You could have small wins, big wins, disappointments, and just the general angst of waiting. There can be a lot of waiting. My go-to are macarons and cinnamon rolls.
Scrivener: The best thing you can do while querying is start your next book. I’ve been using Scrivener as my writing software for so long I truly cannot imagine drafting without it.
This blog post includes affiliate links, which may allow me to earn a small commission on purchases and help support my writing. But I ONLY recommend products that I personally love and use.
Query Letter FAQs
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Typically, you get a literary agent by querying them once you have a finished manuscript. You’ll send a query letter and sample pages, and interested agents will ask to read your full manuscript before offering representation.
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I will be honest: it is not. They receive many query letters every week and accept very few. But that shouldn’t seem like a deterrent. It should be a reminder that this is a game of perseverance and tenacity, and rejections are just part of it!
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Literary agents do not charge you to work with them. They’ll take commission (about 15%) on what you earn, but they never ask for money upfront.
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Nope! It CAN be helpful for networking and crafting more polished work, but it’s definitely not necessary.
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About 250-450 words. Basically a single page. Just remember that agents are reading a lot of these, so you don’t want to bury the good stuff under a bunch of words. But you also want to include enough that agents are excited to read your pages.
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You should include a personalized greeting, a hook, comp titles, and a short bio.
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Yep! And they’re expecting that.
Note that some agencies will only allow you to query one agent that works there. Be sure to read specific guidelines when querying to make sure you don’t accidentally submit to too many folks at one agency.
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Sure, if you never want to get an agent. It should not be a surprise that the publishing industry generally hates generative AI. (I won’t get too into this, but it is, effectively, plagiarism, and what it generates is slop). Besides, why should an agent ever trust an author’s integrity with their manuscript if they rely on an algorithm to write their query letter?
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I offer query review services, whether you’re just starting out and don’t know where to begin or if you’re a few days away from reaching out to agents.
Reach out to learn more!
