How Do You Know When to Stop Querying a Book? (For Now)

When I sent my first novel, Apparition, out to agents in September 2019, I told myself I'd give it one year. If no offers of representation came in during that time, I'd look at what the consistent feedback had been and make a decision to either pull it for review or keep submitting. 

Then, we went on lock down in March 2020.

It was hard to figure out if I wasn't hearing from some agents because they simply weren't interested, or if they were delayed due to the swift changes brought on by the pandemic. Some were up front on their websites or had auto-messages sent out to let writers know they were going to be X-number of weeks behind. 

Others, I just never heard from, even after a customary follow-up period. But this can happen even when we're not in the middle of a global pandemic, and remembering that was one of the keys to not being discouraged.

In January 2021 I looked at my query tracking chart. Over a year and a half, I'd gotten replies from around 40 agents. Feeling like I'd heard from everyone that I thought I would have by now, I decided it was time to put Apparition on hold. 

What this means: I'm not submitting Apparition to any new agents right now. I'm going to focus on the YA fantasy I'm currently writing. But if I were to get a delayed reply from an agent I'd queried last year, of course I'd respond or answer any questions.

Now, let's talk about agent feedback. Not all agents have time to provide feedback on a queried piece and often a standard form response is sent out if they're not interested. Personally, I prefer the form letters over not hearing anything at all, because at least then I can definitively check them off my list. 

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Remember: If an agent turns down your submission, that's their final decision. A good agent won't arbitrarily reject a book, they'll have their reasons. Arguing your case won't help, neither will demanding to know why your book wasn't accepted. All you will do is alienate an agent you could potentially query again with a new piece in the future. 

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The personalized responses I did received were largely positive, especially when it came to the writing itself. I did have a few requests for additional information, but in the end no one felt they were right to represent Apparition. 

Some of you might remember the workshop with Scott Reintgen that I posted a while back. Something he shared, that really stuck with me, was that his first few books were never picked up. Not even by his current agent. And, based on the quick synopses he gave, they sounded like great books. 

Traditional publishing can be very cyclical. I could always try submitting Apparition again. Either to a future agent who accepts another book of mine, or even after another re-write if that ends up being what the story needs. I could even go the Indie publishing route, knowing it would require a certain amount of additional work on my part. Though my goal is to be a hybrid author when all's said and done. 

Ultimately it's up to you, as the the author, to decide when to pull a book from submission to agents. 

Whether you:

• Give yourself a time limit
• Give yourself a number of agents limit
• Receive consistent feedback that tells you the book needs more work/editing
• Write a new book that you feel more confident about
• Choose a different publishing route
  

Do what feels right for you! Everyone's writing journey is different.   

I'm curious: If you are a published author, traditional or Indie, was the first book you wrote the first one you were able to have published?