How do I deal with the lack of feedback during querying?
Querying is hard. Based on my first wave of submissions, I came up with a framework to help make one aspect of the process (the unlikelihood of receiving feedback) more manageable.
As a psychologist, I have an inclination to make sense of and deal with challenging experiences like querying (where you can receive conflicting, or no, feedback on something you may already have had feedback on and which is subjective). So, I thought about how I could make sense of (the understandable lack of) feedback from querying without being overwhelmed by it. (It’s understandable and likely that you won’t get feedback, because agents are very busy.) I broke it down into five areas. I used these to focus my efforts.
(1) What could be causing the agent to pass?
The Story (roughly but not exactly = Elevator Pitch)
How much am I willing/able to change this?
Not much/at all
My Reasoning
There’s a point at which the story I want to tell is the story I want to tell – if this subjectively doesn’t land with the agent, in my mind that’s a no-fault divorce. e.g. in the same way as I might not want to read an uplit vampire epic, the agent may not resonate with a psychological suspense novel about a half Sri Lankan gay man. I could change it so that it became of more interest to them e.g. a psychological suspense novel about a woman who has lost her memory - but that would be a different story, so what would be the point in me forcing myself to tell it? Also it would be a bit late to change that now - this might be more relevant at an earlier stage in writing.
(2) What could be causing the agent to pass?
How I have pitched the story (= Query Email, including Elevator Pitch)
How much am I willing/able to change this?
100%
My Reasoning
The book remains the same however I package it (as long as I do this truthfully i.e. don’t misrepresent the content) to the Agent, so whatever is going to make it grab their attention works for me.
(3) What could be causing the agent to pass?
The (summary of) the Plot (= Synopsis)
How much am I willing/able to change this?
50%
My Reasoning
The book remains the same however I summarise it (as long as I do this truthfully i.e. don’t misrepresent the content) to the Agent, so I can change the synopsis to provide whatever info they require – within the dreaded word limits!
However, the summary is indicative of the plot. Whilst there may be some elements of the plot I am willing to change in order to tell the story better, or improve my chances of getting an agent without weakening the story (and perhaps whilst improving the reader’s experience), at this point a lot of the plot itself will be fixed – otherwise it would be a different story. Again, this would probably be different either at an earlier stage of writing, or if working with an agent/editor on clear editorial feedback focused on a specific goal.
(4) What could be causing the agent to pass?
The Execution of the Plot (= Opening Pages)
How much am I willing/able to change this?
20%
My Reasoning
My style and voice are mine: I think it’s impossible to successfully write to someone else’s taste. Editorial feedback can help shape this, to make the book the best it can be: if/when I get a publishing deal, I look forward to this collaborative process!
But in the absence of feedback from querying, I think working too much on the manuscript itself at this stage (given positive early reader and other feedback) is potentially overthinking, at risk of making it worse. The exception to this is obvious problems identified by other sources, or areas I’m keen to work on given my own reflections on the text.
(5) What could be causing the agent to pass?
Factors outside of my control
How much am I willing/able to change this?
0%
My Reasoning
If an Agent has an established client on their list who is working on a similar project, or has just taken on someone like me but hasn’t had time to update their manuscript wishlist yet, or has been cursed by The Witch of the Waste such that they cannot reply to my email – I can’t do anything about that, and it's not an indication that I need to change my submission package.
Thinking about it like this enabled me to limit the focus of my revisions to the areas with higher percentages, and working less on the others (in descending order):
Query Email
Synopsis
Opening Pages
Elevator Pitch *as proxy for what story is about
Factors Outside of My Control
Setting boundaries around which bits of the submission package I would form hypotheses around and work on improving, and which bits I wouldn’t, helped me (a) stay sane, and (b) not spend all my time focused on querying instead of getting on with the much more enjoyable task of ideating Book 2.
I hope some of my thoughts might be containing for others going through the same process, or in making use of feedback on their (fiction) writing in general.
NB: I’m not saying I think my work is perfect, or that this approach will guarantee me success in querying: it’s about helping me manage the process in a balanced way.