How to know when to quit

Q. Dear Camille,

I’ve sent more than 30 pitches out to literary agents. Most haven’t responded. The ones who have taken the time to write back have been nice—but none have asked to see my whole draft. I’m feeling pretty discouraged and wondering if I should trash this book and start another one. When do I know when it’s time to move on? 

—S. 

A. Hi S.,

Querying is not for the faint of heart. I still remember bursting into tears after getting a response from an agent I was really excited about (I can’t recall her exact wording, but it was something along the lines of, “What would make you think I would ever represent a book like yours?” Wahhh). 

But 30 queries actually isn’t a lot. While I’ve had some coaching clients land an agent right away, the majority of writers reach out to anywhere from 30 to 150 (that’s no typo) before finding the right person to represent their work. Querying is a numbers game that—like most things—also involves a bit of luck. 

Still, skill and style count for a lot. So before you fire off another round of queries, ask yourself two things: 

1. Does my query letter shine? If you’re not getting requests for a partial or full manuscript, your query probably isn’t selling your story. Some book coaches, myself included, specialize in query letters; there are also many online classes and tutorials devoted to query writing. Consider getting outside help if you’re not sure if your query is hitting the mark.

2. Am I targeting the right agents? Don’t blanket every agent you can find. Instead, look for agents who have sold books in your genre—and even better, books that are in the same vein as yours. Whenever possible, make sure you mention why you chose that agent. The more specific you can be, the better. 

As for when to quit, you get to decide that. But I want you to ask yourself how far you're willing to go to get your book published. Are you willing to query, say, 150 agents? Are you up for doing another revise, or even hiring an editor? Your answer doesn’t have to be “I’m willing to do all the things indefinitely." It may be, “No, after 75 agents I’m going to shift my focus.” Or, “I’ll edit one more time, but not more than that.” That'll give you a sense of control over what can feel like an uncontrollable process—because when a rejection rolls in, you’ll be able to say, “Well, I haven’t hit my limit yet, so I’m going to keep going.”

Just get really honest with yourself about what you will and won't do—then move forward. You'll be surprised at how many possibilities open up when you commit to doing the work ... even when it sucks.  

Hang in there,

Camille