Querying Update (Project SU)
I took my first shot at querying in 2024 with Project WSD, and sent out about 50 letters in total. Although it did well in the query trenches with an overall request rate of around 15%, it didn’t land me an agent. I took a break from querying the back half of the year due to some family things that came up, needing more attention than I could give if I was also focusing on the querying process. So, I took those months to focus on that, and now that we’re well into 2025, I’m back in the query trenches.
This time, I’m querying book Project SU, which I’ve also called TMC book 1 , because I envision it as the first book in a series. I very strategically opted to query WSD when I decided I wanted to pursue traditional publishing, because I know it hits more of the marks of what makes a book saleable, where SU hits several of the marks people warn against when trying to sign as a debut author with an agent. It doesn’t fit well into any genre, but it does have strong science fantasy dystopian vibes, if I had to narrow it down, and I see it as a series, even if I did write it to be able to stand alone. Still, I keep coming back to this project, and I believe it deserves to have a chance at representation.
Early Thoughts
I knew as it was happening last year that my first querying experience was better than most. I received my first full request within days of sending my very first queries and continued getting requests with every batch sent out. This time already feels very different, in that I’ve had no requests so far. However, I’m also fully aware that it’s only been a couple weeks. This is a long process. So, I’m doing what I did last time: working on other things. I pulled out one of my other completed first drafts (NLTO) and have been reading through it to see if I still feel a lot of passion about the story. So far, it’s way better than I remembered, but I’m not sure I’m sold on it as my next project. Although I think I could polish it up relatively quickly, and it’s far more commercial and saleable, my heart is so set on SU that I’m not sure I’ll be able to get reinvested in NLTO right now. I’ve done a quick pass through the first several chapters and made some revision notes, but it’s just not calling to me.
In the past, I might have pushed myself to move forward with editing and developing a revision plan for NLTO, but I’m in a time of my life where I’m really actively trying to listen to my body and my intuition. I do my best work when I can’t get the story out of my head. My characters keep me up at night. I have to jump out of the shower to write down a particularly good scene idea. I’m filling my notes app with sparks of dialogue or world-building elements while I’m cooking dinner. And that’s just not NLTO at the moment. Not like it was last year when I first drafted it. I haven’t lost all interest, by any means, but I’m really feeling pulled in another direction. I’m sure I’ll share more about that at some point here on the blog. But until then, I’m still in between projects.
Querying Strategy
I learned a lot last year as I queried WSD, and even though I’d consumed hundreds of hours of media about the querying process, I didn’t go in with much of plan beyond: find agents that represent upmarket specfic/fantasy, put them in a spreadsheet, track on Querytracker, and send queries. I did go over my letter a million times. I had it critiqued and made adjustments. But there was no rhyme or reason to when I sent queries, or any kind of priority or intention behind who I queried and when. I did do my best to really research everyone before adding them to my list, and I kept the list at 50 agents even though I know lots of people are querying 100+ agents per project right now.
This time, I spent about 2 months researching agents and putting together a list based on the ones I really think fit not only this particular project, but my work in general and me as an author. The more I’ve written over the last several years, and the more I’ve developed my own voice and style, I’ve also learned what kind of stories I like to tell, and they all lean more character driven and theme focused. I’ve worked a lot on my pacing, so even if my stories might be considered less action-packed than others in similar spaces (fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, etc.), they still move along and still have lots of active plot. An agent who wants something along the lines of Cassandra Clare or Sarah J Maas is likely going to have unmet expectations with me. And that’s okay! But really being honest with myself about who I am as a writer, and the kind of books I want to write, has helped me come into querying this time with a clearer goal. I want an agent who is looking for writing that leans literary but still has strong genre elements. In the past, I was trying to lead myself fully into commercial genre fiction, but that’s just not what I do naturally, nor is it something I want to force.
So, my strategy this time, even though it means a significantly smaller querying pool, is to query every agent I can find who loves fantasy, but is more interested in relationships, internal experiences of the characters, and exploration of themes, than they are about battles, dragons, and supernatural creatures. As a reader, I love all those things, so I’m not knocking them at all! It’s just that I know what I’m writing right now, and I need an agent who’s on board with more grounded fantasy that’s really rooted in the characters and atmosphere.
Why query SU?
If I think it’s going to be so much harder to sell, and my saleable manuscript didn’t even land me an agent, why am I taking this risk?
I’ve completed contemporary, epic, and historical fantasy manuscripts, and while I really enjoy those stories and I may still want to do that, too, my instincts always lead me back to writing quiet, tense, grounded, atmospheric stories. Even SU, which is arguably straight up fantasy, is more grounded and lacks many of the expected components of what people imagine when they pick up a fantasy novel. It wouldn’t sit on a shelf beside Tolkein, for instance. There are no elves, dwarves, or hobbit-like creatures. No vampires, werewolves, demons, or angels. There are no chosen one prophecies or journeys across an apocalyptic landscape to recover a mystical artifact that might save the world. It’s a family, with all their mess and complication, trying to do the best they can for each other. Yes, it’s set in a future near utopia (that might be a dystopia to some), and there are hidden/secret organizations, magic restriction, and a mysterious mission while being forced to cooperate with the enemy, but it’s not so much about the magic and mystery as it is about the people and how it’s all affecting them to live in this world.
The short answer as to why I’m querying it anyway, even though it doesn’t quite fit neatly into any category, is: Because I can’t not query it.
I tried querying another project. I was proud of that one, too, but even as I was querying WSD, SU was still alive in the back of my mind, pressing against my thoughts. I was still dreaming about the characters and imagining new ways I could bring them to the page. As I mentioned above, I’m trusting myself. I know this story is worthy of telling, and I’ll always regret it if I don’t at least try.
What’s Next
I don’t know how many agents I’ll query, or how long I’ll stay in the trenches, but I’m going to give it a full go. If I can find 100 agents that match what I’m looking for, then I’ll query 100 agents. If I can find 30, then I’ll query 30.
I did send it out to 3 more beta readers this week so I can get some feedback on this version of the manuscript. Other than a professional critique of the first 50 pages, I haven’t had anyone read SU in any of its iterations for over a year now. I’ve made developmental changes since then, and I’ve focused on diving more into the interiority while also trimming scenes to improve pacing. What I’m really hoping to discover is what these readers think of the ending. That’s always where I get super nervous, but it’s especially the case with this one, since I want to resolve enough to make it satisfying but also leave threads open for future books. I’ve already outlined the next book, and have roughly drafted two more books in this world, but I want to make sure SU can truly stand on its own in a way that feels fulfilling. I also reworked the climax scenes but am too close to it to know whether the average reader will experience the emotions I’m hoping to elicit in those chapters. Once I get those responses from beta readers, if there’s actionable feedback, I’ll do another round of revisions. But truly, even in its current form, it’s ready for an agent.
So now I wait. I’ve sent out the first batch of queries. I’ll continue searching for agents to add to my list, and once I hear back from about half of the ones already out, I’ll send the next ones. That means my primary objective right now is agent research. I’ve been going back through podcasts, looking at #mswl on social media, checking the acknowledgments of great books that are at least somewhat similar to mine to find agent names, browsing Querytracker, and keeping an eye out on Publisher’s Marketplace. Every time I find an agent that looks interesting, I add them to my list and get to searching anything I can find about them online. Then, if it seems like they fit, I put them onto my official spreadsheet.
I’ll keep doing that for now, and if I’ve got anything to share, I’ll try to update here on the blog as well. I like keeping a written record. It’s interesting to look back on my old posts and read what it was really like, as it was happening. So much of last year’s querying journey is a blur, honestly, so I’m grateful to have the posts to refresh my memory.
If you think about it, wish me luck! Thanks <3
