You’ve typed the words The End.

Congratulations! You’re ready to send your full manuscript to the massive email list you created of every agent in the business. Your game plan—cast your net wide and you’re bound to have multiple offers of representation within days.

Nope. Not even close.

While you, your mother, your sister, and your best friend all believe your story is national best-seller ready, trust me, it’s not.

Additionally, there is a process to querying full of unwritten rules you need to know. Take a breath, slow down, and let me break down for you the ten steps you need to take to get your wonderful story across the finish line and into readers’ hands.

1. Polish Your Manuscript

Agents don’t expect professionally edited manuscripts to land in their inboxes, but they do expect polished. Polished means you’ve worked to get your manuscript as elevated on your own as possible regarding developmental, line level, and copy editing.

• Developmental Editing – A query ready manuscript lacks plot holes (narrative inconsistencies). Additionally, your polished manuscript completes character arcs, plots, and subplots. Even if your book has series potential, it reads as a stand-alone with a satisfying ending.

• Line Editing– A query ready manuscript focuses more on showing than telling. It starts in the right place and is free from paragraphs of exposition slowing the pace. For more information on craft check out my post on self-editing.

• Copyediting- After developmental and line editing, it’s time to check for grammar and spelling errors. Grammar and punctuation isn’t my strong suit, so I use Grammarly.

Alpha and Beta readers help with polishing. Alphas can provide developmental feedback. Betas can help with line editing. Then you can polish up your grammar and punctuation.

I also encourage working with one or more critique partners. A critique partner is another writer typically at the same stage of their writing journey as you. Most important is you resonate with and trust these writers. They’ll help your manuscript reach its full potential and you’ll help them reach theirs.

Note—If your book includes topics or characters you haven’t personally experienced, you may also consider a sensitivity reader for accuracy and to ensure your manuscript is free from content that may be offensive or insensitive to marginalized readers.

For example, I’m the parent of an autistic child. I served as a sensitivity (or accuracy) reader for a friend’s debut in which the protagonist has an autistic son.

2. Write the Query

A query is a formulaic document (typically under 350 words) written to pique the interest of agents and publishers to entice them to read your manuscript. Follow the formula and you stand a greater chance at getting eyes on your pages.

Note—write your query in third person POV, even if the story is first person POV. Only write your query in first person POV if you’re pitching memoir.

Below is the most common breakdown by paragraphs.

1. Agent personalization – Why are you querying this agent? In their manuscript wish list have they requested the genre you write? Did you meet at a conference and they asked you to query them?
2. Metadata – Title, word count, age range, genre, story structure if unique, and 2-3 comps published within the last 3-5 years and what about these books are comparable.
3. Plot Paragraph – Using specificity, spell out the hook of your story landing at about the 1/3 mark of your manuscript. Introduce the protagonist(s), show what they want (goals), what is standing in their way (obstacles), and what’s at stake if they don’t get it (stakes).
4. Author Bio – Who are you and any publishing credits you have. Although publishing credits are not necessary, they can help. Farther down, I’ll show you how to score some.

That’s it. Focus on specificity, use strong verbs, and your queried agents and small presses will have a clear understanding of your submission.

3. Write the Synopsis

As important as your query, is the synopsis. Some agents request one page, some allow two. I recommend one page. If an agent allows two, they’ll be even more pleased if you tell them your story in less words.

The strategy I use for culling an entire novel into one page, is write one to two sentences per chapter. Refrain from descriptive language and rich detail. Instead, focus on the plot of the story. Don’t hold out details or spoilers. If it ends up more than a page, look for places to cut phrases and words until it lands on that one-page mark.

In your synopsis, allow agents and publishers privy to all major details of the story. Synopses aren’t meant to be engaging or even well-written—only to provide a full picture of what happens in your story start to finish. Despite the POV or tense of your story, best practice is to write your synopsis in third-person present tense.

4. Beef Up Your Online Presence

While not totally necessary, your online footprint can make an impact. When you’re interested in something or someone what’s the first thing you do? If you’re like me, you probably Google.

When someone Googles you, what do they find? If it’s nothing, maybe it’s time to write a guest blog post for an author’s website, do a podcast interview, engage with the writing community on social media, or even build your own website. An online presence helps others get to know you and what you’re serious about.

5. Score Some Small Publishing Wins

Writing short stories, personal essays, flash fiction, or poems, can help you hone your craft and score some small publishing wins which beef up that bio and your online presence.

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer is an excellent resource to peruse that features up-to-date opportunities for small publishing submissions.

6. Research Agents

Once you’ve done most of the above suggestions, it’s time to research agents through tools such as Manuscript Wish List, Query Tracker, check the agents of your comps, and even do a Google search for agents that rep what you’ve written. Create a list of these agents and rank them from dream agent #1 and so on.

I recommend not querying your top tier first. Query in batches. Start with your lower tier of agents and publishers. Take their feedback and then move to your second tier. The last tier you I recommend querying is your dream agents. You will have likely learned a lot along the way.

7. Follow Submission Guidelines

Yes, life would be easier for querying authors if agents all requested the same materials, got back to authors within a similar time frame, and offered a consistent level of feedback. But that’s not how this business works.

Take the time to follow each agent or publishers’ specific submission guidelines. This tells the agent or publisher you are subbing to that you are someone they can work with, someone that can follow instructions. Sometimes that is all it takes to get your wonderful submission read.

8. Prepare For and Welcome Rejection

Friends, rejection is part of the process. I can’t think of one author I know who received an offer of representation on their first query. And there probably is one out there, but they are the anomaly. Most of us spend months, or even years, in the query trenches. But rejections mean this—you finished your manuscript, and you are now in the game! What counts is how you play it.

9. Celebrate Feedback

With said rejections, sometimes comes feedback. If so, accept it as a gift. I’m not saying use it all, but consider it. This feedback is from professionals in the industry you hope to break into.

Additionally, no feedback, ghosting, or form rejections are still telling you something. Your submission materials aren’t piquing agents’ interest, meaning maybe it’s time for another look at your manuscript.

10. Rinse and Repeat

In my own querying journey, I experienced agent ghosting, form rejections, and also some wonderful feedback from agents and publishers. Each time I shifted, and eventually found a home for my story with a wonderful publisher.

Every author has a unique journey. And my advice here will hopefully help you elevate your craft, your submission packet, rejoice in rejection, and ultimately help you land your agent and eventual publishing deal!