Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

Of all the things that happened in 2023, I would say this is the biggest. Becoming an agent is something I realized that I should have tried to do sooner if I knew how much joy it would bring me, and how secure in my abilities I felt.

I am so excited for this next (very long) chapter of my professional life.

The top thing to recap with agenting is that I have signed two amazing clients (at the time of writing this on 12/14)!

Virginia Brasch and Rebecca A. Carter both had work that compelled me to keep turning pages and made me dream about their characters after I was finished. Each author has finished their first round of edits and 2024 will be a big year as both will go on sub!

For my Query Manager Stats (all as of 12/14, though I don’t suspect much will change as I will remain closed for queries in 2023):

• Total 2023 Queries received: 927
• Request Rate: 15%
• Top 3 formats (not requested, but submitted):
  • Fantasy (200)
  • YA Fantasy (141)
  • Contemporary Romance (64)

I have learned so much about how to approach queries, especially since I love so much of the work in my inbox. The ideas are so creative, the worlds are so unique, and I know how hard it is to write a story. I hate sending to rejections, so when I do, for the most part, it is after I read the query once, then the synopsis, followed by the first pages. From there I determine if I want to request a full or not. If I am not feeling that I want to request a full at that time, I do NOT reject in that moment. I don’t want my mood to influence my choice, or if my kids didn’t sleep the night before my brain may not be functioning at a capacity I’d prefer. Thus, I will leave the query to be read the next time I approach my inbox. MOST queries/pages get at least TWO read throughs (you will see below my explanation if that is NOT the case).

To recap what I saw in my inbox and why there may be quick passes is because there were a few major things that stood out. There were many queries that were passes without getting to the pages (I’m sorry, but this is a time management practice since I want to get back to all authors quickly and there are certain things I flag as a query that may not be ready.) What I’m specifically referencing with this is a word count that is too long for the genre. There were many manuscripts submitted that were in the 150k range. That is too long, even for fantasy. Sure IRON FLAME I’m sure was even longer than that– but that had FOURTH WING to lead with, and the author had an established back list. (Also, ask the question of these longs books– did they need to be that long?) There are books out there that are that long, but as a debut, or even an author with limited sales history, it will be a hard sale for any agent to submit a book that long. Not to mention, prices of paper has increased so editors are looking for lower word counts. I saw an editor specify they wanted lower word count for fantasy even below the industry standard. So PLEASE look up your word count before submitting to agents. It will likely be a quick pass, which is unfortunate because your story is worth reading.

Another thing I saw in many queries was well…a lack of a query. I suspect if you are reading this, you have also read my other posts about what to include in your query or used resources I have referenced. So this may reach those who don’t need it…but just in case it reaches the author that needs to hear it– your query should follow a simple formula of HOOK, BOOK, COOK. If you need to get more information on that, you can find my blog post here. Telling me that your story is fast paced and enticing to all readers doesn’t tell me what your story is about. So even when I go to your pages, after the first ten pages, I’m still held in frustrating suspense about what is coming next and WHY I should keep turning pages. A *few* times I received a note in the query box and the actual query in the synopsis portion. Be sure you have a synopsis written as you enter the querying journey. I am not he only agent that asks for one and it will serve you to have on hand. If you are looking for guidance as how to write a synopsis, there are many resources (like here, here, or here.)

Lastly, I cannot emphasize this enough, please keep it clean and concise. When I go into my inbox, I am not just reading one query. I am reading MANY. So when I am on my tenth, and the hook is lost and the details weigh down the stakes or plot, I lose interest. I’ll go to the synopsis typically at that point to see if I can gauge what is happening– BUT at this point, my mind is already muddled with the concept. Usually when this happens, I don’t do anything with the query, saving it for another time to come back to in case my mind is already overworked and words start to blur. Again, this is why most queries get two read throughs. I want to be sure your words are read, processed and given their due diligence. I know how hard you worked on this. And sending rejections is not something I take lightly. But imagine if you were in a book store and read a blurb to a book that told you little about the story written in the pages. Would you even give it a second look?

To reference how I approach the full manuscript requests I have, I will tell you that I know you deserve personalized feedback. My goal is to provide that while stating how subjective (I know this word is used a lot in this industry) my feedback is. My feedback is specific to what I’m looking for/what I was hoping for and my tastes. Every time I start reading a full, I pull up a blank document to start writing my larger developmental edits while additionally making notes in the manuscript itself. Every manuscript I request a full on, I approach as if it will be my next client signed. I requested your full because your query stood out, your first pages were enticing, and I was left eager to read more. Thus, I am optimistic for a partnership. Though, when the first pages lure me in, the following pages need to keep me engaged. From my notes both in the manuscript and the separate doc, I will use to provide as much feedback a possible, without telling you my specific vision because ultimately it is YOUR story and the agent you end up with will likely have different ideas of how to edit prior to going on sub. But I want to give you enough that if there is a common thread in the feedback you receive you can decide if you will revise. But always take feedback with a grain of salt– it is your story at the end of the day and if you don’t agree with it you can ignore it.

I hope this transparency will help you understand why/how I send rejections and will help you better understand how I work if you would like to query me in the future. I do worry about sharing too much because I know every agent operates in a different way and I am still learning. What is true now may not be true in the future.