How I Got My Agent
The short answer is that I wrote and polished a query letter, sent it out into the world, and got extremely lucky. That’s truly how it goes for most writers, but of course with a lot of heartache and complications every step of the way. Same for me. What follows is the semi-long answer.
My querying experience is a bit nontraditional given that I participated in PitchWars as a mentee, which I’ve written a bit about before. Last year’s agent showcase meant that some of my very first queries were the result of agents soliciting my materials. However, in the end, I did not get my agent via the showcase.
Eddie Schneider, who now represents me, was someone I cold-queried. Following the instructions on his agency’s website, I sent him a standard query letter, a synopsis and the first five pages. I did mention that I was a PitchWars mentee, and that the manuscript got a bunch of requests from the showcase. That may have helped spark his interest, and he requested the full soon after I emailed him.
Adrift, with no shore in sight. That’s what this process felt like. Photo by Charlotte Noelle on Unsplash
Still, it took a long time before I heard back. By the time I signed with him, I had queried 60 agents and been rejected by more than half of them. About a third of that number ghosted me. Out of 38 cold queries I made, only four wanted to see the full manuscript. I did eventually get an offer from a PW participating agent, but only after an R&R that took weeks of work.
Being in the PW showcase got me in front of agents, and having one offer significantly increased the chances of my ms getting read and then getting competing offers. But all of that is external to me and beyond my control. What was within my control was my query package—the letter, the synopsis, the pages. Ultimately, those are also the only things that matter in this process. If the materials aren’t strong, then no showcase and no amount of competing interest is going to end in an offer.
Most of the collective querying wisdom is correct: build intrigue with a hook (a term I’m not too fond of, but it’s apt), focus on conflict and stakes, and be professional. Other than those very broad guidelines, everything else about query writing can’t be distilled into rules or formulas. Every case is different, your mileage may vary, et cetera ad infinitum. What helped me the most is feedback from writers I trust and admire; I took their input (and I gathered a lot), then applied the ones that fit my vision and style.
Also, as I am quick to admit, a large part of this is luck, which makes me reluctant to give any sort of advice. To paraphrase a writing aphorism, "you only learn to write the query letter that you're writing." Still--if there’s a chance you, dear reader, might glean something helpful from my query letter, I’m happy to share it here.
Dear Mr. Schneider:
A mysterious pandemic causes 25 percent of the world population to permanently lose the ability to sleep—without any apparent downsides. The outbreak creates a new class that is feared and ostracized, but can optimize their extra hours to earn more money.
Jamie Vega is one of the Sleepless. By day, he works the New York City news beat at C+P Media. At night, he plays video poker and tends to his various hobbies. When his irascible boss, Simon Parrish, dies in an apparent suicidal overdose, Jamie embarks on a morbid new hobby: figuring out why Simon chose to end his life.
Things go awry when Jamie discovers that he was the last person who saw Simon alive. Retracing his steps, he learns that he does not recall anything from that fateful night. The memory loss may have something to do with the fact that he did not come by hyperinsomnia naturally: through a risky and illegal process, Jamie had biohacked himself to become Sleepless.
When the police rules Simon’s death a murder, Jamie delves deeper into Simon’s final days, and is forced to confront past traumas, and the consequences of his decision to biohack himself. Along the way he uncovers a terrifying truth about what it means to be Sleepless that will imperil him—and all of humanity.
The Sleepless, at 83,000 words, is a near-future science fiction mystery in the vein of the novel Altered Carbon, and comments on capitalist forces and our contemporary work culture, a la Autonomous. Following a mentored revision process, the manuscript was part of PitchWars 2020 Showcase and garnered significant attention. It has already received 26 agent requests but because of your proven track record in representing speculative fiction writers, I wanted to give you an opportunity to see it too.
This would be my first published work of fiction. I am a queer immigrant of color, and The Sleepless features main characters with these identities. Per your guidelines, I have included the first five pages and a short synopsis at the bottom of this email. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Victor Manibo
Thumbnail photo by James Forbes on Unsplash