10 Agents Currently Looking for Thrillers
Where to Query This Week (10.30.24) | Plus how to make sense of agent feedback
Welcome to Sub Club’s Where to Query This Week!
This week, we welcome Kristin Offiler to the column. Kristin recently got a publishing deal (!) for her debut novel, The Housewarming, and has been sharing her journey throughout the process. We met through Instagram and have messaged back and forth for years (!!) about books we love, the writing life, and most recently, querying. Kristin saved me many times during my querying process with her wisdom and advice. And I’m thrilled that she is offering some of that to us today.
Once you get feedback from agents, how do you sort it through? Whose advice do you take? And whose do you disregard? Kristin weighs in with her experience below.
Quick little announcement from me: If you are looking for some accountability to get your current project done or perhaps start writing a novel, I’m doing a 90-day writing challenge over on In the Weeds! Learn how to join here.
» » If want to ask a question in our Query Hotline, fill out the form here with any questions you might have about querying—whether that’s around agents, indie presses, book contests, formatting, genres, or if you just need someone to tell you you’re doing just fine. (Submit your question here) « «
How To Make Sense of Agent Feedback
Ah, querying. All that waiting and uncertainty is enough to make a person wonder if their book is any good at all. So it’s a big deal when an agent takes the time to read your manuscript and offer their thoughts—even if they ultimately pass on your project.
The problem is that it’s not always easy to know what to do with agent feedback. They’re professionals with deep industry knowledge, so should you make every change suggested? And when should you implement it, if at all? There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some tips to help it make more sense!
Not all feedback is created equal.
Most writers know this by the time they’ve reached the querying stage, but there’s something about looking for an agent that makes even the most seasoned writer forget this. It’s profound when an agent replies with feedback. That simply doesn’t happen every day in the querying trenches! But remember, all feedback is subjective (even feedback from professionals!) and not all feedback is actionable.
Some feedback is unspecific. You might hear that your book just isn’t right for that agent, or that they couldn’t “connect” with some element like the voice or the main character. I think agents sometimes give vague feedback like this when they need to pass but don’t quite know why it doesn’t work for them. Don’t take it personally.
There’s nothing you can do to edit your book to resolve issues of taste or preference. Don’t waste a second of your energy trying to figure out a deeper meaning when an agent says your book isn’t the right fit for them. Note this feedback, then move on quickly. The best feedback will give you ideas and energize you to revise. It will provide you with concrete elements to edit within your story.
Useful feedback clarifies while unhelpful feedback confuses.
Patterns in feedback tell you something.
Collect all constructive feedback you receive as you’re querying. Anything an agent says in response to your manuscript that you could implement in revision, write it down. Check this list often for patterns.
Have multiple agents given you the same editorial advice? When you see a pattern, take note. You might make valuable edits based on that feedback. For example, when I was taking calls with agents who offered representation, nearly all of them suggested my genre was suspense, not upmarket fiction as I’d pitched my book initially. Once I saw this pattern of feedback, I knew I should pay attention.
If you notice patterns as you’re querying and want to make those changes to your manuscript, you’ll have to decide when to do it. You could hold off on querying new batches of agents while you revise, and then submit the new manuscript to your future list of agents. Or maybe you’d rather continue querying with your current manuscript, keeping an eye on any additional feedback you receive.
I wish I could tell you one way or the other is “right,” but it’s not that simple. It depends on several factors, but most importantly it comes down to what feels best to you. It’s not always worth extensively revising in the middle of querying. However, it could be worth doing if it drastically improves the book. Ultimately, remember that writers query the strongest and most polished version of their book, so it’s perfectly fine if you decide not to make any changes while querying.
Don’t rush to make changes.
Writers sometimes give more weight to feedback from industry professionals than they give to their own opinion. It’s tempting to take an agent’s ideas as gospel. It’s easy to assume they know best, but try to sit on any feedback you receive long enough to process and decide if it truly works for you and your book.
And if an agent offers the chance to revise and resubmit to them if you make XYZ changes, don’t rush. It may be tempting to revise immediately because it seems like a surefire way to secure that agent, but who knows if another agent on your list will read and love your manuscript and not ask for those changes?
I had a couple of agents offer R&Rs during my querying process, and initially, I did consider doing the work to address their notes. But as I sat with the feedback, I realized I didn’t want to combine two of my main characters into one. I didn’t want to alter the structure of my book so much that it was essentially a new book completely. And eventually, five agents offered rep and none of them wanted me to mash two characters together.
The right agent will see your book’s potential, even if they believe it needs some editing.
If an agent likes your book overall and can envision a path to successfully selling it, they won’t turn you down because there are elements they think you should revise. In fact, a great agent will see your vision and the potential to make it even stronger. Their feedback will excite you and make you eager to revise because you know they understand what you’re trying to do and want to help you get there.
You’ll likely edit with your agent and hopefully with an editor, too. There will always be edits! Until it’s in print, your book has the potential to grow. So whatever you do, don’t get hung up on feedback while querying unless it resonates and feels right. Ten different industry pros might have ten different opinions on your book. Or maybe they’d all agree that changing a certain element would strengthen the book. Regardless, you always get the final say. It’s your book and your opinion is what matters the most.
Kristin Offiler holds an MFA from Lesley University. Her short fiction has appeared in the Waccamaw Journal, The Bookends Review, The Bookends Review Best of 2020 print anthology, and the Raleigh Review. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading on the porch of her 130-year-old house or exploring charming corners of New England. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and son. Her debut novel, The Housewarming, is forthcoming next summer.
If you want to learn more from Kristin, she will be the featured author at the next Write Together Retreat with Write or Die! This virtual community event gives you the opportunity to write alongside other writers in real-time and a chance to make real progress on your current project!
Kristin will also give a craft chat about writing a novel in one genre, only to learn later that it should be another. She’ll discuss why knowing your genre matters when querying, how to determine where your book will live on the shelves, and what to do if you decide your novel should be another genre than what it started as. We hope you will join us on November 16th! Sign up here.
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10 Agent Currently Looking for Thrillers
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