Another year, another query stats update!
Queries received:
Approximately 6,000 (Yes, we look at all of them…)
Partial manuscript requests:
189 (I looked at a lot of partials because I was building my list. Anything that I thought had potential to be a fit with me I requested.)
Full manuscript requests:
30 (These were the select few that I was enjoying enough to read more of or have our agency assistant or intern do a readers report on.)
Projects offered on but lost to another agent:
1 (I was sad about losing this one.)
Projects I tried to request but already accepted an offer:
3 (This was disappointing. I always want to know if an offer is on the table so I can get to it before the author makes any decisions.)
New clients from the slush pile:
7 (That’s a lot! I won’t be signing that many this coming year.)
I’ve been actively signing new clients for the past two years. My list is starting to fill up, but I’m always on the hunt for great YA, women’s fiction, upmarket non fiction, and the occasional picture book.
I look forward to your 2013 queries!
2013 Wishlist:
Upmarket non fiction – humour, health, wellness, cookbook, memoir
Picture books – high concept, children’s books
Women’s fiction – contemporary, romance, up-market, historical
Young adult – contemporary, historical, light fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, mystery
General fiction – literary thriller or mystery, stand alone
Query me at query (at) psliterary.com
It’s intimidating to see it broken down by numbers! But it’s also motivation to continue improving my craft. Thanks for a great post.
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It is intimidating, but I share these numbers to show you that authors actually do get signed via the slush pile!
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Wow! Not great news for people hoping to get published. But it’s neat to see that so many people are out there writing what’s important to them!
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Don’t look at it as a negative. Look at is as a positive: writers are actually signed from the slush pile.
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Thanks for the post. I am encouraged by the number of books from the slush pile. Good luck. I hope you and your authors do great this year.
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I’m so pleased to find you. Your no nonsense approach is refreshing and gives me insight into your side of the business. One problem is that I don’t have “years and years” to create my book. I have spent years in the craft of non-fiction already. My heart and pen is now into a fictional family saga that spans five generations. After two years I am still intrigued with the characters and story lines. I will continue to develop this story, and I will do my best to conform to the publishing standards. But my characters refuse to fit into a box. Or, perhaps it is me that resists being confined.
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Good luck!
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I’ve only just found your blog, but I’m glad that I have.
If you don’t think me too forward, I’ve 1st drafted a YA novello of 39,000 words. I don’t know if the concept is new or not, but each chapter is exactly 300 words. I call them ‘micro chapters’. It’s aimed at the 13-16 year old market and is written for boys. It is an adventure/sci-fi, and will consist of another 1 or 2 books to follow on the story.
Do you think the concept is a good idea, as trends state that young boys are not as eager to pick a book and read it, that’s why I chose small chapters in hope of encouraging them.
I’d appreciate any feedback you could give me, and if you’d like to take a look, I’ve posted 10 chapters on my blog – http://sarahneeve.wordpress.com/category/eight/
If not, thank you for taking the time to read this long comment.
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