Finding an agent who is excited to work with you is more like dating than choosing a skilled doctor to visit. It’s personal. It’s subjective. It’s about first impressions, common interests, and establishing mutual excitement to build a bright future together. Ideally, it’s a committed, long haul relationship, prepared to weather any bumps. It’s no wonder that there can be frustrating rejections of “I like but just don’t love enough to pursue.”

BUT there are smarter ways to vet and curate your wishlist—to tip the scales a little closer in your favor. And it boils down to doing your homework. Sometimes lots of homework to tailor your search, so it seems like “fate” has landed your query in said agent’s in-box.

Ask a Book Editor, Patrick Price, Publishing Resources, How to Get PublishedPatrick PriceOctober 26, 2020Ask an Editor, how to find an agent, query letter, How to Get Published, literary agent

Why Do Literary Agents Take So Long?

It’s every aspiring writer’s least favorite scenario: waiting to hear back from a literary agent.

But it’s possible—hardly even uncommon—to never get a response from your queries, or even after an invite was extended. What gives? Is your work that bad or wrong for them to justify query amnesia? Are agents so inundated that even a form letter rejection is too much to ask? Because, like in dating, getting “ghosted” is by far THE WORST.

Well, I’m going to let you in on some secrets. Or rather,

12 Hard Truths About Getting Rejected (Or Receiving “the Silent Treatment”) from Agents

How to Get Published, Ask a Book Editor, Book PublishingPatrick PriceJuly 8, 2020Ask an Editor, how to find an agent, query letter, How to Get Published, literary agent, Publishing Advice, Patrick Price

Ask a Book Editor: Why Category Matters

When it comes to successful publishing, category is king. Yes, it may sound unsexy or restrictive, but a category does not to take away from your work’s uniqueness. It’s a necessary beacon.

Ask a Book Editor, Book Publishing, Patrick Price, Self-Publishing, Indie AuthorPatrick PriceNovember 5, 2018Publishing Advice, query letter, Patrick Price, Book Proposal, how to find an agent

Ask a Book Editor: Everything You Never Thought to Ask About Your Author Photo

Even the most camera-shy should get with the picture. Like an appealing cover and a strong book title, a quality author photo is an essential part of the publication “package” for both indie and traditionally published authors in most any format or genre.

Book Publishing, Writing Advice, Patrick Price, Ask a Book EditorPatrick PriceOctober 22, 2018Publishing Advice, Book Publishing, Book Editor, query letter, Patrick Price, how to find an agentComment

Ask a Book Editor: Mastering Query Letters

Writing a strong query letter is a necessary part of procuring a literary agent. But sometimes that one all-important page can feel, well, overwhelming.

Ask a Book Editor, Book Publishing, Patrick Price, Writing AdvicePatrick PriceJuly 26, 2018query letter, literary agent, Publishing Advice, Book Editor, how to find an agent

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12 Hard Truths About Getting Rejected (Or Receiving “the Silent Treatment”) from Agents

Ask a Book Editor