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Ok so let& #39;s talk about request rates. I& #39;ve seen a lot of advice being thrown around about how this is a good measure of a book& #39;s quality and I have observed several things.
TL;DR: a high request rate has something to do with quality and a lot to do with marketability.
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TL;DR: a high request rate has something to do with quality and a lot to do with marketability.
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So sometimes writers write what& #39;s on their heart, and it happens to be what the market is looking for. They write well, get tons of requests & land an agent relatively easily. This is the dream. It& #39;s rare, but it happens.
But again, it& #39;s a dream, not reality for most of us.
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But again, it& #39;s a dream, not reality for most of us.
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Then we have the writers who take into account current top-selling books and trends, popular agent MSWL items, and themes that get a lot of agent interest. These writers let these items influence what they write to a large extent. This is partly luck, because not everyone
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is going to see the things they want to write on MSWL& #39;s or in current trends. But it& #39;s also informed luck. And if you& #39;re writing genres/themes that are getting agents for many others in the current market, then a lot of older querying advice will apply...
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Older querying advice includes things like "if you don& #39;t get lots of requests, improve your query" or "full rejections mean you need to strengthen your pages". If you see a lot of people in your sub-genre getting offers, and you have a poor request rate, it& #39;s good advice.
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But now we come to the third type of writer, and the reason I call the above "older" querying advice.
Because in the middle of a pandemic, economic instability, and Big 5 imprints closing, the querying landscape is really different from what it was six months or a year ago.
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Because in the middle of a pandemic, economic instability, and Big 5 imprints closing, the querying landscape is really different from what it was six months or a year ago.
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Type 3 is the Hopeless Romantic writers who write what we love, with only some influence from what sells or what tops MSWL& #39;s.
This is where the old query advice breaks down.
You can have a fantastic book that hits 0 trends, & in the current market, you won& #39;t get many requests
This is where the old query advice breaks down.
You can have a fantastic book that hits 0 trends, & in the current market, you won& #39;t get many requests
If this is you, then polishing your query for the 10,000th time won& #39;t help.Going over your first chapters with a fine-toothed comb for the 1000th time won& #39;t make a difference. And well-meaning writers who fall into the first two categories will tell you that it will.
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How do you know if the Romantic is you?Keep a close eye on Twitter agent announcements. Are people in your specific sub-genre getting agents this Autumn? If no, this might be you. Are all the PM deals in your sub-genre going to established authors? If yes, this might be you.
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Are agents giving you a lot of similar feedback about a certain aspect of your book that may need work? If so, seriously consider addressing this.
But if agent feedback is a combination of forms & "this is good, but not for me" rejections, you may be in this third category.
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But if agent feedback is a combination of forms & "this is good, but not for me" rejections, you may be in this third category.
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Think you are a Hopeless Romantic writer? Want to feel less hopeless?
First, here is a hug.
Second, stop comparing your request rates to those of people in the first two categories. Request rates are not an objective indicator of quality. Neither is getting an agent.
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First, here is a hug.
Second, stop comparing your request rates to those of people in the first two categories. Request rates are not an objective indicator of quality. Neither is getting an agent.
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Quality plays a role in these things, sure. But so does marketability and agent preference, and it& #39;s often hard to know which of these things is the reason for a rejection.
Third, find friends who understand this. Don& #39;t have any? DM me.
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Third, find friends who understand this. Don& #39;t have any? DM me.
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Finally,don& #39;t give up. Your romantic heart picked a particularly hard path in a brutal industry. You can take a break until your sub-genre sees love again,or not.
But keep writing something, even if the odds are stacked against an agent ever reading it.
And know you are not alone
But keep writing something, even if the odds are stacked against an agent ever reading it.
And know you are not alone
