All My Query Stats!

The day has finally come! I'm sharing all my juicy query statistics spanning over the past 2 years. Enjoy my pain :)
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Querying in 2020 video: • Querying in 2020 (Plus...
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Query 'lingo" terms:
Query- ~250 word pitch of your book sent to agents to acquire literary representation
Full Request-an agent asks to read your entire book
Partial Request-an agent asks to read a portion of your book (1st 3 chapters, 50 pages, etc)
Form Rejection-an impersonal rejection letter most likely sent in mass to everyone
Revise and Resubmit (R&R)-When an agent doesn't outright offer representation, but is intrigued enough to work personally on a round of revision with you in hopes of offering rep once revision is done
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IF YOU LIKED THIS VIDEO, YOU MAY ENJOY THESE:
The Query That Got Me My Literary Agent: • The Query That Got Me ...
My Entire Query Journey Vlog part 1: • My Entire Query Journe...
10 Tip to Survive the Query Trenches: • 10 Tips to Survive the...
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I write about dark seas, curses, and-occasionally​-whimsical children. Authortuber. Disabled. AMM round 5 mentee. Repped by Samantha Fabien at Root Lit!
On this channel you can expect writing and book related content including discussions, vlogs, writing process videos, recommendations, and more!
Let's talk writing!
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Instagram: @lindsayjmp / lindsayjmp
Twitter: @puckett_lindsay / puckett_lindsay
"Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic." -Albus Dumbledore

[@chelseawritesbooks8763]

Dear KZbin, Please give Lindsay ALL OF THE MONEY for this video. She worked very hard, please and thank you. She deserves the best! Thank you Chelsea

[@LindsayPuckett]

LOL PLEASE KZbin

[@MargaretPinard]

13 months on a full request. Like. Dang. Respect to your perseverance, girl, as always!!

[@LindsayPuckett]

It was a looooooong haul haha

[@moonpetrie]

I really appreciate this level of transparency. I’m sure it will help to normalize the process and make many future queriers feel less confused and worried.

[@LindsayPuckett]

I hope so!

[@authorphoebeross7391]

I’m not a math professional IM SCREAMING lol. I attempted a query stats video and miscounted and was off by 11 entire queries that vanished into the air lol. All in all, I’m just so thankful for channels like yours that lay 👏🏽 it 👏🏽 out 👏🏽 for us to be motivated by!

[@LindsayPuckett]

I'm sure I have some miscounted amount of queries just floating around in the ether somewhere LOL I'm glad you found it motivational!!!

[@platoniczombie]

Man.... analytics really is starting to take over everything. I respect your efforts in trying to put some rationale to the query process. I expect the next trend is going to be someone who puts these analytical timetables to agents themselves. What month they're more likely to respond, their ratio of acceptance to rejection, their full request percentage, etc...

[@LindsayPuckett]

It definitely would be helpful!

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Thank you so much for sharing these - I'm a book editor and way too often I see writers give up on querying after a few rejections. It's so important to keep your head up and keep querying!

[@LindsayPuckett]

It really is!

[@esthermarieandujar]

Love seeing all the graphs! So interesting how the pandemic has shifted so many industries. And I love how pointing the lack of diversity in the industry is helping start the diversification. We gotta keep it accountable for the long run!

[@LindsayPuckett]

For sure! I mean look at all the new positions that are now filled by diverse agents because a few voices spoke up! Amazing! and thank you for appreciating my graphs LOL they were a lot of hard work since I basically forgot everything I learn in high school about excel XD

[@SaraLubratt]

Yay STATS!! I love your glasses! That's fascinating how much the time changed during the pandemic. HOLD UP. 3 DAYS?? Oh my gosh 😂 that's crazy that you got a response that fast! Thank you so much for sharing this information, it really shed light on the whole process! Also, love you typing in the background as your end screen, it's so peaceful.

[@LindsayPuckett]

Thank you so much, Sara! I'm glad you found it helpful :) And yeah, querying is wild, man! The three day response really hurt too because it shows the agent was SUPER excited to read (enough to drop everything else), but then decided the book wasn't for her **shrugs** BUT it all worked out because I LOVE the agent I have :)

[@BayleyMae]

Yay! I love getting to see all the numbers!

[@LindsayPuckett]

I'm so glad! :)

[@gregbarkhamjr4308]

Yes! Finally, I know someone as hungry for statistics as I am.

[@LindsayPuckett]

haha that's me!

[@mattie1478]

thank you for this video! i sent my first batch of queries this week so this is super helpful in adjusting my expectations, especially in terms of how long the whole process might take. i only have one stat to share so far lol, cause i already have one rejection which i got less than 24 hours after sending the query. lighting fast :D

[@carlajenkins1990]

My record was 2 hours!

[@LindsayPuckett]

Oh my! haha Welcome to the trenches, Mattie! haha you should check out my Query Journey Vlog #1-you see my first rejection EVER come in after 7 minutes lol felt GREAT. Best of luck! Hope your journey goes by easy and quickly!!!

[@dreamplanwrite]

Not even querying at all but I loved seeing your stats and just your journey in general! ❤️

[@LindsayPuckett]

Thank you Misty!!

[@MargaretPinard]

"And you can see here from the data..." *adjusts glasses* You know you're like Clark Kent in this video--a superhero AuthorTuber! Thank you so much for all you do for your audience, Lindsey! Can't wait to see your book in print AND BUY IT!

[@LindsayPuckett]

awh haha thank you so much, Margaret!

[@NinasNook]

Seeing the stats somehow makes Querying seem not as daunting and terrifying. LOL I feel as long as I realize it’s going to be 99.9% rejection I’ll be golden. 😆

[@LindsayPuckett]

RIGHT!!!!

[@WhileMirandaWrote]

Love the charts and all the numbers! I'm always trying to math-ify the writing process, so this is super interesting.

[@LindsayPuckett]

Glad you thought so! Haha me and you both girl

[@LauraKadner]

This is so interesting! I love hearing all the stats -- though I really really loved seeing your adorable dog pop up in the background😂

[@LindsayPuckett]

haha he made it all worth it! XD

[@AndreaHecklerWriter]

If there’s anything good about the query trenches, it’s that they make for really fascinating stats on the other side 😂 This was so interesting!! Especially as I will be diving into querying at some point in the near future with my WIP. Thanks for sharing! ☺️

[@LindsayPuckett]

You're welcome, Andrea! Glad you found it helpful :)

[@trisha4life17]

Awww!!! I loved this vid I’m always learning something from you!!! Can’t wait to read your books!!!! Congrats again for getting an agent!!!

[@LindsayPuckett]

Thank you Trisha!!!!!

[@CharlieeWriter]

This was so interesting! I just sent out 4 queries and the wait is killing me. I just want to query every other agent on my list

[@LindsayPuckett]

haha I know the feeling! You've got this though!

[@CharlieeWriter]

@@LindsayPuckett thank you! :)

[@abigailfranzer1447]

pulling all those stats! 💪🏼

[@LindsayPuckett]

WOOWOO!!!

[@thatchickwithcurls]

I love seeing those stats it's so helpful! What would be a good number of queries to send out before pulling and revising the query? Since we've presumably made the query as good as we can get it at that point, how do we know there's a problem with the query and it's not just the 'expected' rejections? (I've only just started learning more about the query process so I'm sorry if this is very obvious)

[@LindsayPuckett]

You really don't know for sure, but that's why it's always nice to have others look over your first few chapters and query. I'd say if you are getting all rejections in your first round, get some feedback, revise, and then go back out to 5 or so agents!

[@thatchickwithcurls]

@@LindsayPuckett Thank you! That sounds like a great guideline!

[@DanicaGray]

OMG I just realized your book is titled "When the SEA Came For Us" not "When Thissy Came For Us" 😂😂😂 I'm dead, I really thought Thissy was a character!

[@LindsayPuckett]

you were probably like "dang girl no WONDER you didn't find an agent with such a bad title" LOL

[@DanicaGray]

@@LindsayPuckett noooo I was like who is this thissy character?!?! ~intrigue~ hahaha

[@bookboop]

Oooo stats! My nerd self is excited!!

[@LindsayPuckett]

Same! lol

[@SarahCahillWrites]

Do you not send the first (however many,) pages with the query? I always thought that you did. Loving the stats, they look like really good percentages.

[@LindsayPuckett]

you jut send whatever they ask for-just the query, query plus 10/30/50 pages, etc :) and thanks, Sarah!!!

[@KristenLeatherman]

This was so much more math than my pea brain could have done 😂😂😂

[@LindsayPuckett]

LOL my pea brain HURTS

[@JtheWind]

About to enter the trenches these stats are mental preparation lol

[@LindsayPuckett]

There you go! haha That's definitely a good way to look at it! And good luck!

[@RinRin-ge7bq]

I'm wondering why an agent/agency would simply not respond to a query? Especially if they were asking for queries or had on their website or what have you that they were open for queries! That seems so shady to me...unless I just don't understand, which is very possible XD. Do you have a theory on this? Perhaps they were just overloaded? It kinda grinds my gears, not gonna lie!!! XD

[@AlyssaMatesic]

When I worked at a literary agency, at any given time there were 1,000+ unread queries in their submissions inbox. So them not responding in that case was just unfortunately an instance where they weren't able to get to them all in a timely manner because there were just so many!

[@LindsayPuckett]

What Alyssa said! :)

[@Kelly-ib1hf]

Question: if we plan to publish under a pen name, should we set up a separate email under the pen name or use our real name?

[@Neil-writer-author]

I’d use your real name on the query.

[@LindsayPuckett]

Use your real name, add in parenthesis "writing under the pen name ____" :)

[@opollitico]

13 months. Wow. That's a long haul.

[@LindsayPuckett]

IT REALLY WAS lol all for a rejection haha

[@opollitico]

@@LindsayPuckett but you triumphed in the end!! X

[@trisha4life17]

First comment

[@LindsayPuckett]

always!!!