Why Literary Agents Reject Query Letters (12 Mistakes to AVOID!)

"When you were an agent, what were your most common reasons for rejecting a book?"
That's the question I posed to my friend and co-author Lindsay Ribar, former literary agent with Greenburger Associates. She gave me 12 reasons, and now I'm sharing them with you - along with tips on how you can avoid these mistakes and write the best possible query letter!
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[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Looking for feedback on your query? My query review package includes a critique and unlimited reads for a flat rate of $100. That means you can revise and resend your query for more feedback as many times as it takes for us to make it shine. Email me at mischubooks at gmail.com!

[@reginaduke7451]

Such great advice! “Write the book you want to read, then pitch to trends.” :D

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thanks, Regina!! I really that's the way to go - most books can be pitched from lots of different angles! :)

[@MadailinBurnhope]

yeah this is brilliant

[@swipedtv8237]

this was helpful as a first time author starting the submission process. it can be so nerve racking

[@tonyparete6892]

Why You Get Rejected 101: you don't personally know the agent to whom you're sending your query.

[@julialincoln-stefan1066]

This was a very helpful video. Thank you

[@jennaseachman3973]

I love this! It's a great video and I took tons of notes :)

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

I'm so glad! Thanks for watching, Jenna! :)

[@francisoduffy8856]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Your post is excellent.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thank you so much, Francis! :)

[@TravisLackey]

Thanks for the excellent advice! I downloaded the Query Formula, I have a finished and fairly polished manuscript. Let's see where this goes.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

That's awesome, Travis!! Good luck and let me know how it goes!!

[@c.c.l.9139]

Thank you for the tips. I just started querying.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Glad it was helpful! And good luck!!

[@kainejoyes2981]

Rejected 25 times....was the author rewriting ? Most people hear rejected 25 times and think 'just keep plugging away' Maybe the manuscript needs work to...re-write?

[@readerturnedwriter]

Okay, I LOVE the idea of writing scenes from the perspective of a side character! This video was awesome 😃

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thanks so much! :D I love doing that exercise in workshop because it allllways works to bust writer's block!

[@alliearnest5731]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Anytime! :)

[@rcaviationcrawling7351]

Hey Michelle, thanks much for this video! I'm a first time writer with a novel manuscript I've finished except the editing. And I'm finding writing a query letter more challenging than writing my novel, LOL! I especially appreciate your mentioning several times to write the book you want to read, and if you believe you have a unique and worthy story to tell, stay with it, believe in it, work hard and learn how to maximize possibility of getting your work read by an agent. Informative and inspiring, really appreciate it! I'm trying to guage the quality of my writing against same genre literary works...

[@heathermacdonald6404]

Wow! You're a real pro! Not just a super writer but also a great vlogger. I love your pacing and your content. I was introduced via the Reedsy middle school seminar you recently gave - thanks for that! I am now subscribed to your channel and look forward to watching all your content. Best wishes for continued success in your career. And thanks for the KZbin videos!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Oh wow, thank you so much, Heather! That's such a wonderful compliment. I had so much fun with that Reedsy seminar - thank you for watching! I hope to hear more about your projects soon! :)

[@jenniferward6821]

I am going to listen to this again, and maybe again. Best vid on this topic and I have watched MANY! Watched it feeling rather smug, and then OOPs! And another OOPS, and yet another damn OOPS. A thousand thanks!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

You're so welcome, Jennifer! :)

[@onseonthebeat]

awesome video, thank you!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching! :)

[@JoeyPaulOnline]

This was really interesting to get the examples!

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thanks so much, Joey! :)

[@ShayWithThaHobbies]

This video is everything!!!!! I've always thought of query letters as cover letters because of my business brain so hearing you say the same was like yes!!! Pride is crazy to me. I couldn't imagine doing that. Yesss for reading diversely! Yessss for those questions! I love that. Just everything! Pitch to trend! I wrote that one down! Soooo many notes. I knew to research companies but never thought about researching the actual agent outside of genre information. Good to know. Thanks so much for this video! I'm clicking that link right now LOL

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

kashayyyy! Thanks so much for watching! Yeah, the hubris out there is wild, haha. Pitch to trend pitch to trend!! I really think most novels could probably be pitched in more than one genre, and compared to a wide array of titles. That can save authors a lot of grief - writing to trends has done nothing but hurt me, personally.

[@ShayWithThaHobbies]

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Well I'm definitely listening to your wise words. Happy to support great content! Keep doing your thing!

[@momo_genX]

done with the self-pub pipe dreams. going to try Trad. Subscribed to you.

[@clearfield2009]

Great video.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Thank you! :)

[@rodgilley64]

Is it common that after you sign a contract with a small press publisher, they go silent for a month, longer, no response to questions? I know nothing of the correct etiquette between writer/publisher, or what the timeline typically is. Can you help me understand this?

[@HannahTheHorrible]

Are you going to attend Kate Cavanaugh's livestream tomorrow morning to kick-off Milwordy? I will be there! I'm not doing Milwordy but I'm going to use it for outlining work in prep for NaNo. Also, I'm nowhere close to query, but this is actually really good to know. It's interesting to think about how an agent may "reject" just because they can't connect with your book or they're not a fan of your trope. It doesn't mean your book is bad...like you said you just need to find the right agent.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

I am!! SO excited about Milwordy. And equally excited that you're doing NaNo!! It's so true - rejections can be both subjective and objective. It still stings, but it helps to know that agent just wasn't the right one.

[@HannahTheHorrible]

Michelle Schusterman yay!!! I will “see” you there :)

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Woo! :D

[@user-wi7cj2jx1f]

Hello Ms. Schusterman, and Happy 2024! My comment is about an agent's "subjectivity". I've watch other videos that featured agents telling why they reject a manuscript and I found it disturbing that an agent will reject someone's work simply because they do not like a certain aspect that may very well be correctable if given the chance. Aren't agents supposed to review a work based on its marketability? More precisely, if the agent knows of a publishing house that specializes in a particular genre and that agent receives a Query that will need a bit of work but can pitch it to that imprint's editor then why should said agent hold back the author on personal preferences? Thank you and keep up the Very Informative Videos!!!

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Sometimes though I kinda wish agents were more upfront about what bothered them about the story pitch. Same goes for certain magazine editors that I used to submit to back in 2008 to 2010. They always say they just can't use my story at this time. OK but when CAN they use it? And if it's just them being polite and the reality is something bugged them, well, tell me what it is? Did they dislike the gore? Then tell me to tone it down. Did they dislike the occasional cussing? I can easily remove those without affecting the overall story. But no, they have to be vague as frack and it's not only been frustrating to me, but frustrating to a lot of my batchmates who also had dreams of becoming a writer. And that was back in 2010. I think half of my friends have already given up entirely after being stonewalled so many times.

[@janetmenegakis12]

In a query letter for a picture book where do you put your bio information? Is it a separate paragraph at the beginning, mid, or end of the letter?

[@WriterMarkusRegius]

I probably will never query an agent (Sweden generally don't have them we query straight to the publisher), but this is all good advice! I've never been very good at knowing what's trendy, though ... so I guess I have a question right there, how do I stay up do date with what's trendy or not? 🤔😅

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

I think a lot of this would definitely still apply to submitting to an editor! :) That's a great question about trends. I'd say resources like Publisher's Marketplace are great because they announce new deals every week - but that's in the US. Does Sweden have a similar publication, any place where book deals are announced? Also, do you write commercial fiction? (Fantasy, iirc?) I think trends tend to be fairly international - if it's hot in the US or UK, it's likely the same elsewhere in Europe! If you follow Publisher's Marketplace on Twitter, they usually tweet a link to weekly deals here. That's a good place to start! (But if anyone reading this has more suggestions, I'd love to hear them!)

[@IMPBEATZOFFICIAL]

Hey, I’m wondering where to submit my book. I wrote it finished edited and designed it though a self publishing company but am sort of interested in pitching it now. It hasn’t been released

[@heathermacdonald6404]

By the way -- I can say you're a "super writer," because I read some samples of your work via my local library website. I've requested a half dozen of your books. :)

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

!!!! Thank you so much! That means a lot to me! :D

[@johnchaparro5393]

Can you make a video about strong dialect. Is it good,bad. I personally think it gives the characters more authenticity, but what you think?

[@debraurquhart2974]

Good morning, Where do I find the list of agents?

[@kanashiiookami6537]

I gotta say that even if a person decides to go the self-pubbed route, reading up on what agents and publishers and editors say what not to do for writing can be helpful. (Though, dig too deep and find too many differing opinions and it can be overwhelming) I never got the thing about trends, though, because by the time I read the "trendy" books, they were usually old news. (Read HP only around 3 or so years ago. But honestly, to me, no matter what Rowling does to try and sabotage her story, it's a classic that will live forever and never go out of style❤) So yeah, I never thought "I so gotta write in X genre!" Or "I'm totally gonna study X author and write just like them! I will surpass them! (Evil laugh😉)" No. I can't understand people doing that, neither can I understand when people say that in order to succeed or even enter X genre that you have to write like the other author's in it. (I've heard that books in the genre of Jack Reached stories, or some British mysteries like something called Inspector Lindley are written with the sane style, voice, and plot progression. Which, unless you're into that, makes for a boring read. Like knowing there's going yo be a plot twist because the story seems to be wrapping up despite having 30-100 pages left. A device one author, I was told, used for every single "thriller" they wrote. Not so thrilling when you're thoughts are "oh, crap. Again?!") With that in mind, though, have you done a video on plot twists done right? (I have watched so many authortube videos that I can't remember who did one on what.)

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

LOL I agree with all of this (including HP...I try not to give my money to the franchise anymore, but I do still love the books!). It's so wild how many queries dripping with hubris agents get. People truly think if they say "this is a guaranteed bestseller" agents are going to be like "ohh great, here's a contract!" I actually haven't done a plot twist video - but that's a great idea! I'll add it to the list. :D

[@Fullofloveandlight]

I’m not a book writer, at least not yet lol. I’ve been studying query letters for pitching for brand collaborations in the beauty industry. And for some reason I’m a bit confused when you say “pitch to trends”. I know you explained it but I’m not comprehending😅

[@teshafreeman4019]

Can’t find the “auto grid” in the description you mentioned.

[@islakay]

I pitched to some publishers with a novel set in Canada. they all told me to change the location and I refused. rookie mistake now, I have a series coming out set in the US.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Really?? Wow, that's wild. But hey - congrats on the series release!!!

[@alexchandler8476]

If I write crime fiction, but an agent has listed that they handle mystery and thrillers, is it alright to sent the crime novel anyway, since it has mystery and thriller elements in it anyway?

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Hi Alex! I believe that's okay, unless the agent specifies that they aren't interested in crime as a subgenre.

[@imanbamous8021]

Hi Michelle! I have a question: is it possible to get an american literary agent if i live in Italy and i have translated my manuscript into english?🤔

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Hi Iman! Yes, that's absolutely possible! I know several US-based agents who represent international clients. :)

[@imanbamous8021]

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor thank you! where can i find them?

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

@@imanbamous8021 querytracker.com is a great search tool for finding agents! You can filter by location and preferences.

[@convolution223]

I have none of these issues yet I still have not gotten an agent after over 100+ queries :(

[@annmanzo]

Hi, I recently got a rejection that said my story is plot driven and she likes character driven. Well, one of my main characters does have an emotional/life changing arc but how can I put that in the first three chapters when it's a change that takes place over the entire book? I have emotions etc in the first three, but I felt the agent didn't bother reading them because my query, when I re-read it, doesn't mention the character arc. And she went no further. I thought the query should be about the hook and what happens. (plot)

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

Hi Amy!! This is a GREAT question - and a great observation on your part. It definitely sounds like the issue was more with your query than the first few chapters. Did you watch The Query Formula video or download the packet? I think it would be really helpful - but the key takeaway here is that you want your query to show the hook for sure, and also the stakes...specifically, how the stakes are PERSONAL to the character (ie, how it's going to change them and complete their arc). My example in the video is a query for an alien invasion book in which the MC is in love with a girl who turns out to be an alien/enemy. Plot-wise, the stakes are the world falling to alien rule - but to an agent, that's not character-driven enough. So the query really highlights the fact that the MC is going to have to destroy the girl he loves and make a huge personal sacrifice to save the world. Look for a way to show how the plot/stakes of your story are intertwined with your character arc, and you'll be good to go!

[@annmanzo]

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Sorry this is late, but thank you. It's a year later, many queries later and I still can't get it right. Re-downloading your Query Formula and trying again.

[@jlolson53]

Nice work, Michelle. Though you touched on this by implication, there is also the issue of different political views. For example, if you have a character who dislikes "woke" ideas, that would disqualify your story with the predominant number of liberals/woke people who populate literary agencies.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

True! I'm sure lots of agents wouldn't want to sign with a client whose views opposed their own. But fwiw, I think plenty of agents/editors are more like lawyers - a defense lawyer represents a client regardless of whether he believes he's innocent, and there are agents/editors who will put a book into the world they don't agree with personally because they believe the author's voice should still be heard.

[@jlolson53]

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I'd love to believe that. :) That's how I would feel if I were an agent. Yet I can't imagine many agents being candid about that - and there are so many reasons an agent might reject a query or manuscript that you would never know unless they were brutally honest. Thanks, Michelle.

[@Gaywatch]

It's not characters an agent will disqualify, it's the author. There's a difference between a well written character disagreeing with an aspect of 'wokeness' and an author putting their ignorance/bigotry on display and then wondering why some people don't want to work with them. But even then those authors still have plenty of agents to choose from.

[@jlolson53]

@@Gaywatch "Ignorance/bigotry" could be an eye of the beholder kind of deal. After all, don't most people believe that those who disagree with them on certain issues (e.g., gender and political-related issues) are ignorant and bigoted? How can you tell when a character is a "sock puppet" for the author or is actually a character with his or her own (perhaps severely biased) opinions? I'm not saying you can't make a distinction - after all, clearly, some authors use their characters and stories to preach - but sometimes that distinction has to be rather difficult. A liberal friend of mine is having a LOT of issues, for instance, with my FULL IMMERSION series, which features a character who's strongly opposed to wokeness and the current authority narrative on Covid. He has asked me how much of what my character says I believe. I answer: "Some." I have been asking myself of late if I am in fact "preachifying." which I consider to be a cardinal sin. The only obvious solution I see is to avoid writing about political issues...(which I usually do).

[@jylietmaddyzpires2442]

@@jlolson53 In this instance, I can tell that your character is a "sock puppet" because you just said they are. If you sympathize (even "some") with being "strongly opposed to wokeness" (which is a ridiculous way to phrase what you're talking about) and questioning science on a fundamental level, then there's no way for you to have a character defined by that that isn't in some way trying to either a) gather readers with those same beliefs or b) convert others to those beliefs. Beyond the beliefs of the character, I understand why your friend might have some issues. It's off-putting to realize that your author friend feels save espousing hateful political beliefs when they have the veneer of fiction to hide behind.

[@transformationgeneration]

Her synopsis blurb at about 3:49 list everything Stephen King uses at least once in every book LOL. And I agree with her, these things are not good.

[@jetizabellathurmann2191]

I have for many years written poems and people tell me my poems are like Rumi poems- although I didnt know Rumi when I started writting. I would like to find a literary agent who are interested in selling my poems to a publisher. I call my writting "now a days Rumi poems". I would be very greatful to you-if you can help me finding such an agent?

[@stormlantern1274]

Gatekeepers demand you stroke their ego to the point of nonsense. If you don't, manuscript ends up in file 13.

[@DalCecilRuno]

Michelle, I am writing the book I want to write and read, but it is SO not marketable, I am not capable of believing you in that part of the video. I'm having a hard time believing that people rejecting my thing is for something other than this isn't marketable.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

I understand! But I tend to think that if this is a story YOU want to read, then surely it is a story others will want to read, even if it's a very small, niche audience. There are some books (and movies and shows) out there that sound like complete and utter nonsense to me, but they're out there, and they have a fan base! I mean, obviously not everything is going to sell but I do think finding the right and most timely angle on the pitch can greatly improve your chances.

[@DannyBoy443]

This is all solid advice, good actually. But I don't agree w/ the trends advice. If you already write the story and it has nothing to do w/ a current trend, at all, then how are you going to pitch it w/ a trend in mind? lol.

[@doctor7752]

Bruh there's really people stupid enough for "don't send agents stories that aren't in their genre" to actually be a big, widespread piece of advice, smh.

[@jeffmcmahon3278]

Can somebody please tell what this word 'gotten' means? Does it mean one has 'acquired', obtained', 'developed', 'received' ...? If so, why not use that appropriate word? After all, we are supposed to be writers.

[@MichelleSchustermanAuthor]

It's the past participle of 'get'! www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gotten

[@AlohaTrev]

I dunno. This all seems super obvious, but still doesn’t matter. Agents are humans and most humans are bad at nearly everything they do.

[@chriselwell8269]

Because they are from a male author.

[@blackdevilb]

She looks like woke nightmare. Kinda explains a lot