Querying: The Nine Circles of Hell Part 1

Querying: The Nine Circles of Hell Part 1

by Raquel Garcia 

Warning: This is a Metaphor heavy post, and I will mix them up.

Some of you might have seen my Instagram post about beginning my journey into the dark waters of querying.

This post is meant to explain what I am learning, how I am coping, and take full advantage of your critique.

The First Circle of Hell: research. There are so many posts out there about how to find agents, how to keep detailed lists, and how to conduct intense research. The problem is, they don’t do it for you. So, you just have to roll up your sleeves and do it. Just reading posts on how to do it will not magically get it done.

Hours, and hundreds of Dr. Google consultations, I compiled a list of agents, making sure that I capture submission email address, agency name, submission guidelines, the date I sent it, response, and date I created a draft.

I went a step further and created a Google Doc for each of the agents, where I would draft my query making sure I address any specific requirements. This helped me have all the information in the same place instead of going back and forth between, spreadsheet, and document.

Of course from the eight agents I chose to initially query, none of them had the same submission guidelines. They all had different requirements: some wanted a synopsis, some did not, some wanted to be emailed, some wanted an online form filled out, some required a separate author bio, some wanted to know why you were choosing the agency, not the agent. Some wanted a one-sentence summary; some wanted a full summary, some wanted 1250 words only, some wanted the first chapter, some the first three.

Moral of that rant is read carefully and take copious notes!

I am impatient. Writing, editing, revising, beta readers, and now querying have all been an exercise in self-restraint. I have baked one chocolate cake and one batch of Oreo brownies to cope and eaten most them by myself in the dark.  

The Second Circle of Hell: drafting materials. Since there are so many requirements for each specific agent, it is impossible just to have one template for everything. But the one thing that they all did have in common was a query email. After my exhausting research, and analysis of materials. I found that the Writer’s Digest series of successful query letters was that most helpful, along with this guest post.

A list of things I have drafted: author bio, synopsis, query letter, query book description. 

The Third Circle of Hell: author bio. If you are a new author, who has never attempted to get published, writing author bio is excruciating. I think I am cool and have accomplished things, but will literary agents think I am cool enough? 

The big elephant in the room, however, is lack of publications. I have never tried to get anything published before. Impostor syndrome is real. I persevered and came up with this: 

"Raquel Garcia is a Mexican born writer and storyteller. She lives in the beautiful city of Chicago, has a Master’s in Education, and worked as a Chicago Public School teacher for seven years. Raquel has performed in several theaters throughout Chicago, and once booked a commercial for which she still receives royalties. When she is not cashing in her royalty checks (which is often), you can find her writing or outlining her next project. Visit her at Write Raquel or follow her on Instagram @write.raquel."

The Fourth Circle of Hell: the synopsis. Writing the synopsis reminded me of elementary school and the dreaded five-paragraph essay (I was good at those!). This draft is the one I am entirely unsure of. The most challenging part is leaving out so many of the characters.

Everything I have read, says that you should concentrate on the main character, and try to minimize the characters you describe so as not to confuse. But there is one character who is crucial to the story and my favorite, but I don't mention him at all!! 

This has been the most painful hell circle yet. Maybe I should have made this number nine? 

Send me a note if you are willing to take pity on me and want to review the synopsis or be a beta reader. 

Pity Note

I will be back next Thursday, with an update on the other 5 Circles of Hell!

Thanks for reading,

Raquel Garcia