Maeve
asked
Rebecca Ross:
Hi Rebecca! I wanted to start off by saying that I absolutely love your books and can't wait to dive into A FIRE ENDLESS (and DIVINE RIVALS!). They've been so inspirational to me as a writer/aspiring author. As for my first question: do you have any advice for someone about to leap into the query trenches? And secondly, will you ever write another TQR book? I would love one about Isolde and Sean, especially!
Rebecca Ross
Hi Maeve,
Thank you so much! I'm so honored to hear how much my books have inspired you. <3 To answer your question about another TQR book...sadly, no, I don't have any plans to expand the world. This decision was ultimately made by my publisher, and they only wanted 2 books in the series. But I love your idea about a story for Isolde and for Sean. That would certainly be fun to write!
Ah, the query trenches! It's both exciting and nerve-wracking to send out queries. Sometimes (okay, very often) it can even feel soul crushing, especially when rejections happen. Things have changed a bit since I was in the query trenches (2015) due to the pandemic, but I still vividly remember how anxious I was throughout the months that I was querying.
I think my best piece of advice would be to first of all make sure you are taking care of yourself. It's going to be an anxious and taxing season, and whatever you can do to prioritize self care is important. I did not do a good job of this and it about wore me down, so please do make sure you are taking care of yourself.
Once you have your agent list compiled and your query perfected, send them out in small batches. I recommend this because if there is something off about your query, or it's just not hitting right and you are not receiving any requests for your full manuscript, you have time to edit and revise the query before you send out your next batch. You only have one shot to impress an agent, and you want to ensure your query is perfect. So definitely start by emailing in batches (I sent out three queries to begin with and prepared my next set while waiting for responses).
Also make sure you are adhering to an agent's guidelines when you submit, such as if they want the first five pages included, or the first ten pages, what needs to be in the subject line of the email, etc. It can be an easy thing to overlook, but if you take care to follow them correctly, an agent will certainly appreciate it.
The other thing I did while querying was begin working on a new book. I found this very helpful, because it gave me something to do to help distract me from the wait, but I also knew that if none of the queries for The Queen's Rising were successful, I had another book in the works that I could query next. (That book, by the way, was completed and has not seen the light of day since, and I'm not sure if it will ever be published, but it was a joy to write and I needed it in that season).
One thing I've heard about querying post COVID is that response times are much, much slower. So please don't let it get you down or discouraged if it takes months to hear back from an agent.
Good luck as you start on your journey, and know that I am rooting for you and your manuscript!
xxR
Thank you so much! I'm so honored to hear how much my books have inspired you. <3 To answer your question about another TQR book...sadly, no, I don't have any plans to expand the world. This decision was ultimately made by my publisher, and they only wanted 2 books in the series. But I love your idea about a story for Isolde and for Sean. That would certainly be fun to write!
Ah, the query trenches! It's both exciting and nerve-wracking to send out queries. Sometimes (okay, very often) it can even feel soul crushing, especially when rejections happen. Things have changed a bit since I was in the query trenches (2015) due to the pandemic, but I still vividly remember how anxious I was throughout the months that I was querying.
I think my best piece of advice would be to first of all make sure you are taking care of yourself. It's going to be an anxious and taxing season, and whatever you can do to prioritize self care is important. I did not do a good job of this and it about wore me down, so please do make sure you are taking care of yourself.
Once you have your agent list compiled and your query perfected, send them out in small batches. I recommend this because if there is something off about your query, or it's just not hitting right and you are not receiving any requests for your full manuscript, you have time to edit and revise the query before you send out your next batch. You only have one shot to impress an agent, and you want to ensure your query is perfect. So definitely start by emailing in batches (I sent out three queries to begin with and prepared my next set while waiting for responses).
Also make sure you are adhering to an agent's guidelines when you submit, such as if they want the first five pages included, or the first ten pages, what needs to be in the subject line of the email, etc. It can be an easy thing to overlook, but if you take care to follow them correctly, an agent will certainly appreciate it.
The other thing I did while querying was begin working on a new book. I found this very helpful, because it gave me something to do to help distract me from the wait, but I also knew that if none of the queries for The Queen's Rising were successful, I had another book in the works that I could query next. (That book, by the way, was completed and has not seen the light of day since, and I'm not sure if it will ever be published, but it was a joy to write and I needed it in that season).
One thing I've heard about querying post COVID is that response times are much, much slower. So please don't let it get you down or discouraged if it takes months to hear back from an agent.
Good luck as you start on your journey, and know that I am rooting for you and your manuscript!
xxR
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