How Writers Get Agents in 2026 (What Actually Works)
With Publishing Experts Jane Friedman, Karin Gillespie & Erin C. Niumata
Hello friends,
Welcome to your very first one-shot workshop! These workshops will come a variety of packages, including a new series called Tell Us Something We Don’t Know — where we source a panel of experts and ask them questions about whatever the heck. Today, the heck is querying.
The Experts:
Jane Friedman — Publishing strategist with expertise regularly featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and BBC & more
Karin Gillespie — 20+ years of multifaceted publishing experience as a Simon and Schuster published novelist, Substack bestseller, & more
Erin C. Niumata — Senior Vice President & literary agent at Folio Literary Management representing NYT Bestselling authors & more
The Takeaways:
What agents wish writers knew about querying
Where to start when looking for a literary agent/sending out queries
The best way to pitch your story in a query
How to prove you understand your book’s market/audience
How to stand out
When (and how) you should break the “rules”
Querying red flags to avoid
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What agents wish writers knew about querying
Erin C. Niumata: I want to start by stating literary agents are not scary people sitting at their desks waiting to crush your dreams. We’re here looking for you just as much as you are looking for us.
While this is a business and we do pass on more projects that we take on, that is actually a good thing. You want to have an agent who is as excited about your project as you are. If an agent doesn’t represent your type of book or doesn’t think that they’d be a good fit for it for whatever reason, then they will pass on it. That’s just an indication you haven’t found the right person yet.
You have to have a thick skin if you want to be in this business because agents and editors will reject your work, readers will criticize your work, and you won’t make everybody happy. That’s the downside. The good side is when you do find the right representation, they can champion your work and get it in front of the right editors and imprints to reach your fans, your people.
I know it’s a process to find the right agent for most. You simply have to stick with it and not take every pass as a personal failure. Most of the time it’s not even a reflection on you, it’s just you approached the wrong agent. You do not, I repeat, DO NOT want the wrong agent.
As for agents, believe me — it’s not a good feeling to reject people’s work. This is especially true when they haven’t done their homework and sent me something that I have no business representing or even considering. It’s even harder when it’s close but not quite right. I know you’ve heard this before but I’m going to say it again: Do the work!
Where to start when looking for a literary agent/sending out queries
Do your research:
Erin: Research the agents. Know if you are targeting the right people by looking up each individual agent, read their wish lists, read their Substacks, follow on social media and listen to any podcasts, etc. KNOW their lists and wants/dislikes. The fastest way to a no is to send me something I don’t represent.
Most importantly, do not go around their submission process and try to contact them through social media or other avenues to say “You’re the dream agent for me, please read this.” You’re not doing yourself any favors, believe me. If an agent is closed for submissions, it’s because they don’t have the bandwidth to take on anyone new, or they haven’t finished going through the last round of submissions and are bogged down or overwhelmed. Or it could be another reason, but whatever the case may be, closed is closed and going around that closed sign is usually not a good idea.
Follow the guidelines:
Erin: Do your homework and follow their guidelines to the letter. If we ask for the first three chapters then send only the first three chapters, not the first five because you think they are very important. There is a method to our madness and a reason why we request a certain number of pages.
Personally, I request a full synopsis and the first three chapters. The synopsis lets me know what the story is about and if it is of interest to me. The three chapters let me know if you can write and if they are engaging enough to make me request more.
While I’m reading all of this I am thinking of imprints and editors that might like this, can I be of editorial use, as well am I a good fit to work with the material and get it out to market. There is a lot to consider in this package that leads to my decision.
Get right to the point:
Karin Gillespie: Authors are understandably swimming in unfamiliar waters with query letters but no need to reveal that in your letter. Avoid starting a letter with, “I’m seeking representation for my manuscript.” It marks you as a beginner; agents know why you’re writing them. Expediency is always the rule when it comes to queries. Agents read so many letters that unnecessary verbiage detracts from your message.
Personalize your query to each agent:
Karin: As for personalization, it’s best if it’s specific to only that agent and doesn’t seem too generic like, “I see you rep cozy mysteries.” Instead, say something like, “I enjoyed reading your client’s novel, Bad to the Bone, and my manuscript also features a morally grey character.”
Erin: A major turn-off is impersonal emails addressed to 100 agents all cc’d on the same email. That’s the fastest no for me:
The impersonal approach with zero research.
I accept submissions only via QM and they ignored it.
It’s a lazy, “throw-everything-at-the-wall” approach which I don’t care for at all.
The best way to pitch your story in a query
Spark interest and hook the reader:
Erin: One thing I wish more writers understood is a query letter isn’t meant to summarize the entire plot, it’s a sales pitch. The goal is to spark interest, not explain every twist. A great query highlights what makes the story unique, who the protagonist is, and what’s at stake. When agents read queries, we’re looking for clarity, confidence, and a strong hook, not a mini-synopsis. That’s why I request the full synopsis separately.
Start with a one-sentence pitch:
Karin: Something I see missing from most query letters is a one-sentence pitch, which should come right after personalization. It’s possibly the most important part of a query letter, and many agents who use Query Manager require it.
The one sentence pitch is the DNA of your story and should include as many of the following elements as possible: the protagonist’s flaw and desire, the inciting incident (the event that prompts the protagonists to act), the obstacles the character faces, and the stakes if they don’t get what they want.
Example for The Wizard of Oz:
A restless (flaw) young woman gets swept up in a tornado (inciting incident) that carries her to a fantastical world and, in order to return home (desire) she must battle a powerful witch (obstacle) who’s out to destroy her. (stakes)
Note that proper names like Dorothy or Oz aren’t used in the pitch. Sometimes the one sentence pitch can be a little unwieldy, but that’s okay because its purpose is to demonstrate that your novel contains vital story telling elements. If you want to see examples of how agents pitch to editors, you can subscribe to Publishers Marketplace and read the one-sentence pitches in the book deal section.
Make your story easy to visualize:
Karin: The queries that get the most requests are those with high-concept pitches: Here’s an example of a recent high-concept pitch from Publishers Marketplace:
MOST ARDENTLY YOURS following a woman who, after accidentally summoning the real Mr. Darcy from a stolen copy of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, must find a way to send him back to the pages of her favorite book with the help of a romance-skeptic bookseller.
Did you find yourself nodding along and imagining the story in your head? The time difference and culture conflicts? Darcy getting on her nerves? That’s what makes a premise high concept. The scenario unfolds in our minds, and the premise is easy to communicate
Also, note the clever title. Authors tend to get lazy with titles and that’s a mistake. A strong title can add to the saleability of a novel. It pays to put thought and creativity into it.
Be as specific as possible:
Karin: A mistake I see often in queries is the use of generalities like characters fighting inner demons, emotional journeys, or long buried generational secrets. Always be as specific as possible. Sometimes you also have to reveal the twist to the agent. Many times, I’ve read about “a deep dark secret” that needed to be revealed for the query to be compelling.
How to prove you understand your book’s market/audience
Know your genre:
Karin: When you’re querying, if possible, use a subgenre instead of a genre. For example, don’t just say “horror”, say “folk horror” or “slasher”.
It’s also essential that you know the tropes and slang of your subgenre. For instance, billionaire romance often has shadow daddies or an age-gap MMC (male main character). You want to get as specific about tropes as possible.
Example: My manuscript is a golden retriever and black cat story with forced proximity.
Use the right kind of comps:
Karin: Writers tend to be confused about comps (titles similar to your own) because there are two different kinds.
First, there are comps that indicate the vibe of a manuscript, and for these you can use mash-ups, poems, songs, movies or TV shows.
Examples:
Taylor Swift meets The Haunting of Hill House
If Stephen King wrote a rom-com
Succession in the tech world
Second, sales comps are more limited and should only include titles similar to yours that have been published within the last five years and aren’t outliers like The Wedding People or Where the Crawdads Sing.
(Outliers are fine for vibe comps, however. Example: The Wedding People but at a Bat Mitzvah.)
The right sales comps can indicate that your title is marketable, but they also show that you’re familiar with competitive titles in your genre.
Be aware of current industry trends:
Karin: I study trends extensively, and while you shouldn’t write to them, I can tell you what many agents are looking for right now:
horror of any kind
western and dark romances
cozy fantasies
anything with a speculative element
genre blends like romance plus horror
literary plus mystery
gothic plus historical
and anything trending on BookTok, like dark academia
When a TV show becomes popular, it can also kick off trends in fiction. For instance, Fleabag, in part, inspired a new genre called weird girl fiction that’s about troubled young women negotiating adulthood. Similarly, I’ve noticed many “White Lotus” inspired novels selling.
Pitches in the zeitgeist also tend to get requests. For instance, when tradwife influencers became part of our culture, editors scooped up novels that addressed the trend.
I’m also seeing more deals with successful, self-published authors and writers who have some sort of platform, particularly in the areas of new adult and romance. I suspect that will increase.
Some genres that are hard sells right now are contemporary and historical romances, WWII fiction, cozy mysteries and family-oriented women’s fiction.
How to make your query stand out
Karin: As an author, it’s important for you to demonstrate to an agent that your book is saleable. Solid comps, a compelling and ironic pitch, pitch decks and taglines all help you in that goal.
A snappy tagline:
Karin: Taglines go just before the description to lure the reader in.
Some examples:
The Hunger Games: “Winning will make you famous. Losing means certain death.”
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: “Half boy. Half god. All hero.”
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret: “Growing up is tough. Period.”
A sense of irony:
Karin: Another element that elevates a pitch is irony. Note this recent pitch from Publishers Marketplace:
When a feminist writer starts living life according to a 1960s anti-feminist guidebook, she’s shocked to find her life improves…until she discovers that her experiment in submission is anything but under her control.
Obviously, irony begins at the idea stage. To add irony while you’re brainstorming premises, you could start either with the situation or main character. For instance, suppose you create a situation where it’s impossible for your main character to lie. What character would be most ironic in that situation? Someone who has to lie for his job like the attorney character in Liar, Liar.
Or suppose you have a grumpy character. To be ironic, you want to put that character in a situation which requires him to be perpetually cheerful. Maybe he’s forced to take a job as a Walmart greeter.
A pitch deck:
Karin: I’m also seeing more authors creating pitch decks for their novels to share with agents. Pitch decks are visual representations of your novel’s vibes, tropes, and possible cover concepts. You can create one fairly easily with a tool like Canva.
A succinct (and relevant) bio:
Karin: Authors tend to get chatty in their bios, including something like, “When I’m not writing, I’m chasing two toddlers and breeding toy poodles.”
I understand the inclination to fill out a skimpy bio, but agents see through that. Also avoid identifying yourself as a debut novelist. That will be obvious from your bio.
Appropriate bio items include anything to do with writing (prizes, publications and professional memberships), your platform (10,000 followers on Instagram or president of an online book club with 5,000 members), and any background that’s relevant to your manuscript. For example, you’re a lawyer who has written a legal thriller.
When (and how) to break the “rules”
Show your confidence:
Jane Friedman: The dating analogy is used a lot with querying, for good reason: you want to leave the other person eager for more, not overwhelmed and eager to escape. So many queries become overwrought because writers contort themselves when trying to adhere to all the conflicting rules they hear from a bunch of advice givers like myself. But every agent knows you can break the rules of query writing and still have a successful query. Having confidence means achieving self-awareness of your own work and hopefully where it fits in the market. It also means you can probably mention any flaws or weaknesses in a way that’s helpful or humorous rather than depressing or overly self-critical.
I’m not saying you should be that annoying person who thinks they’re the exception to the rule. I do suggest writers follow submission guidelines and understand best practices. But assuming you’re fulfilling the key functions of a query, many writers would do better to loosen up. Agents and publishers can forgive a multitude of sins if they perceive a writer on the other end who they’d like to know better. It means that even if your queried project isn’t right for them, they might still open up a conversation with you or refer you to a colleague who’s a better fit.
Show your voice:
Erin: As I mentioned before, the unbreakable rule is simple: Follow the submission guidelines. They exist for a reason, and ignoring them sends the wrong signal right away. That said, not all rules are sacred. If your book is humorous, it’s fine for your query to show that voice. If you have an unconventional structure, a small rule-bend might help demonstrate why. The key is intention; break a rule because it serves the pitch, not because you didn’t know better. Those rule-bends need to be ‘special’ and purposeful, however!
Avoid these querying red flags
Starting on the defensive:
Jane: I meet some writers who’ve been beaten down so hard by rejection over the years that their queries are full of defiance and barely veiled trauma. They sometimes go down a list of things their book is not, or try to emphasize how this story is in fact unique, and that this isn’t yet another one of those stories. Agents and publishers can sense when you’re trying to get out from under snap judgments and unfair assumptions. But trying to convince an agent or publisher I swear this doesn’t apply to me unfortunately only makes them more convinced that it does apply to you.
These six querying sins:
Erin: Instant turn offs: Arrogance (“This will be the next Harry Potter”) and desperation (“I’ll do anything to be published”) or claims that the book will “appeal to everyone”.
A lack of polish, overlong summaries, and poor grammar are also on the red flag list.
Impatience and unprofessionalism:
Erin: Following up a day or two after sending a submission is never a good idea. It will raise a red flag (literally in Query Manager you can tag with flags of many colors). Patience is key and good communication is appreciated and noted.
Another major turn off is to contact me on social media to let me know you’ve submitted to me in Query Manager. I will get to it, I promise, I don’t need a heads up. That screams high maintenance and impatience. It happens more often than I care to admit.
Many writers underestimate how much the query process reflects their approach to collaboration. A concise, polite, well-researched query tells us this author is serious about their career. Publishing is a long relationship; agents are drawn to writers who seem easy to work with and who understand that this is a business as much as it is an art.
Final words of querying wisdom
Show agents who you are!
Jane: I’ve been reading and offering advice on queries for about 20 years now, and the longer I’m in the business the more I think the differentiating factor is confidence. And that is exceedingly difficult or impossible to teach. Ideally, your query will showcase your charming, ineffable self, and a voice and a personality and a person who publishing professionals will enjoy working with. Unfortunately, writers’ fears and anxieties about querying can undermine that. It drives queries to be too long, too detailed, too weird, or even too self-serious.
Start early!
Karin: One final suggestion: To save time and disappointment, consider writing your query letter at the idea stage. Query letters quickly expose a weak premise or one that’s difficult to pitch.
Tick all the boxes!
Erin: What makes a query an instant yes? A strong hook delivered in one line. When the premise is clear and compelling, when the voice shines, and when the writer clearly understands their market. This is swoon worthy. That’s the kind of query that makes me click request immediately. I love these queries!
Ask an Expert
If you have a querying question our publishing experts didn’t answer, leave a comment below and they’ll be checking in over the next few days to give you some personalised advice:
More querying, publishing & novel writing resources:
Jane Friedman discusses fiction queries here and nonfiction queries here.
Erin C. Niumata has written an entire series on querying on her Substack here.
Karin Gillespie tracks and analyses publishing trends at Pitch Your Novel
Plus these gems from our Publishing & Career workshop catalogue:
Super helpful. Thank you!
Wow really appreciate it!
Could you perhaps give an example of a query letter, just to get an idea? The premise could be ridiculous like robots fighting dinosaurs, but just to have a rough thought of what they look like?