Writer's Resource: QueryTracker's Query Timeline

I wax rhapsodic about QueryTracker.net every so often, and it's time for another installment. I'm just starting a round of queries, so I'm visiting often to mark the agents I've found who might be good fits for my manuscript. There's a new feature for QueryTracker Premium subscribers that I'm finding really useful, so I thought I'd highlight it here!

At a glance, the query timeline tells you where an agent is in their query queue, as well as other information like how much they're requesting or rejecting and the length of time between the submission and the response. Although not everyone marks their queries in QueryTracker (obviously), it still provides a good snapshot of what you can expect.

Here's an example of an agent who has been extremely timely about replying to queries in the past 30 days. The red frowny faces are rejections, but the short length of the line indicates that at least they're quick rejections:

And here's someone who I wouldn't expect to hear from for a while:

This timeline, on the other hand, shows me at a glance that this agent is a quick responder and is actively requesting material (the smiley green faces). She's moving up in my queue!

While some might feel that this level of detail is a little too obsessive, I find that it actually helps me stop obsessing. Instead of wondering why I haven't heard back from someone who seemed to be such a good fit for my manuscript, I can see at a glance that the agent is a month behind on queries and stop worrying about it.

The query timeline is a feature only available to Premium members, but like I've said before, QT Premium membership is inexpensive—only $25 a year—and totally worth it for querying writers. You can find out about the rest of the Premium features here. No affiliation, just a happy customer!

Writer's Resource: Manuscript Wish List

Are you a querying (or soon to be querying) writer? If you've started compiling your agent query list (with QueryTracker, I hope), you know that matching your manuscript with the agents who are most likely to love it isn't for the faint of heart. I used to rely mainly on several blogs that would do detailed agent profiles, but my favorites haven't been updated in a while and the information is somewhat stale. This is a big deal, since what agents were looking for two years or even six months ago is probably not what they're looking for right now.

Luckily, I found a truly excellent resource to replace those blogs! Manuscript Wish List is the brainchild of agent Jessica Sinsheimer and writer KK Hendin. They took the idea of the #MSWL hashtag on Twitter (where agents and editors tweet things they wish they were seeing in their inbox) and expanded it to a whole website. While the tweets were limited to 140 characters (135, counting the hashtag), this site has whole paragraphs describing their wants in detail.

One of the best things about the site is its HUGE list of tags. Scroll down to the bottom of any page to see the list of tags that have been used on the posts. They are very specific and extremely helpful. For example, you'll find tags for "strong female protagonist," "steamy romance," and "difficult issues." There are also tags for comparable books, so you can even search for a similar type of story.

I found over a dozen agents that wouldn't have been on my list otherwise by using this site. I highly recommend it!

Writing Lessons from Knitting

The QueryTracker blog had this neat post a few weeks ago comparing writing to knitting. As you may or may not know, I design and sell knitting patterns when I'm not writing, so this was right up my alley!

Sarah Pinneo, the author, makes the point that knitted sweaters begin by looking terrible, just like first drafts. I totally agree. Most of my knitted projects look like this when they're first started:

But I would even take it a step further. Yes, the sweater starts to look like an actual sweater once you're up to the sleeves. Yes, people stop asking you if you're making mittens for giants. If you're lucky, people even stop telling you sweaters can be bought at Wal-Mart for fifteen dollars, in a tone of voice that clearly says they are wondering why you do not know this already.

But the truth is, until you finish the whole thing, sew in the ends, soak it in water, and pat it into shape to dry, it looks pretty much like crap.

See where I'm going with this?

Yep, I'm harping on about revision again. The importance of revising your work can't be overstated (especially in the aftermath of NaNoWriMo!). I have been going through old manuscripts recently, and realizing each one should have been put aside and revised several more times before I sent it out. The draft needs to be patted into shape just like the sweater does.

When I design sweaters, there's a lot of revision involved. Sometimes my basic concept doesn't work at all. Sometimes I have to take out parts of the design and completely redo them--and it's just as painful as  highlighting that chapter or scene and hitting delete.

BUT... the product is always better, just like it is with knitting. The end goal is what's important. I always want to send my manuscript out right NOW, but I'm going to take a cue from my knitting design and remind myself that no one wants to see my lumpy, misshapen, fresh-off-the-needles draft. It's worth the time to make it as good as I know it can be.

Writer's Resource: QueryTracker Premium

QueryTracker.net is one of the best web resources available to querying writers. The basic membership (free!) allows a user to search their extensive agent database by dozens of criteria, make a list of agents to query with private notes, and keep track of responses and material submissions.


But if that's not enough for you, I highly recommend checking out QueryTracker's paid upgrade option, QueryTracker Premium. For a seriously cheap $25 a year, members get the following benefits:

• The ability to track queries for multiple projects.
• A whole bunch of premium reports, like a list of which agents are the fastest responders or the ones queriers have marked as most helpful in their responses.
• Ability to add a private listing for agents who aren't in the QT database (rare, but it happens).
• Access to raw data about each agent's activity gathered from QT users. This one is AWESOME. You can see a list of the QT users who've queried each agent, which date they queried, when and if they've gotten a response, and what that response was. I've been using this feature a lot recently!

And in researching this post, I came across several other features of QueryTracker Premium I didn't even know about. Color me surprised! I'll be checking these out immediately:

• Access to "Similar Tastes" reports--this apparently will allow me to select an agent who requested my manuscript and then get a list of agents who tend to request the same material as that one. Sounds like I might find a few more to add to my query list this way.
• The ability to receive emails when a new agent or publisher is added to the database.

I have no professional affiliation with QueryTracker--but you can count me as a satisfied user!