Query Package Refresh

I think transparency is good (and refreshing) in this industry, so this is my attempt at being as transparent as possible. I have some things to celebrate, and a few more things to commiserate over regarding the success of my querying journey.

First, I got my FIRST FULL REQUEST. This is my first full request - SEE ALL EVIL is my second queried manuscript. The first, of course, was a YA fantasy series that I wrote in high school. I did have a glass of sparkling wine to celebrate this milestone.

I also got a partial request, yay! But all of my success is due to pitch events. A mood board and a character-limited pitch earned me my only partial/full requests. I realized, after receiving only rejections from cold querying, that this was an indication that my query package did not sparkle as my pitch did.

I took most of April to revise my query package for SEE ALL EVIL, spending some of my hard-earned cash on a literary agent's expert opinion. I love the revisions she helped me develop. The major theme: what motivates my characters to take these actions? It really helped me pull the best out of my story.

This week, I sent a fresh round of queries into the void. I keep trying to remind myself that it is a numbers game, a luck contest, but I really hope, at least, that my new query package can earn me some requests.

And, no news is good news - waiting for responses to the partial and full requests as well!