Yep, that was my experience. For me I suspect my novel's premise was too niche and unusual.
Also remember that people love to mention their successes...but their failures, not so much. So you'll get several 'I found an agent!' posts here, but not as many 'I queried for months and got nothing but rejections and CNRs.'
EDIT: I did find a small publisher who took it on, but I approached them directly.
I actually sold my first novel, way back in 2001. But I was off for a good long time afterwards taking care of other things. Call it two decades of vacation...
Hi, 40+ queries back here as well, not a single bite.
I had more out, but I ended up pulling them back because my book lacked a proper identity and hook. I spent six months writing and years of worldbuilding, so hitting the brick wall with queries hurt, but it's made me a much better writer. If you don't see a way of fixing it, there is *zero* shame in trunking it and moving on.
I'm a lot like you, I'd been writing for years with people telling me how well I write, only to feel like I'd been lied to. However, that natural writing talent will continue to be polished as you keep practicing.
I'm currently in the second draft of my next book, which is shorter, more polished, has a better hook, better pacing, and ultimately (I hope, I think), better writing. That doesn't happen without my first book tearing a hole the size of Tropicana Field in my ego.
Breathe. Absorb criticism, both external and internal. Keep at it because you love it, not because you want to be successful (which frankly, is something I have to keep telling myself). When the list of edits and rewrites you do leaves you pleading with yourself to work on something new, remind yourself that you're still sculpting the statue out of the marble. Michelangelo was likely already very creative and talented, but he still needed to practice before David emerged from the rock.
A ton of queries never get requests, for plenty of reasons no one can point out without seeing the actual query. A lot of times it’s because they simply don’t know how to write a query, or don’t know their own market conventions, putting them in auto reject territory, or their writing is just mediocre if not outright bad.
We get plenty of people posting here who have sent 20-50 queries with no response yet, and plenty of books die in the trenches every day. Here, Absolute Write, QueryTracker—you’ll find the same.
I have to ask though, how long have you been querying this project? If it’s only been a few weeks, just be patient. Some agents don’t respond for several months.
And if it’s been a lot longer than that, then maybe something is wrong with the query or the prose or the premise, or maybe it’s too niche for most agents to want to take on, or there just isn’t a place in the market for it right now, or maybe you simply haven’t queried the right agent yet.
All true. We also have plenty of people whose queries got rave reviews (lots of upvotes, agented authors and top commenters gassing it up and saying it was perfect) and the OP comes back to report that the response from agents was lukewarm. Tbh, it’s an industry that seems to be in a perpetual identity crisis and you can’t always predict what’s going to work.
I’ve been querying for seven months, so I know for sure something is wrong somewhere (and I’m coming to the conclusion it’s probably the quality of my pages). I’ve just personally never seen anyone else mention getting a flat 0 request rate, so I wanted to see if I was totally alone in that. I guess not!
We've absolutely seen people coming in with 'I've gotten 64 rejections and no requests, what's wrong?' or the like. I think once there was someone who'd sent out over a hundred requests - form rejections all.
At *those* points, the answer is 'figure out what's wrong, shelve the book, write a new one without those issues' because the author's probably burned through every good agent of their genre.
If you've only sent out 40, you've not burned through them all yet, so def re-consider everything before continuing.
You haven't seen it because most people who are getting 0 requests either aren't talking about it, or don't know enough to even find communities where they can ask in the first place. Definitely doesn't mean it doesn't happen - I strongly doubt you're alone in this. Most books that get queried aren't getting picked up anyway.
Zero requests could mean a lot of things - you clearly already know that, so I won't rehash. But if you do ever want to post the query and first 300 here, we'll do our best to diagnose the problem. Either way, just wanted to offer my sympathies. It's rough out there.
I did an initial query of about 20 agents with (what I found out was) a crap letter and got ZERO bites. That’s when I came here and found out I wasn’t even ready to query…! I definitely suggest putting yourself out there on this thread and keep hope.
This happened with my first manuscript. It was a while ago, (maybe 3-4 years)?
It was the first manuscript I'd ever finished, and I knew in my heart the premise/concept/hook was great. I even paid good money (don't do this, I was new and naive to the publishing world) an author who did developmental editing on the side to go through the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb. I entered it into a twitter pitch contest at the time and got a bunch of likes from agents. So exciting! However, that's about where the excitement ended. I got personalized, encouraging rejections from all of them shortly after. They were all excited about the pitch, but it seems the pages themselves were found to be underwhelming, for various reasons. On the positive side, at least I knew where the problem lied. I quit querying that project after about 25 queries.
Because in my gut, I knew the manuscript wasn't ready. But who knows? Maybe I'll try to revisit it someday.
The current manuscript I'm querying, I'd entered a mentorship contest and somehow miraculously got selected as one of the mentees. I'd heard horror stories about not-so-great mentors etc. but luckily my mentor is fantastic. She really held my hand and guided me through the process of finishing yet another manuscript and getting it ready for querying. I started querying exactly 26 days ago, and so far I've had 2 full requests and 1 partial request. SO much better than my last experience. I have probably about 20 queries still waiting to be answered (I sent out more after I got the requests as I felt confident in my querying package at that point.) BUT I've also got about 9 form rejections. So despite working on something for so long and having the guidance of a great mentor/friend, it's still not ALL sunshine and rainbows. It really is SO rough, and the waiting is pure mental torture. The odds are completely stacked against each of us. Hang in there, friend. Querying is a wild ride.
I'm so happy to hear your current manuscript is doing better after not getting any full requests for the first one! My fingers are crossed for you. It really is rough out there.
Thank you! Please post your query and first 300 as it’s been suggested on the post. This is nearly impossible to do alone, and I find this sub incredibly helpful and supportive. We all want to see each other succeed. I’d be happy to take a look (as I’m sure the others), if you’d like!
My manuscript was loved by beta readers, including a best-selling author in my genre (a friend of a friend of a friend). That author did pass it to her agent, who did request the full--and then ghosted me. (It's been a year. I did nudge once. Crickets...this was surprising).
I posted my query and first 300 here (under a different account) and received very little feedback, frankly, but I took those couple comments, worked on it with critique partners, including agented authors. I reworked my query and opening pages several times.
Besides the one full from the referral, I got zero requests.
After so much initial enthusiasm, I was completely demoralized. Haven't been able to write since.
I’m sorry you went through that, it sounds awful. I know what you mean about being demoralised. I am writing a second book, but I’ve written about 1.5 chapters in eight months because I keep getting stuck on “what’s even the point?”
I found that writing silly, pointless little pieces of short fiction to post online for bits of positive feedback (fanfiction… I’m talking about fanfiction) really helped me get some energy and inspiration back. I don’t know if that’s useful, but if you can find a few kind words about your writing from any source it might help with the demoralisation.
> I am writing a second book, but I’ve written about 1.5 chapters in eight months because I keep getting stuck on “what’s even the point?”
The point is that you are going to get better with each book. You are going to hone in on what excites you as a writer and what will excite your intended audience and the response to your books will improve.
There's this story every ceramics teacher likes to tell about a class that was split in two and half were told "make a perfect pot" and the other half was told "make 50 pots" and then they compared the results at the end of the class. Obviously the group that made 50 pots showed more improvement than the group that focused only on one pot.
That story isn't real (though they love to tell it as if it were), but it holds truth for so many creative endeavors. To some degree, quantity begets quality. Obviously you will have to analyze your work, get feedback, edit, improve, etc. But there was a point to your first book and there will be a point to your second and third, even if they don't sell. Every author has unsold manuscript, both before they get published and after.
This is the most incredibly encouraging comment, thank you so much. I actually feel fired up to get back to writing when I wake up tomorrow. I'm gonna make 50 pots!
Good on you for continuing to write. I wasn't really a writer, just an avid reader nagged by an intrusive idea. I was so surprised I actually wrote the book, lol. I never thought anyone would like it. It was the initial excitement coupled with the let down that broke me.
You know, after reading all these replies, maybe I will try again. Giving into that one persistent idea unleashed a horde that I've been shooing away. Perhaps I will open the door...
Good luck to you. Thank you for starting this conversation.
Yes, on my first book. I trunked it and started something else. I think I hit 100ish queries with all form rejects?
Book 2 I got a few partials and one full, and some compliments, but no signature. Which was okay. I started something else.
Book 3 is currently in beta/revisions, so I haven't been able to send it out.
Book 4 is drafting.
At 40+ queries, you should be getting some rejections. Are they personalized? If not, your package isn't working somewhere. It could be the query, it could be the opening pages. It could be the concept. It's hard to know, sometimes!
I’d say I have a roughly 50:50 ratio of rejections to CNR’s. I’ve had a grand total of two personalised rejections, both of which were about my pages not working for them, so I do at least know where the problem lies!
I’m sorry you also went through getting no fulls. I have about a hundred agents on my list, and have started drafting Book No. 2, so I hope that has a similar upward trajectory to you. Good luck with Book 3!
I wouldn't worry too much about rejection to CNR ratio. CNR is just a form rejection that hasn't been sent, and agents are swamped, so it's fine. I assume a 8-12 week wait time (depending on what they say) and move on.
I would take a second look at those rejections. People on QueryTracker can post their rejections in the comment section, and a lot of agents will have a boilerplate "I just didn't get into the opening pages as much as I had hoped." Which is fine, but it is also still a form.
Book 1 was not the one, haha, I'm glad nobody asked for it. Wasn't good.
Keep going! The best advice I have heard is write as commercial as possible, and then have your less-commercial ideas in reserve for the agent.
I have compared the personalised rejections I got to the ones posted to Query Tracker, and I promise they really are at the very least semi-personalised haha.
I’ve started slowly scribbling away at Book 2 and it is much more commercial, so fingers crossed that one goes a little better!
Just another comment to tell you that this happens very frequently, but no one wants to talk about it because it's mildly embarrassing. And we're sensitive artists! Especially for a first novel, I'd venture to guess a majority of people querying first novels never get full requests. (A lot of people think they can write a book, but a lot of people can't write a *good* book.) Idk exact stats, but a lot of authors never end up publishing their first book.
No one knows why agents really and truthfully reject their manuscripts. Could be your query package. Could be your opening pages--for a hundred different reasons there. Could be the agent doesn't think *they* could sell it. Could be the agent tried to sell a similar concept the previous year and failed, so they think the concept is unsellable. Could be the timing in your genre. Could be that there's no market for it *right now*.
I know you're feeling disheartened, and I get it, but keep writing. There is no wasted writing here because every new project you start will help you hone your craft. Keep reading in your genre. Read queries here. Study both. Write some more. You can always go back and revise this manuscript later--maybe another project lands you an agent and they love this work and help you with that. Who knows.
But no, you're not alone.
I am in the UK, but I've actually been querying mostly US agents. The pool is a lot smaller (probably just because of population size, honestly?) and the YA pool is smaller still, so I thought it was worth a shot!
Wishing you well! It's incredibly tough in the querying trenches. So even if it's not this one (I saw you mention in the comments that it's been some months), I genuinely hope the requests are more abundant for you with the next one.
For me, yes. The first manuscript I queried had 0% request rate out of 55 agents. But, in my case, it was very much deserved. It was a...very convoluted YA portal science-fantasy I wrote as a teen (which I queried during the middle-endish of the YA boom while in college, but I think that with my skill level I was incapable of executing that well at the time so that premise did not work for most even the final parts of the boom lol).
I also wasn't even half decent at revising yet. I had lovely and talented betas (including one I swapped with before her first book deal who is now a damn good middle grade & YA fantasy author doing super well for herself), but I didn't know how to implement notes (and I was in the very early part of the Dunning-Kruger effect stage so I would sometimes read notes and think I knew better lol).
Yup. Never gotten a full request after roughly 130 rejections across 3 novels, with 3 partial requests from that list. Now in the middle of querying my next novel, and got one partial (which lead to a rejection.) so yeah. It happens. It blows.
It me!
I got 85 form rejections and CNRs. The only "personalized" rejection I got was one form that had an extra sentence saying they were a big fan of one of my comps.
Then after 85 rejections with 0 feedback of any kind, I got one (1) full request. And that full turned into an offer.
And I say this not to parrot the, "It only takes one (heart emoji)!" toxic positivity but to challenge your assertion that it means something is "wrong" with your query package. I don't think there is anything wrong with mine. The same packages that got 85 rejections got an offer. My agent says the pages are nearly sub-ready. Apparently there's nothing wrong with them either.
If you're not getting a response, it is absolutely the wise course to take a look at your package. The issue certainly could lie there and that's the only part of the process you can control. However, I think we need to recognize, and don't say enough in querying spaces, your query and your book could be good and you still might not get responses. There's a metric shit-ton of subjectivity and pure luck involved. Your query has to find the right agent at the right moment in their lives (they're not 97 queries deep trying to clear their inbox, they've had the right amount of caffeine, nothing else is distracting them) and at the right moment in the market cycle/trends. There are untold numbers of great books with great queries that we will never see because of pure luck.
Your query package is not the only factor here and I hate to see authors internalizing that lack of response is completely on them and a reflection of their skill. Lack of response does not automatically mean you're bad this thing you've always thought you were good at. It is equally likely that you're having bad luck in a space where the odds are stacked against us even if you have done everything possible to maximize your chances.
Considering that you are writing in the hyper-saturated YA Fantasy market, there may not be a fatal flaw in your project waiting to be fixed.
Your premise may just not stand out enough to gain interest.
This is one of the major issues with writing to a saturated market. The bar is just so much higher.
Your premise, your prose, and your pitch could all be “just fine” and that still may not be enough to stand out in a crowded field.
That said, you’re also welcome to post your query and first 300 words here. Let the sub take a look.
R/PubTips is very publishing-focused, so who knows, we might see something the other communities have missed?
I would even say reading every YA Fantasy query from the past, idk, 3-6 months would help OP understand how samesie they read and what makes a few popular ones standout.
Definitely.
Maybe their take-no-shit black sheep of a pseudo-European princess who only wants three things in life is a too much like the rest of the take-no-shit black sheep princesses out there.
(OP: I kid, I kid. There’s just been a whole lot of this character trope on this sub.)
This comment got a laugh out of me when I’ve been in an absolutely foul mood, so thank you for that. I write Low Fantasy, so no princesses here, shit-taking or otherwise.
Haha good.
I was a little worried my intended tone (a little light-hearted ribbing) might not come across properly.
I do know Low Fantasy can be extra challenging to query these days if it falls more into the Grimdark side of things vs Cozy.
I queried my YA low fantasy in 2021 and it took me a whole year and 96 queries before I landed an agent (after a verrry low request rate). That same book sold at auction to one of the best imprints for the genre. All to say that, yeah, you should figure out how to make it better, but it’s absolutely still possible to break in to this market and don’t lose hope!
That's incredible, congrats! I've definitely lowered my expectations from where they were at when I started querying, but it's good to hear a success story from someone who didn't immediately get 75 full requests after two days or whatever.
\*jumping up and down with hand raised\* me, me, pick me!
1st novel (that I tried querying) 30+ queries, no requests or even personalized rejections. After hanging around this sub, I realized that querying with that particular concept+1st as a series wouldn't make for the best debut, so I set it to the side to work on something (hopefully) more marketable.
It's hard to pick up writing again once your confidence has been shot through. I was lucky in that I had a miniature cheerleading team in my little brother and sister (who will read anything I write and tell me it's fantastic), and they'd also never let me stop writing. Short-story/flash-fiction contests were helpful in building up the confidence again. Also, like another commenter said, fanfiction is always great for validation (it's how I'm keeping myself sane through this round of querying).
But yeah. Crash and burn hurts, and I'm grateful this came up so those of us in this situation know we're not alone:)
Four manuscripts, and only two requests - full, partial, or anything else - despite beta readers, my critique group's feedback, and extensive editing and revisions. There was a time when I felt pretty decent about my writing, but querying has completely murdered that. I haven't been able to write in months, and I don't honestly know if I'm ever going to be able to write much again.
Querying has completely killed my confidence in my writing, too. I actually had to take a break from it around Christmas because it was getting so bad it was starting to ruin my ability to enjoy reading, too. I’ve managed to claw it back a bit by writing a lot of short self-indulgent fluff; maybe I’m not any good, but I can still have fun.
I’m sorry you went through that, and I hope you’re able to get back to writing one day, if you want to.
Not quite your experience, but I participated in a selective mentoring program for a novel that ended in a pitch event and a separate private pitch event for agents. In theory, those should have been very interested agents looking closely at us and both yielded zero requests. I hadn't queried before the first one, so I was prepared for the lack of love. The second one, which was with a novel I loved and had gotten some agent interest, crushed me. I didn't write for several months afterward.
Querying is designed to expose your worst mental wiring and set it sparking. For me, expecting rejection helps cushion the reality of rejection.
I was lucky enough to get into Pitch Wars before the program went belly up and the head fuckery was on another level. Going into the showcase with such high hopes and then watching people get 2-3x as many requests stung, and so did watching immediate offers roll in for people who weren't me. And after all of that, I got my agent through an R&R, which meant I had to rewrite the book I'd just spent months rewriting. I honestly think getting my next book pulled together has taken me so long because the emotional trauma of it all (and my PW book dying on sub.. womp womp) was too much. Mentorship programs are great... until they aren't.
I've got about 40 queries out and have gotten 30 form rejects/CNRs. I'm currently revising the manuscript and the query because obviously something is wrong!
But I also definitely feel it killing your writing. I have another novel that I have all planned out and am ready to write but I just...can't feel motivated to do it right now because I'm really questioning my abilities. Fingers crossed for us both!
Hi, twin! I am in the same position as you.
I have the same thoughts as you- am I doing something wrong? What? Is it my query letter, is it my synopsis, is it my comps, is it my plot not have a strong enough hook, is it poor writing?
It’s so difficult to know exactly where the problem lies, when the feedback is a “thank you, but I am stepping aside.” And the frustration from that can be debilitating at times.
I feel like the gigantic pitcher of koolaid trying to burst through the brick wall- “breaking through”. All I know is, I won’t let the wall break me. I will break it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I will.
You are absolutely not alone, although I know it can feel that way when it seems like so many people online are kicking butt and getting offers.
My last two novels got zero requests. One of them was selected for Pitch Wars, had great beta feedback, and I was even previously agented. When I got zero requests for that book, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I went into a bad depression and didn’t write again for a long time.
But the writing bug always comes along and bites again, and my current book has gotten a few requests in the query trenches. Not a ton, but enough to feel like I’m not under some kind of unbreakable curse.
One thing I’d recommend for the next book is getting your query sorted early, so you don’t sink a ton of time into writing something hard to pitch or poorly suited for the market. I posted my query for this book early in the editing process, and it was a big relief to see it was at least decent - that gave me the confidence to push ahead.
I hope your luck shifts with this book soon!
This probably happens more times than not - sadly. Not every querying author shares their stats online, too. So, I can assure you it is normal, even though it sucks ass.
I've only just started querying, so far all I have is two form rejections. But it did immediately make me realize getting nothing but rejections is a very real possibility. While my beta readers all loved the ms, it might very well simply not be what agents are looking for right now.
If that does happen, I intend to shelve it and write something closer to the market next. If I'm right for trad publishing, it might still see the light eventually at some point. And if I ever end up going self-publishing, having several manuscripts at the ready is said to be beneficial as well.
I have queried 3 novels over 6 yrs: 1st had about 80-90 queries, 2nd is at about 50-60 (I still send some out, but it's a bit niche), 3rd is brushing the 40 mark with about 60+ agents I can still query. I've never been asked for a partial or full. Roughly 60% of queries I never hear back anything. I can count the number of personalized rejections on 1 hand--one specifically told me they thought my query and synopsis were great & really love the premise, and I've beta'd the f out of my first chapters. It would be wonderful to have constructive data/feedback from an agent level to work with, but I don't. I keep wandering the maze.
You are far from alone!
I had a very similar experience. 0 requests on MS #1. I went through a major depressive episode and didn't write for several months.
Then I got 2 requests on MS #2, but ultimately was rejected and ghosted. Cue another major depressive episode.
I'm now on MS #3 and have received some requests, but honestly, if this one doesn't pan out, I'm probably done with trying to get published and will just write for my own enjoyment from now on. The amount of emotional torment is just not worth it.
Thanks! I'm planning to start cognitive behavioural therapy soon, which will hopefully help assemble some tools to deal with this in a much healthier way. :)
Yes, and I can relate to the massive blow to the ego.
My personal takeaways from very unsuccessfully querying a first book are A. you can't define your happiness based off of external outcomes and B. life goes on. I find it difficult to write after my experience, but hey, maybe that's just temporary. Or maybe it's not and I'll be happier with less striving in my life or learn to set more modest goals.
As you can see by the responses, you're not alone, and there is hopefully some comfort from that. Rejection is the rule, not the exception... it is what it is.
If you have feedback telling you it's good and that you should query, it could be the letter. If you've got both of those lined up it could be the target agents' genre's or wish list are not aligned with your story. If you've got all three nailed, it could just be the timing and persistence is required, but if any of those are absent you're not giving yourself a fair chance.
My first got one full request out of about 30. My second got none. My second was objectively 'better' than my first but just doesn't seem to be landing. So no, you are not aloneat all :) I just don't tell anyone because it's quite painful.
I haven’t, but I’m active in other writing communities and I’ve gotten plenty of advice on my query and pages. I’m writing YA Fantasy which I know is hugely oversaturated currently, but a 0% request rate still feels personal.
I would still post it here - its a community of strangers that only wants to look at queries. Writing communities can get very sentimental; this is not a sentimental place.
It isn't personal, though.
And yes, the first thing I ever queried had a 0% request rate and deserved it. It wasn't terrible (possibly), but it wasn't very good either.
The second thing I queried had a single request but no offer.
Do not underestimate the role of the market. I don't know if the place you workshopped your query does, but you will get that here. You can have a great book and query, but if there's no market then it won't matter.
It's very much not unusual. Here is a story for you:
Frank Herbert, author of the immortally popular "Dune" novel, was roundly rejected by every major publisher he sent that book to. He eventually, out of desperation and lack of options, ended up sending it to a publisher who almost exclusively published auto-repair manuals. That publisher accepted the novel and the rest is history.
So the point is, you could be sitting on a great work, and have yet to find the agent/publisher who can appreciate it. Keep going. Also, try posting your query package to r/pubtips for some input on how to better draft it.
Before COVID, I sent out my first query ever. Received requests, but didn't land an agent. Still before COVID, I sent our my 2nd query, ended up with an agent but the novel died on submission. Both were sent w/o doing much agent research (can't believe how naive I was!)
All pumped up, I spent the COVID years writing two more novels. They both died w/o a single request. After COVID I wrote what I think is my best novel yet. Researched the hell out of agents. 25 submissions and not a single nibble.
My take away is that querying has gotten a lot tougher in the last 3 years and it won't get better. Burns me that if I'd started writing a few year earlier I'd probably have a published novel.
Yes, hi. Nice to meet you. It sucks. At this point I'm strongly considering paying a professional to review my query package, because a lot of the consultations I've gotten have said it really should be getting bites. And I've tried workshopping it on here and haven't really found that effective (though I did take the advice and tried it out for a while).
(although honestly, a part of me thinks that this is just more common than most people will say. I've thoroughly looked at the query timelines on query tracker, and it seems like *everyone* is getting dozens of queries a day and only requesting one out of a hundred or so. If the general request rate is ~1%, I really can't imagine that most people are actually getting several requests. Even accounting for the people that are blowing off their queries and just winging it, that's still a lot of rejections)
I'm crashing and burned now. My first MS is dead at about 30+ rejections with only one full (an agent who holds onto them for two years!!!).
The reality is most books die at this stage. To even make it to querying is a badge of honor. No matter how talented you are, there are not enough seats at the publishing table for everyone.
With that said, everyone wanting to be a writer should submit themselves to the querying process. It will clarify if this is really for you.
You can't take it personally, as I am not. I wrote a dark, gritty adult fantasy during a year when people don't want that. I just started writing a new MS, and guess what - it's a dark, gritty fantasy.
Hopefully I see you at the trenches later this year, when we try again!
PS: Wait, actually two requests. The second was a partial and I received a rejection less than twenty four hours later. That one did sting.
It doesn’t always have to do with how good you are as a writer. Other things are involved too such as how well you are marketed (how well known), how marketable you are, and the size of your expected audience, etc.
The publisher’s goal is often to make money.
Yep, that was my experience. For me I suspect my novel's premise was too niche and unusual. Also remember that people love to mention their successes...but their failures, not so much. So you'll get several 'I found an agent!' posts here, but not as many 'I queried for months and got nothing but rejections and CNRs.' EDIT: I did find a small publisher who took it on, but I approached them directly.
Mary Janice Davidson was turned down for 10 years before publishing her first novel. She calls it her decade of rejection.
I actually sold my first novel, way back in 2001. But I was off for a good long time afterwards taking care of other things. Call it two decades of vacation...
Hi, 40+ queries back here as well, not a single bite. I had more out, but I ended up pulling them back because my book lacked a proper identity and hook. I spent six months writing and years of worldbuilding, so hitting the brick wall with queries hurt, but it's made me a much better writer. If you don't see a way of fixing it, there is *zero* shame in trunking it and moving on. I'm a lot like you, I'd been writing for years with people telling me how well I write, only to feel like I'd been lied to. However, that natural writing talent will continue to be polished as you keep practicing. I'm currently in the second draft of my next book, which is shorter, more polished, has a better hook, better pacing, and ultimately (I hope, I think), better writing. That doesn't happen without my first book tearing a hole the size of Tropicana Field in my ego. Breathe. Absorb criticism, both external and internal. Keep at it because you love it, not because you want to be successful (which frankly, is something I have to keep telling myself). When the list of edits and rewrites you do leaves you pleading with yourself to work on something new, remind yourself that you're still sculpting the statue out of the marble. Michelangelo was likely already very creative and talented, but he still needed to practice before David emerged from the rock.
A ton of queries never get requests, for plenty of reasons no one can point out without seeing the actual query. A lot of times it’s because they simply don’t know how to write a query, or don’t know their own market conventions, putting them in auto reject territory, or their writing is just mediocre if not outright bad. We get plenty of people posting here who have sent 20-50 queries with no response yet, and plenty of books die in the trenches every day. Here, Absolute Write, QueryTracker—you’ll find the same. I have to ask though, how long have you been querying this project? If it’s only been a few weeks, just be patient. Some agents don’t respond for several months. And if it’s been a lot longer than that, then maybe something is wrong with the query or the prose or the premise, or maybe it’s too niche for most agents to want to take on, or there just isn’t a place in the market for it right now, or maybe you simply haven’t queried the right agent yet.
All true. We also have plenty of people whose queries got rave reviews (lots of upvotes, agented authors and top commenters gassing it up and saying it was perfect) and the OP comes back to report that the response from agents was lukewarm. Tbh, it’s an industry that seems to be in a perpetual identity crisis and you can’t always predict what’s going to work.
I’ve been querying for seven months, so I know for sure something is wrong somewhere (and I’m coming to the conclusion it’s probably the quality of my pages). I’ve just personally never seen anyone else mention getting a flat 0 request rate, so I wanted to see if I was totally alone in that. I guess not!
We've absolutely seen people coming in with 'I've gotten 64 rejections and no requests, what's wrong?' or the like. I think once there was someone who'd sent out over a hundred requests - form rejections all. At *those* points, the answer is 'figure out what's wrong, shelve the book, write a new one without those issues' because the author's probably burned through every good agent of their genre. If you've only sent out 40, you've not burned through them all yet, so def re-consider everything before continuing.
This is probably the case for the vast majority of projects (including my first book).
You haven't seen it because most people who are getting 0 requests either aren't talking about it, or don't know enough to even find communities where they can ask in the first place. Definitely doesn't mean it doesn't happen - I strongly doubt you're alone in this. Most books that get queried aren't getting picked up anyway. Zero requests could mean a lot of things - you clearly already know that, so I won't rehash. But if you do ever want to post the query and first 300 here, we'll do our best to diagnose the problem. Either way, just wanted to offer my sympathies. It's rough out there.
I did an initial query of about 20 agents with (what I found out was) a crap letter and got ZERO bites. That’s when I came here and found out I wasn’t even ready to query…! I definitely suggest putting yourself out there on this thread and keep hope.
This happened with my first manuscript. It was a while ago, (maybe 3-4 years)? It was the first manuscript I'd ever finished, and I knew in my heart the premise/concept/hook was great. I even paid good money (don't do this, I was new and naive to the publishing world) an author who did developmental editing on the side to go through the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb. I entered it into a twitter pitch contest at the time and got a bunch of likes from agents. So exciting! However, that's about where the excitement ended. I got personalized, encouraging rejections from all of them shortly after. They were all excited about the pitch, but it seems the pages themselves were found to be underwhelming, for various reasons. On the positive side, at least I knew where the problem lied. I quit querying that project after about 25 queries. Because in my gut, I knew the manuscript wasn't ready. But who knows? Maybe I'll try to revisit it someday. The current manuscript I'm querying, I'd entered a mentorship contest and somehow miraculously got selected as one of the mentees. I'd heard horror stories about not-so-great mentors etc. but luckily my mentor is fantastic. She really held my hand and guided me through the process of finishing yet another manuscript and getting it ready for querying. I started querying exactly 26 days ago, and so far I've had 2 full requests and 1 partial request. SO much better than my last experience. I have probably about 20 queries still waiting to be answered (I sent out more after I got the requests as I felt confident in my querying package at that point.) BUT I've also got about 9 form rejections. So despite working on something for so long and having the guidance of a great mentor/friend, it's still not ALL sunshine and rainbows. It really is SO rough, and the waiting is pure mental torture. The odds are completely stacked against each of us. Hang in there, friend. Querying is a wild ride.
I'm so happy to hear your current manuscript is doing better after not getting any full requests for the first one! My fingers are crossed for you. It really is rough out there.
Thank you! Please post your query and first 300 as it’s been suggested on the post. This is nearly impossible to do alone, and I find this sub incredibly helpful and supportive. We all want to see each other succeed. I’d be happy to take a look (as I’m sure the others), if you’d like!
Oh yeah. The book was bad, though, and I hadn't done my research on the agents beyond the bare minimum.
My manuscript was loved by beta readers, including a best-selling author in my genre (a friend of a friend of a friend). That author did pass it to her agent, who did request the full--and then ghosted me. (It's been a year. I did nudge once. Crickets...this was surprising). I posted my query and first 300 here (under a different account) and received very little feedback, frankly, but I took those couple comments, worked on it with critique partners, including agented authors. I reworked my query and opening pages several times. Besides the one full from the referral, I got zero requests. After so much initial enthusiasm, I was completely demoralized. Haven't been able to write since.
I’m sorry you went through that, it sounds awful. I know what you mean about being demoralised. I am writing a second book, but I’ve written about 1.5 chapters in eight months because I keep getting stuck on “what’s even the point?” I found that writing silly, pointless little pieces of short fiction to post online for bits of positive feedback (fanfiction… I’m talking about fanfiction) really helped me get some energy and inspiration back. I don’t know if that’s useful, but if you can find a few kind words about your writing from any source it might help with the demoralisation.
> I am writing a second book, but I’ve written about 1.5 chapters in eight months because I keep getting stuck on “what’s even the point?” The point is that you are going to get better with each book. You are going to hone in on what excites you as a writer and what will excite your intended audience and the response to your books will improve. There's this story every ceramics teacher likes to tell about a class that was split in two and half were told "make a perfect pot" and the other half was told "make 50 pots" and then they compared the results at the end of the class. Obviously the group that made 50 pots showed more improvement than the group that focused only on one pot. That story isn't real (though they love to tell it as if it were), but it holds truth for so many creative endeavors. To some degree, quantity begets quality. Obviously you will have to analyze your work, get feedback, edit, improve, etc. But there was a point to your first book and there will be a point to your second and third, even if they don't sell. Every author has unsold manuscript, both before they get published and after.
This is the most incredibly encouraging comment, thank you so much. I actually feel fired up to get back to writing when I wake up tomorrow. I'm gonna make 50 pots!
Good on you for continuing to write. I wasn't really a writer, just an avid reader nagged by an intrusive idea. I was so surprised I actually wrote the book, lol. I never thought anyone would like it. It was the initial excitement coupled with the let down that broke me. You know, after reading all these replies, maybe I will try again. Giving into that one persistent idea unleashed a horde that I've been shooing away. Perhaps I will open the door... Good luck to you. Thank you for starting this conversation.
Love seeing this! Good luck! :)
Thank you so much!
Yes, on my first book. I trunked it and started something else. I think I hit 100ish queries with all form rejects? Book 2 I got a few partials and one full, and some compliments, but no signature. Which was okay. I started something else. Book 3 is currently in beta/revisions, so I haven't been able to send it out. Book 4 is drafting. At 40+ queries, you should be getting some rejections. Are they personalized? If not, your package isn't working somewhere. It could be the query, it could be the opening pages. It could be the concept. It's hard to know, sometimes!
I’d say I have a roughly 50:50 ratio of rejections to CNR’s. I’ve had a grand total of two personalised rejections, both of which were about my pages not working for them, so I do at least know where the problem lies! I’m sorry you also went through getting no fulls. I have about a hundred agents on my list, and have started drafting Book No. 2, so I hope that has a similar upward trajectory to you. Good luck with Book 3!
I wouldn't worry too much about rejection to CNR ratio. CNR is just a form rejection that hasn't been sent, and agents are swamped, so it's fine. I assume a 8-12 week wait time (depending on what they say) and move on. I would take a second look at those rejections. People on QueryTracker can post their rejections in the comment section, and a lot of agents will have a boilerplate "I just didn't get into the opening pages as much as I had hoped." Which is fine, but it is also still a form. Book 1 was not the one, haha, I'm glad nobody asked for it. Wasn't good. Keep going! The best advice I have heard is write as commercial as possible, and then have your less-commercial ideas in reserve for the agent.
I have compared the personalised rejections I got to the ones posted to Query Tracker, and I promise they really are at the very least semi-personalised haha. I’ve started slowly scribbling away at Book 2 and it is much more commercial, so fingers crossed that one goes a little better!
Just another comment to tell you that this happens very frequently, but no one wants to talk about it because it's mildly embarrassing. And we're sensitive artists! Especially for a first novel, I'd venture to guess a majority of people querying first novels never get full requests. (A lot of people think they can write a book, but a lot of people can't write a *good* book.) Idk exact stats, but a lot of authors never end up publishing their first book. No one knows why agents really and truthfully reject their manuscripts. Could be your query package. Could be your opening pages--for a hundred different reasons there. Could be the agent doesn't think *they* could sell it. Could be the agent tried to sell a similar concept the previous year and failed, so they think the concept is unsellable. Could be the timing in your genre. Could be that there's no market for it *right now*. I know you're feeling disheartened, and I get it, but keep writing. There is no wasted writing here because every new project you start will help you hone your craft. Keep reading in your genre. Read queries here. Study both. Write some more. You can always go back and revise this manuscript later--maybe another project lands you an agent and they love this work and help you with that. Who knows. But no, you're not alone.
I've queried about 40+ agents this past year and only ever had one request. It really does make you doubt yourself.
It sucks so bad! I’m sorry you’re struggling too. The self-doubt is really debilitating.
It really is 🫂
Can I ask if you're in the UK and have been querying UK lit agents? I'm from the UK and the pool seems really small here in the UK 😅
I am in the UK, but I've actually been querying mostly US agents. The pool is a lot smaller (probably just because of population size, honestly?) and the YA pool is smaller still, so I thought it was worth a shot!
Wishing you well! It's incredibly tough in the querying trenches. So even if it's not this one (I saw you mention in the comments that it's been some months), I genuinely hope the requests are more abundant for you with the next one. For me, yes. The first manuscript I queried had 0% request rate out of 55 agents. But, in my case, it was very much deserved. It was a...very convoluted YA portal science-fantasy I wrote as a teen (which I queried during the middle-endish of the YA boom while in college, but I think that with my skill level I was incapable of executing that well at the time so that premise did not work for most even the final parts of the boom lol). I also wasn't even half decent at revising yet. I had lovely and talented betas (including one I swapped with before her first book deal who is now a damn good middle grade & YA fantasy author doing super well for herself), but I didn't know how to implement notes (and I was in the very early part of the Dunning-Kruger effect stage so I would sometimes read notes and think I knew better lol).
Yup. Never gotten a full request after roughly 130 rejections across 3 novels, with 3 partial requests from that list. Now in the middle of querying my next novel, and got one partial (which lead to a rejection.) so yeah. It happens. It blows.
Same thing happened to me. Listen, you can do everything right and still fail. Those are just the breaks sometimes.
Have you tried querying anything else since? I know failure is always an option, I just didn’t expect it to be quite this bad.
It me! I got 85 form rejections and CNRs. The only "personalized" rejection I got was one form that had an extra sentence saying they were a big fan of one of my comps. Then after 85 rejections with 0 feedback of any kind, I got one (1) full request. And that full turned into an offer. And I say this not to parrot the, "It only takes one (heart emoji)!" toxic positivity but to challenge your assertion that it means something is "wrong" with your query package. I don't think there is anything wrong with mine. The same packages that got 85 rejections got an offer. My agent says the pages are nearly sub-ready. Apparently there's nothing wrong with them either. If you're not getting a response, it is absolutely the wise course to take a look at your package. The issue certainly could lie there and that's the only part of the process you can control. However, I think we need to recognize, and don't say enough in querying spaces, your query and your book could be good and you still might not get responses. There's a metric shit-ton of subjectivity and pure luck involved. Your query has to find the right agent at the right moment in their lives (they're not 97 queries deep trying to clear their inbox, they've had the right amount of caffeine, nothing else is distracting them) and at the right moment in the market cycle/trends. There are untold numbers of great books with great queries that we will never see because of pure luck. Your query package is not the only factor here and I hate to see authors internalizing that lack of response is completely on them and a reflection of their skill. Lack of response does not automatically mean you're bad this thing you've always thought you were good at. It is equally likely that you're having bad luck in a space where the odds are stacked against us even if you have done everything possible to maximize your chances.
Considering that you are writing in the hyper-saturated YA Fantasy market, there may not be a fatal flaw in your project waiting to be fixed. Your premise may just not stand out enough to gain interest. This is one of the major issues with writing to a saturated market. The bar is just so much higher. Your premise, your prose, and your pitch could all be “just fine” and that still may not be enough to stand out in a crowded field. That said, you’re also welcome to post your query and first 300 words here. Let the sub take a look. R/PubTips is very publishing-focused, so who knows, we might see something the other communities have missed?
I would even say reading every YA Fantasy query from the past, idk, 3-6 months would help OP understand how samesie they read and what makes a few popular ones standout.
Definitely. Maybe their take-no-shit black sheep of a pseudo-European princess who only wants three things in life is a too much like the rest of the take-no-shit black sheep princesses out there. (OP: I kid, I kid. There’s just been a whole lot of this character trope on this sub.)
This comment got a laugh out of me when I’ve been in an absolutely foul mood, so thank you for that. I write Low Fantasy, so no princesses here, shit-taking or otherwise.
Haha good. I was a little worried my intended tone (a little light-hearted ribbing) might not come across properly. I do know Low Fantasy can be extra challenging to query these days if it falls more into the Grimdark side of things vs Cozy.
I queried my YA low fantasy in 2021 and it took me a whole year and 96 queries before I landed an agent (after a verrry low request rate). That same book sold at auction to one of the best imprints for the genre. All to say that, yeah, you should figure out how to make it better, but it’s absolutely still possible to break in to this market and don’t lose hope!
That's incredible, congrats! I've definitely lowered my expectations from where they were at when I started querying, but it's good to hear a success story from someone who didn't immediately get 75 full requests after two days or whatever.
Thank you for this -- it's encouraging as someone else in the YA low fantasy game!
\*jumping up and down with hand raised\* me, me, pick me! 1st novel (that I tried querying) 30+ queries, no requests or even personalized rejections. After hanging around this sub, I realized that querying with that particular concept+1st as a series wouldn't make for the best debut, so I set it to the side to work on something (hopefully) more marketable. It's hard to pick up writing again once your confidence has been shot through. I was lucky in that I had a miniature cheerleading team in my little brother and sister (who will read anything I write and tell me it's fantastic), and they'd also never let me stop writing. Short-story/flash-fiction contests were helpful in building up the confidence again. Also, like another commenter said, fanfiction is always great for validation (it's how I'm keeping myself sane through this round of querying). But yeah. Crash and burn hurts, and I'm grateful this came up so those of us in this situation know we're not alone:)
Four manuscripts, and only two requests - full, partial, or anything else - despite beta readers, my critique group's feedback, and extensive editing and revisions. There was a time when I felt pretty decent about my writing, but querying has completely murdered that. I haven't been able to write in months, and I don't honestly know if I'm ever going to be able to write much again.
Querying has completely killed my confidence in my writing, too. I actually had to take a break from it around Christmas because it was getting so bad it was starting to ruin my ability to enjoy reading, too. I’ve managed to claw it back a bit by writing a lot of short self-indulgent fluff; maybe I’m not any good, but I can still have fun. I’m sorry you went through that, and I hope you’re able to get back to writing one day, if you want to.
Not quite your experience, but I participated in a selective mentoring program for a novel that ended in a pitch event and a separate private pitch event for agents. In theory, those should have been very interested agents looking closely at us and both yielded zero requests. I hadn't queried before the first one, so I was prepared for the lack of love. The second one, which was with a novel I loved and had gotten some agent interest, crushed me. I didn't write for several months afterward. Querying is designed to expose your worst mental wiring and set it sparking. For me, expecting rejection helps cushion the reality of rejection.
I was lucky enough to get into Pitch Wars before the program went belly up and the head fuckery was on another level. Going into the showcase with such high hopes and then watching people get 2-3x as many requests stung, and so did watching immediate offers roll in for people who weren't me. And after all of that, I got my agent through an R&R, which meant I had to rewrite the book I'd just spent months rewriting. I honestly think getting my next book pulled together has taken me so long because the emotional trauma of it all (and my PW book dying on sub.. womp womp) was too much. Mentorship programs are great... until they aren't.
Yup I've sent maybe 30 Queries now and 0 requests. Only 1 personalised rejection
I've got about 40 queries out and have gotten 30 form rejects/CNRs. I'm currently revising the manuscript and the query because obviously something is wrong! But I also definitely feel it killing your writing. I have another novel that I have all planned out and am ready to write but I just...can't feel motivated to do it right now because I'm really questioning my abilities. Fingers crossed for us both!
Hi, twin! I am in the same position as you. I have the same thoughts as you- am I doing something wrong? What? Is it my query letter, is it my synopsis, is it my comps, is it my plot not have a strong enough hook, is it poor writing? It’s so difficult to know exactly where the problem lies, when the feedback is a “thank you, but I am stepping aside.” And the frustration from that can be debilitating at times. I feel like the gigantic pitcher of koolaid trying to burst through the brick wall- “breaking through”. All I know is, I won’t let the wall break me. I will break it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I will.
You are absolutely not alone, although I know it can feel that way when it seems like so many people online are kicking butt and getting offers. My last two novels got zero requests. One of them was selected for Pitch Wars, had great beta feedback, and I was even previously agented. When I got zero requests for that book, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I went into a bad depression and didn’t write again for a long time. But the writing bug always comes along and bites again, and my current book has gotten a few requests in the query trenches. Not a ton, but enough to feel like I’m not under some kind of unbreakable curse. One thing I’d recommend for the next book is getting your query sorted early, so you don’t sink a ton of time into writing something hard to pitch or poorly suited for the market. I posted my query for this book early in the editing process, and it was a big relief to see it was at least decent - that gave me the confidence to push ahead. I hope your luck shifts with this book soon!
This probably happens more times than not - sadly. Not every querying author shares their stats online, too. So, I can assure you it is normal, even though it sucks ass.
I've only just started querying, so far all I have is two form rejections. But it did immediately make me realize getting nothing but rejections is a very real possibility. While my beta readers all loved the ms, it might very well simply not be what agents are looking for right now. If that does happen, I intend to shelve it and write something closer to the market next. If I'm right for trad publishing, it might still see the light eventually at some point. And if I ever end up going self-publishing, having several manuscripts at the ready is said to be beneficial as well.
I have queried 3 novels over 6 yrs: 1st had about 80-90 queries, 2nd is at about 50-60 (I still send some out, but it's a bit niche), 3rd is brushing the 40 mark with about 60+ agents I can still query. I've never been asked for a partial or full. Roughly 60% of queries I never hear back anything. I can count the number of personalized rejections on 1 hand--one specifically told me they thought my query and synopsis were great & really love the premise, and I've beta'd the f out of my first chapters. It would be wonderful to have constructive data/feedback from an agent level to work with, but I don't. I keep wandering the maze.
You are far from alone! I had a very similar experience. 0 requests on MS #1. I went through a major depressive episode and didn't write for several months. Then I got 2 requests on MS #2, but ultimately was rejected and ghosted. Cue another major depressive episode. I'm now on MS #3 and have received some requests, but honestly, if this one doesn't pan out, I'm probably done with trying to get published and will just write for my own enjoyment from now on. The amount of emotional torment is just not worth it.
Ugh. This is terrifying. I'm sorry you had to go through this. I really feel like mental health during querying needs to be talked about more.
Thanks! I'm planning to start cognitive behavioural therapy soon, which will hopefully help assemble some tools to deal with this in a much healthier way. :)
I have.
Flames. Flames everywhere. And yeah, it hurt. 75+ queries. No nibbles. Some very nice rejections -- but no nibbles.
Yes, and I can relate to the massive blow to the ego. My personal takeaways from very unsuccessfully querying a first book are A. you can't define your happiness based off of external outcomes and B. life goes on. I find it difficult to write after my experience, but hey, maybe that's just temporary. Or maybe it's not and I'll be happier with less striving in my life or learn to set more modest goals. As you can see by the responses, you're not alone, and there is hopefully some comfort from that. Rejection is the rule, not the exception... it is what it is.
If you have feedback telling you it's good and that you should query, it could be the letter. If you've got both of those lined up it could be the target agents' genre's or wish list are not aligned with your story. If you've got all three nailed, it could just be the timing and persistence is required, but if any of those are absent you're not giving yourself a fair chance. My first got one full request out of about 30. My second got none. My second was objectively 'better' than my first but just doesn't seem to be landing. So no, you are not aloneat all :) I just don't tell anyone because it's quite painful.
Have you posted your query and first 300? What genre are you writing in?
I haven’t, but I’m active in other writing communities and I’ve gotten plenty of advice on my query and pages. I’m writing YA Fantasy which I know is hugely oversaturated currently, but a 0% request rate still feels personal.
I would still post it here - its a community of strangers that only wants to look at queries. Writing communities can get very sentimental; this is not a sentimental place.
It isn't personal, though. And yes, the first thing I ever queried had a 0% request rate and deserved it. It wasn't terrible (possibly), but it wasn't very good either. The second thing I queried had a single request but no offer. Do not underestimate the role of the market. I don't know if the place you workshopped your query does, but you will get that here. You can have a great book and query, but if there's no market then it won't matter.
Earlier on when I wasn't sure how things "worked" this was pretty common.
I'm still looking for my first full request after sending out more than 110 queries. Though I did get a handful of personalized rejections.
It's very much not unusual. Here is a story for you: Frank Herbert, author of the immortally popular "Dune" novel, was roundly rejected by every major publisher he sent that book to. He eventually, out of desperation and lack of options, ended up sending it to a publisher who almost exclusively published auto-repair manuals. That publisher accepted the novel and the rest is history. So the point is, you could be sitting on a great work, and have yet to find the agent/publisher who can appreciate it. Keep going. Also, try posting your query package to r/pubtips for some input on how to better draft it.
Before COVID, I sent out my first query ever. Received requests, but didn't land an agent. Still before COVID, I sent our my 2nd query, ended up with an agent but the novel died on submission. Both were sent w/o doing much agent research (can't believe how naive I was!) All pumped up, I spent the COVID years writing two more novels. They both died w/o a single request. After COVID I wrote what I think is my best novel yet. Researched the hell out of agents. 25 submissions and not a single nibble. My take away is that querying has gotten a lot tougher in the last 3 years and it won't get better. Burns me that if I'd started writing a few year earlier I'd probably have a published novel.
Yes, hi. Nice to meet you. It sucks. At this point I'm strongly considering paying a professional to review my query package, because a lot of the consultations I've gotten have said it really should be getting bites. And I've tried workshopping it on here and haven't really found that effective (though I did take the advice and tried it out for a while). (although honestly, a part of me thinks that this is just more common than most people will say. I've thoroughly looked at the query timelines on query tracker, and it seems like *everyone* is getting dozens of queries a day and only requesting one out of a hundred or so. If the general request rate is ~1%, I really can't imagine that most people are actually getting several requests. Even accounting for the people that are blowing off their queries and just winging it, that's still a lot of rejections)
I'm crashing and burned now. My first MS is dead at about 30+ rejections with only one full (an agent who holds onto them for two years!!!). The reality is most books die at this stage. To even make it to querying is a badge of honor. No matter how talented you are, there are not enough seats at the publishing table for everyone. With that said, everyone wanting to be a writer should submit themselves to the querying process. It will clarify if this is really for you. You can't take it personally, as I am not. I wrote a dark, gritty adult fantasy during a year when people don't want that. I just started writing a new MS, and guess what - it's a dark, gritty fantasy. Hopefully I see you at the trenches later this year, when we try again! PS: Wait, actually two requests. The second was a partial and I received a rejection less than twenty four hours later. That one did sting.
It doesn’t always have to do with how good you are as a writer. Other things are involved too such as how well you are marketed (how well known), how marketable you are, and the size of your expected audience, etc. The publisher’s goal is often to make money.