I started querying in March of 2022 (scroll down to see my stats). At the time, my YA fantasy novel stood a whopping 120,000 words. I thought it was polished and ready to go. Since then, the manuscript has gone through many revisions and now sits at a much more respectable 100,000 words. Yes, a little long for YA, but I present it as “upper-YA,” and I think that the length is fine for fantasy. At least, I hope so.

My first foray into the querying pool was in late February when I participated in #SFFpit, a Twitter pitch contest for sci-fi and fantasy novels. Though it was my first try, I ended up getting a request for the full manuscript from a small publisher!

“This won’t be that hard,” I thought to myself.

Oof. Boy was I wrong. Months went by without another full request. That turned around in September when I got both a full request and my first offer for publication!

That’s right — I got a publication offer.

I was psyched. Here was a small publisher who wanted to publish my little book. I was so excited. I read up on all the questions I was supposed to ask. And I was ready to say yes. Yet as time went by and I thought about it more, I realized that the publisher was just not the right fit for me. Great people there. Truly wonderful folks who I admire. But not the right fit for my book.

And as hard as it was, I turned down the offer. And believe me — it was hard. But if it’s not the right fit, it’s not the right fit.

So I end the year with no agents and a novel that I love with all my heart. I’m not giving up. 2023 is right around the corner, and I am hopeful that the year is full of possibilities.

And for those who are interested, here are my stats:

Total Queries: 99
Rejections: 59
Full Requests: 5
Rejections on Full Requests: 3
Offers of Publication: 1
Offers Turned Down: 1

Other tidbits:
Quickest rejection: 2 hours
Longest outstanding query: 281 days

I want to take a moment to thank all those who participate in the writing community on Twitter. Y’all are some of the most positive, uplifting, and encouraging folks out there. And as much that is wrong with Twitter, y’all are something that is right. Thanks for all the encouragement, support, and general positivity.