the difficult decisions that got me my agent
a breakdown of my chaotic querying timeline
If you’ve been here from the beginning, you’ll know that I spent the entirety of 2025 querying and recently just signed with a literary agent for my speculative romcom (YAY!). I know that it’s sort of tradition to share our query letters once this happens but since this year is coming to a close, I thought it would be more helpful to share my querying timeline instead.
Before you move forward (especially for my fellow writers), it’s important to note that everyone’s timeline looks different. I have spent nearly every single second of my free time within the past few years working on achieving this goal, which also meant sacrificing a lot. This is your reminder that everyone works at a different pace and querying is completely unpredictable (this entire industry is). But if there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my journey—that I hope you gather if you read the rest of this—is that publishing favors the truly persistent.
The truth is that you can write an incredible book and have a killer query letter, but that’s not enough. We are creating art, yes, but this is also a business. We’re trying to sell a product, which requires strategy and dedication. You should definitely write that “weird” book of your heart but you should also pay attention to the market and trends. Be prepared for one step forward to amount in three steps back and doors to be slammed in your face one after another. It’s in your best interest to learn when to move on and when to push back. (respectfully, of course)
If this is what you want, take the risks. Send the nudge or the follow-up email. Have the crash out. Take the much needed break. Do the R&R (or don’t). Shelve the manuscript and write another. Just whatever you do, keep writing. Put yourself out there, again and again.
Keep going.
My Querying Timeline
For publishing newcomers, here’s a guide to some terms I use (I do not know or endorse this person, it’s just a great summary)
JANUARY
‼️ Sent out the first batch of queries for the epic fantasy novel—A MIRROR DIMLY—that I spent two years working on ‼️
Had a bad feeling pretty immediately that this was going to go nowhere
This had nothing to do with querying itself—I knew it would take a while to even hear back from agents—it was just a gut feeling
FEBRUARY
✨ First querying crash out ✨
I felt defeated for having worked so long on a project that I knew was never going to see the light of day and almost quit writing entirely
That same night, I decided I’d give it another try. I outlined a contemporary romcom idea I had tucked away last year and started drafting
Quickly realized just how much I love writing romcoms
🪄 Finished the first draft of EVERYONE BUT ME 🪄
Went through first round of edits and sent it to my critique partners
They finished it very quickly and got back to me almost immediately so I was able to complete my second round of edits just as quick
MARCH
Sent EVERYONE BUT ME off to beta readers
Got a new idea for a speculative romcom
Outlined and started drafting this idea to cope with incoming rejections on A MIRROR DIMLY + incoming feedback from beta readers
Finished another round of edits for EVERYONE BUT ME and sent it off for a final read-through
Completed my query package and last round of edits
‼️ Sent out my first batch of queries for EVERYONE BUT ME ‼️
APRIL
Got some feedback from agents on my opening pages so I revised them with the help of my critique partners (seriously, where would I be without them?)
🌟 First full request for EVERYONE BUT ME !!! 🌟
Sent out my final batch of queries for it and received a few more requests
Continued drafting my speculative romcom
MAY
Went to Toronto to meet my writer’s club ❣️
🌟 Received my first request for A MIRROR DIMLY while there (but then got ghosted on that haha, whomp whomp whomp) 🌟
Got my first full rejection (ouch) while getting more full requests (yay)
🪄 Finished the first draft of my speculative romcom—LUCKY, LUCKY ME 🪄
Did a quick round of edits and sent it off to my critique partners
They got feedback to me very quick again (seriously, they’re the best)
Continued to get rejections and requests on EVERYONE BUT ME
➡️ Querying stats at this point—queries sent: 146; rejections: 73; requests: 13
JUNE
Finished edits for LUCKY, LUCKY ME and sent it off to beta readers
Continued to get rejections and requests for EVERYONE BUT ME
JULY ~ the lowest point of the year *tiny violin*
❓ Got an email from an agent with serious interest in EVERYONE BUT ME ❓
They wrote expressing how much they were loving it and asked to schedule a meeting within the next two weeks
I didn’t hear back for the rest of the month and it turned out to be an R&R
Made the mistake of looking at the feedback for LUCKY, LUCKY ME and set that aside indefinitely, completely overwhelmed
✨ Queue biggest querying crash out ✨
I lost all hope and spiraled here (aka binged a lot of audiobooks while playing animal crossing), convinced this was never going to work out
AUGUST
Had a new book idea while down bad with the flu (literally came to me in a fever dream) and started drafting that to keep my mind off querying
Fell so in love with this book that I contemplated giving up on romcoms entirely but my critique partners convinced me not to
Continued getting full requests and rejections for EVERYONE BUT ME
After that much needed break, I finally decided to work on the R&R
SEPTEMBER
Finished the R&R for EVERYONE BUT ME and sent it to a friend for feedback
Went home to Hawai‘i and finally gave myself a real break ❣️
Received feedback and finished final edits for that R&R
‼️ Sent EVERYONE BUT ME back to the agent ‼️
Almost shelved my speculative romcom but decided to finish the final edits for that too while I was in editing mode and also completed the query package to apply for a mentorship program (didn’t get in to that but having all of this completed ended up working in my favor…)
OCTOBER
Heard back about the R&R
The agent loved the changes I had made under their recommendation (these were mostly line edits) but now wanted to work on developmental edits
With no offer and our visions not meshing together after having already received so much conflicting feedback from countless rejections, it was impossible for me to envision this book surviving sub
❓So, I decided to back out of the R&R ❓
My gut feeling was validated when one of my dream agents passed
She loved the manuscript and my writing but she hasn’t had much luck pitching contemporary romance in this current market
After more rejections expressing the same sentiment, I was exhausted and lost complete faith in both of my romcoms (and myself)
✨ Queue another crash out where I almost gave up again ✨
(same night) I figured if that agent loved my manuscript but the only issue was genre and market, why not send out a few queries for LUCKY, LUCKY ME?
I sent out five queries and slammed my laptop shut, not expecting anything to happen for awhile…
🌟 The first request arrived in less than an hour 🌟
Then serious interest from the same agent came the following week
I sent out the rest of my queries for LUCKY, LUCKY ME to my dream agents
NOVEMBER
In a huge turn of events:
🌟 I GOT AN AGENT OFFER ON EVERYONE BUT ME !!!!! 🌟
➡️ Querying stats at this point—sent: 199; rejections: 174; requests: 26
Nudged all of the outstanding queries for both of my romcoms
Final passes for EVERYONE BUT ME arrived
Several full requests (and passes) for LUCKY, LUCKY ME also arrived
➡️ 13 full requests total for this book
Received a lot of very positive feedback and congratulations from agents who passed due to the chaos of this time of year
🌟 GOT AN AGENT OFFER ON LUCKY, LUCKY ME !!!!! 🌟
Had several agents step aside due to time restraints but left the door open
⁉️ The offering agents had incredible visions for both of my books so I had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life ⁉️
Do I dust off the last remaining shred of hope I have for my first romcom and choose the agent who finally believed in its potential?
Or do I go with the romcom I have so much faith in and choose the dream agent who aligns with the vision I have for my writing career as a whole?
💖 In the end, I decided to go with the offering agent for LUCKY, LUCKY ME 💖
DECEMBER
🌟 Signed the contract with my wonderful agent, Sera Rivers 🌟
Received her feedback to get my manuscript ready for sub in the new year
Currently working on edits!
#noregrets (lol)
If you’ve read this far, I hope this was a helpful glimpse into what it looks like to query for a while. My journey was chaotic and the craziest roller coaster ride of my life where I had to make a lot of hard calls, but I don’t regret any part of it. I would write that first book again. I would query everything the same way. None of it was wasted time. Each step taught me something different and necessary for the next one.
So, if you’re feeling defeated, know that whatever step of the process you’re in, it’s necessary (probably exhausting as hell and you deserve to go complain about it… but still, it’s very necessary).
I know a whole new journey awaits me as I work on finalizing my manuscript and continue to work on getting published, but I’m thankful for my querying timeline and for the people who pushed me through it.
Whether you’re brainstorming, drafting, querying, or on sub, I’m rooting for you.
I hope you stick around!
So proud of you Rach!! 🥹
So proud of you!!!