It’s standard practice for the publishing industry to take a much-needed break over the winter holidays, a practice I’ve taken into freelance work with me.

Agents aren’t really reading their slush piles at the moment, so sending a query in the “bleak midwinter” might mean waiting till spring has sprung to get a reply.

Instead, you might wait until the turning of the new year works its magic, making us all even the slightest bit more optimistic, to send your queries out. Practically speaking, this means you have the next two weeks or so to feel less rushed as you gather resources and information to help you successfully query agents.

To help you, I was going to do a standard roundup of outside resources, which I’ve covered before, but as I prepared to write this post, I realized how much advice I’ve written, especially in the last year, about trade publishing. With that in mind, the following are blog posts I’ve created specifically for querying authors. I hope they help get you where you need to go!

Blog Posts and Advice for Aspiring Trade-Published Authors

The Deetz on New York Book Publishing.

Four Resources for Authors Aspiring to Trade Publication.

It’s Important to Follow Book Publishing News—Here’s Why.

Demystifying 3 Types of Rejection Letters from Literary Agents.

The Nitty-Gritty of Developing Your Query Package.

How to Write a One-Page Synopsis.

Writing a Great Query Letter: Beyond the Summary.

How to Write an Impressive Professional-Facing Author Biography.

Motivation for Those Days You Just Want to Throw in the Towel.

Stop Being Your Own Bottleneck: How to Break Free of Perfectionism and Send Out Your Work.

Reframing Rejection: Why Every “No” Gets You Closer to a “Yes.”

Sometimes, It’s Not About You: A Pep Talk.

Have a happy holiday season! I’ll see you in 2021.

🖤, Jess