Querying Stats & My Experience Getting 14 Offers of Literary Representation
A year ago this month, I finished the first draft of my novel and then hit a writing slump. Here's what happened after I pushed through the doubt...
Hello Substackers đ Iâm Kate Emilie, author of the YA speculative novel, SEVEN DISHES TO FALL IN LOVE, publishing July 2027 with Penguin Random House in the US and HarperCollins in the UK.
If youâve read some of my previous posts, you may have gathered I love data. I also love behind-the-scene author content on all things writing journey and path to publication. As an aspirating author, I always found them so interesting, inspiring, and informative. Now, on the other side with an agent and a two-book deal, I am thrilled to share a bit about my own journey! And today, Iâm talking query stats.
A Year Ago This MonthâŚ
A year ago this month (May 2025), I finished the first draft of my novel, SEVEN DISHES TO FALL IN LOVE, and immediately hit a writing slump. Iâd been here before, with a book taking shape yet not fully done. Prior to this, Iâd written two books to âthe endâ that died in edits and several more projects which didnât make it past the midpoint in drafting.
Despite something in the back of my head telling me this book was different or at least could be differentâcould have a different ending than the projects in my writing graveyardâI struggled to move forward. And so, standing at the cliff of edits, I felt self-defeated.
Itâs scary, isnât it? To finish something, to get it as good as you can make it, and to release it. Because, at that point, the answer will either be a yes or a no. Until then, however, so long as your project remains unfinished, the potential is still ripe.
If youâve read My 8-Year Journey to Getting a Literary Agent, youâll already know it took me a while to get here. As the years went on and as projects got shelved, it started to feel like this dream would never come true for me. I think thatâs why I got stuck, more than once, at various stages of the writing process.
But Iâve learned that even if self-rejection feels safer in the momentâcounting yourself or your work out before giving it a chance succeed or failâitâs not the answer. We canât come this far not to see it through, right? Besides, a no today could be a yes tomorrow.
I am so glad I didnât give up, because what followed after I pushed through my edits and began querying was surreal and wonderful...
My Query Stats
Timeline Breakdown
Day 0: started querying (Aug 2025)
Day 0: first partial request
Day 2: first* full request
Day 6: first full sent
Day 7: first meeting request
Day 9: first meeting
Day 9: first offer
Day 19: last offer
Day 19: offer accepted (Sep 2025)
*This is the first full request from the âslush pileâ aka unsolicited queries. This is not counting the agent interest / invitations to query Iâd received through events leading up to this.
The Numbers at a Glance
Queries sent = 60
Form rejections = 11 (18.3%)
CNR* or withdrew = 23 (38.3%)
Requested material = 26 (43.3%)
Offers = 14 (23% of all queries, 54% of requested)
Total initial positive = 26 (43%)
Total initial negative = 34 (57%)
* CNR means âclosed, no responseâ which means you never heard from the agent in any capacity, not even a form rejection.
The Numbers: Requested Material*
Full requests = 24
Partial requests = 2
Pass after full = 5
Ghosted after full = 1
Ghosted after partial = 2
I withdrew* (w full out) = 2
Key:
Full request = agent requests the full manuscript after initial query
Partial request = agent requests more after initial query, but not the full
Ghosted = agent stops replying after initial interest, assume rejection
** I withdrew my query from two agents who had my full because I already had offers I was happy with and decided to bow out before asking too much of their time.
The Numbers: Meetings
Meeting requests = 16*
Meetings had = 14
Offers = 14
*The gap: There was one meeting request where the agent then went on to ghost! Another meeting I accepted then cancelled. Only reason being that this meeting was scheduled for a few days after all the others finished and, as I decided who I wanted to sign with, I thought it best to politely bow out.
The Numbers: Location*
Total queries = 60
US Queries = 36 (60%)
UK Queries = 24 (40%)
% by location of queries:
Form Rejection US = 9 (25%)
Form Rejection UK = 2 (8%)
CNR/Withdrew US = 18 (50%)
CNR/Withdrew UK = 5 (21%)
Offers US: 4 (11% of US queries)
Offers UK: 10 (42% of UK queries)
*Iâm an American living in the UK, so I queried agents on both sides!
What I Learned
Going through this experience taught me a lot, but I also have to acknowledge that luck and timing were on my side. Iâd like to put together a future post breaking down in more detail what I think helped me get here and tips for querying writers, but as this post is already quite long, Iâll save it for a future date!
In the meantime, here are some tips from a previous post:
I hope this was encouraging for anyone querying or preparing to (whether its your first or fifth+ time in the trenches). Itâs hard wondering when let alone if youâll get that yes, and the not knowing is enough to riddle even the best of us with doubt and imposter syndrome but remember: a no today could be a yes tomorrow.
Stay tuned for publisher stats next!
â¨Kate Emilieâ¨
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The MOST inspiring querying journey!
This is the exact kind of content and motivation I need đ