Querying. Ugh.

Everyone tried to warn me about querying my first manuscript to book agents.

It was as if the entire internet was screaming “QUERYING WILL PINCH YOUR HEART BETWEEN ITS FINGERS AND DROP YOU TO YOUR KNEES” and I was like… “Yeah, I’ve heard that, but most people who query are <insert stereotype about mistakes debut authors make in querying here> whereas I’m <insert misguided ridiculously-unfounded-in-reality overconfident rationale for why querying will be easy for me here>”.

I know.

What the hell was I thinking?

My querying journey has humbled me. It’s made me question my place in the world and my talent as a writer. It’s also forced me to sit back and take a hard look at the publishing landscape in 2026. Even querying advice on YouTube from as little as five years ago seems woefully out of date in today’s environment. One video (from 2019? 2020?) suggested that writers should expect a 25% manuscript request rate. Well, if 25% of my queries turned into requests, I’d be turning cartwheels in the street or offering free champagne to strangers on the sidewalk.

According to QueryTracker, the current manuscript request rate sits at 3.9%. Some agents’ request rate is as low as 0.2%, meaning for every 500 queries received, they request to read one.

Again, I know.

This has been an order of magnitude harder than I expected. I’m betting others feel the same. So to everyone else out there in the query trenches, I salute you. It takes thick skin to navigate this much rejection and keep pushing forward. But know that I’m out here rooting for you.

Kings.