How I Got My Literary Agent

This was how I ended my previous email, sent in June:

Dear reader, it did not die in the querying trenches—I actually got a literary agent!

If traditional publishing isn't something you're curious about, this newsletter is probably very, very boring.

So at the end of 2023, I decided that it was time for me to start working toward a dream that I had been putting off for years—writing a book. More specifically, a fantasy novel.

I first dreamed up the world of TBC years ago, but it wasn’t until November 2023, fresh off maternity leave, that I finally put it on paper. The story had been burning inside me, and I knew it was time to let it out.

Before TBC, I had one completed novel in Portuguese under my belt and a bunch of half-baked projects that never made it past the 20k-word mark (also in Portuguese). TBC, though, was different—it was my first real attempt at writing a full-length novel in English, and the first book I ever had the guts to query! What started as a private little experiment, something just for me, turned into something more. When I finally typed “THE END” on that rough draft, it hit me: “Hold on, maybe this actually has some real potential.”

When I first dipped my toes into the querying waters, I posted my query on Reddit (PubTips) and workshopped it through two or three versions. The advice I received was invaluable—it even made me rethink an entire subplot because the stakes just “weren’t there.” After revising that, I couldn’t stop tweaking my query, swapping out words and refining my comps along the way. Interestingly, all my full requests came from different versions of that ever-evolving query.

After rounds of editing and a few beta reads, I started querying in late March 2024 with 113k words in hand. The market was already flooded, and my word count wasn’t exactly ideal, so I kept my expectations low.

And then, there was the fear. English isn’t my first language, and imposter syndrome was gnawing at me. What if agents were laughing at my writing? What if they liked my manuscript but were put off by my accent on a call? To all the ESL writers out there, I SEE YOU.

I hit the trenches and created an X/Twitter account specifically for my querying/writing updates. Immersing myself in the writing community was the best move I could’ve made—without the support of my writer friends I’m not sure where I’d be today (you know who you are!). Being on Twitter was a game-changer—not just for building a supportive community but also for understanding the power of a solid one-liner pitch. When it came time to start my second project, I flipped my approach entirely: I started with the pitch, then crafted the query letter, and finally built out the outline.

In my first big batch of queries, I sent one to an agent who had made a lot of deals in my genre. Three days later, I got a rejection. Then, #QuestPit happened on Twitter. I had almost no followers and was new to the writing community, so no bites from agents that day. But a few days later, the agent who had rejected me actually liked my pitch! I DM’d them, submitted my query again, and a few days later, it turned into a full request.

Meanwhile, after a few query rejections, I revised my opening pages and sent the updated version to more agents. A few more full requests started rolling in, as well as a short, form rejection on a full, but otherwise, crickets!

Then, just a few hours before my birthday, I got my first full request after a month of silence (guess who it was from? Yep, my current agent. Best birthday gift ever.)

After that, the full requests poured in. At one point, I was juggling around 15 outstanding submissions. I kept updating that UK agent, and she was so responsive and lovely that I couldn’t help but feel this was it. By mid-June, I’m sure my writing friends were rolling their eyes at how much I raved about her and her assistant’s professionalism in every interaction.

On June 18, one of the agents who had my full manuscript sent a form rejection. By then, I’d gotten 2 or 3 full rejections, so while it stung, I was getting used to it. In a way, I always believed in TBC. Even if it wasn’t the book that would land me an agent, I was determined to revise it properly and make it stronger down the line. I knew it had potential, and I was eager to see it grow, no matter how long it took.

Most rejections cited a lack of editorial vision to improve the manuscript—nothing specific I could work on. So, I started working on my second project, both to take my mind off querying and to prepare for the worst—no offer for the first book and a new manuscript ready to query by September.

Then, three weeks later, I got a DM from the agent who had rejected my manuscript on June 18, saying the pass had been a mistake, and they wanted to set up a call.

Cue the whiplash.

A few days later, we had the call, and it was an offer of representation! Since this had initially been a rejection, the agent had a long list of edits they wanted before submission, but I was thrilled to have someone who loved my work and started nudging other agents.

Overnight, things went wild. I got five more full requests, bringing the total to 22 positive replies. Two business days later, I received a kind pass from one agent, saying my fantasy was too romantic for their list (fair enough!), and on the same day, I got an email from the agent who’d requested on my birthday, asking for a call.

There were definitely tears of joy shed that day.

On that call, I felt an immediate connection with both Megan and Annie. They just gotthe book—the characters, the world, the emotions, and the message I wanted to convey. Some of the edits we discussed were things I was already working on behind the scenes. I had this strong gut feeling that I couldn’t be in better hands.

So, on my deadline, August 5, I signed with Megan Carroll from Watson, Little! We’re deep into edits now, and I can’t wait to see how this story evolves, and I’m so thankful that she’s championing my story!

If you want to know more about my writing, you can find me on Twitter.

Love,

Mariana