Sharing my querying spreadsheet template
Some thoughts on writing as a business, plus your opportunity to be a freak in the sheets
As some of you may know by now, I have an agent! I queried my wonderful agent back in November and signed with her in December. At another time, I might write more thoroughly about my querying journey, but for now I’m just focusing on a specific line of thought: querying is a business. (In that vein of thinking, I’ve also linked my querying spreadsheet template at the bottom of this post!)
In this current season of writing, I’ve spent some time ruminating on this post from
in her Substack , where she wrote about the difference between writing and the business of writing. I’ve found it helpful to conceptualize the division between the art that I create, and the administrative-business tasks that are required to publish.Conceptualizing these as two separate realms has helped to remind me that
success in writing does not necessarily equal success in the business of writing;
no one is forcing me to be in the business of writing; and
if I want to be in this business, then I should approach it accordingly and with a business mindset.
I’m quite new to both writing and the business of writing, but I hope that reminding myself of this divide will help me to avoid falling into resentment when outcomes don’t go my way. At the very least, so far it has helped me avoid feeling resentful at the many non-writing administrative tasks that have popped up since I began this journey, such as tracking my queries, and creating a separate email account, and learning about LLCs and how to set one up. These tasks have required substantial time and can feel, at moments, like a second job.
But I have avoided complaining so far.1 My agent sibling
has written, “No one owes you success in publishing,” and that sentiment is particularly understandable when I recognize that no one owes me success in business, period. You could be a great chef, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll run a good restaurant.2 But you can do your best to learn the business side of the restaurant industry. So right now, I’m choosing to engage in this business and to do my best to create the conditions for a good outcome. I’m trying not to complain about the necessary tasks for the business that I want to be in. And I remind myself that whether good or bad, the business outcome is not a full reflection of who I am as a writer.
Which brings me to the spreadsheet. Querying falls on the business side of it, so I support the use of business tools.3 More specifically, I endorse a spreadsheet of some sort for your querying journey for three reasons:
First, while I used QueryTracker and got the premium subscription for the period, having my own spreadsheet allowed me to track the information that I really needed, such as whether an agent was a favorite for me or other authors that they represented.
Second, it allowed me to track my queries without getting dragged into the tea-leaf reading of the QueryTracker timeline, which allows you to see all the other people who are getting responses while you wait with bated breath.
Third, I wanted some kind of system that I owned that I’d be able to refer to in the future.
Anyway, here’s the link to the spreadsheet. It uses some conditional formatting to automatically color-code, and you can see the columns that were most helpful to me. You should be able to copy-paste the sheets or download the file; if you have issues let me know!
What I’m Currently Reading: Flux by Jinwoo Chong.
Obviously, it is easier to avoid complaining when you are successful. To all of you struggling in the trenches of querying or submission, I am rooting for you! And to those of us who have succeeded so far: remember that it may not last forever, as everyone tells me that publishing is a fickle mistress! When I forget that sentiment, I head over to the bargain box of my nearby used bookstore, where I gaze upon the reams of lovingly-penned books now forgotten by the world: Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! / Nothing beside remains.
See, e.g., Seasons 1-3 of Hulu series The Bear.
My fiancé is a former consultant. I have not asked him for his thoughts on this thoughts on this sheet, as he will undoubtably express disdain for my work.
Thank you!!!! 💛