You’ve done the hard work of creating your picture book manuscript or dummy, and now it’s time to take the next big step—querying an agent. In this post, we’ll cover the process of querying, what agents are looking for, and how to craft a compelling query letter. I’ll also share some resources to help you navigate this exciting phase of your picture book journey.

How the Querying Process Works


Let’s start with an overview of how the querying process works. When you want to publish a picture book traditionally, the first step is to find a literary agent. Large publishers do not accept work from regular people like you and me. Instead, they let the literary agents read through the piles of submissions and bring them the best. On the writers side, a good agent will read through contracts and make sure you’re getting the best deals possible.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the process:

Write your book: if you’re an author or Create your dummy: if you’re an author/illustrator
Query an Agent: You send your query letter and picture book manuscript or dummy to literary agents who represent children’s books.
Agent Queries Editors: If an agent decides to represent you, they will then submit your work to editors at publishing houses.
Editors Pitch to Publishers: The editor will review your book, and if they’re interested, they’ll pitch it to the publishing team. The publisher then decides whether or not to acquire your book.

This is a long process with a lot of gate-keepers. It’s hard work to get published by traditional publishers, and your book needs to be appealing to a lot of people and market interests in order to get through the gauntlet. But the first step of this process is to query an agent.

What do you need to query?

Once you start the querying process, you’ll find out that almost every agent asks for different things, so before you start I think you should gather these things into a folder on your computer so you are ready to copy/paste what each agent asks for. It’s really important when you query to give agents what they specifically ask for because you don’t want them to throw out your submission because you didn’t follow instructions. First thing to know: these agents get SO MANY QUERIES. Some might get hundreds every month. They want to see the things they ask for.

• Your query letter
• Your manuscript (prepared in Times New Roman, double spaced)
• Your dummy as a pdf. You may need to have this available online somewhere for agents to download. Some agents will not open attachments.
• A short pitch (1-2 sentences to hook readers)
• Synopsis (A one-page or less summary of everything that happens in your book)
• A one-page portfolio sample for illustrators with 5 art pieces on it.
• A short bio

I get all these things and put them into a folder to have them all handy when I’m querying.

So… What Is a Query Letter?


A query letter is a one-page letter that introduces you and your book to an agent. It’s your chance to make a strong first impression and convince the agent that your book is worth their time. It is a business letter, and should be kept professional.

Your query letter should include:
A Hook: A compelling opening that grabs the agent’s attention. This could be a brief, intriguing summary of your book or a statement about why your story is unique. This is the sentence that will make the agent read the next sentence.

A Brief Summary: A short, clear description of your picture book. Include the main character, the central conflict, and what makes your story stand out.

Your Bio: A few sentences about yourself, especially if you have relevant experience or credentials in writing, illustrating, or other creative fields.

Closing: A polite conclusion, thanking the agent for their time and consideration.

Remember, your query letter is your first opportunity to show your writing skills, so make it polished and professional.

What an Agent Wants to See


Agents are looking for stories that are unique, marketable, and well-crafted. Here’s what they typically want to see when you query them:
An Interesting Story: Your story needs to be unique, special, and well-written with a clear story-arc. If you want help coming up with a great story idea, watch this video. (idea video).

Polished Writing: Agents expect your manuscript to be well-edited and as close to final as possible. Don’t skip the editing stage of writing. If you want some tips on editing, check out this video (editing video).

Market Potential: Agents consider whether your book has a strong market appeal. They’ll think about whether it fits within current trends while still standing out as fresh and original.

A Professional Dummy: Your picture book dummy should be organized, with finished art samples and clear, refined sketches for the remaining pages. It should give a solid sense of how the final book will look. This video can show you how a dummy should look.

Resources

A couple of resources I used when querying were…
PublishersWeekly.com: If you join this website for a month, you can learn so much about agents and deals. One of the features I loves was being able to sort the agents by how many pictures books they sold in the last year. This is helpful in finding out which agents to query. You can also find out who was the agent of a particular book, if yours is similar. Publishers Weekly also has all the publishing news, so you can see what books are being sold and published.

ManuscriptWishlist.com is a good resource to search as well, as you are researching agents. Many agents will post the kinds of books they are looking for, so be sure to see if the agent you are looking at is wanting a picture book (if that is what you are pitching). Sometimes agents only want certain types of books at the time.

QueryTracker.net: This website helps you find and track literary agents. You can search for agents who represent picture books, see their submission guidelines, and keep track of your queries. A good number of agents use querytracker.net as the place you need to submit your query from, so it’s good to have your own login and all the queries submitted through them can be tracked by you.

That’s another piece of the querying puzzle. If you want to use querytracker, that can work as a record of your queries, but you will need to keep track of your queries and what agents you are interested in somehow. Some agencies only want you to send a query to one agent, and other guidelines like this, so you need to keep track of what you’re sending out. I know you want to think the first query you send out will get you a publishing deal, but in reality, you might be querying for a long time. Keep good records.

To help you with tracking your queries, I have made a spreadsheet that I am happy to share with you.

As for my own querying journey, I queried Storm Trucks to 65 different agents. Spoiler alert – I didn’t get an agent and decided to move towards self-publishing, which is what this series of posts will explore next. 

Querying an agent is a huge step in your publishing journey. By understanding the process, crafting a strong query letter, and knowing what agents are looking for, you can increase your chances of finding the right agent for your book.