PROOF that querying can lead to an offer at *any time*...
...because that's what happened to me.
Let's call a spade a spade: querying SUCKS. It's soul-sucking and exhausting and depressing. 💔
And that's exactly how I felt TWO WEEKS before my first agent offer and one month before the offer from my now-agent. I was ready to give up writing for good if my desi romcom MATCH ME IF YOU CAN (which previously had a different title) didn't get an offer of representation.
Two days before my first offer, I told my best friend how I didn't care about full/partial requests anymore because they never worked out, anyway.What was the point in hoping at all?
AND THEN, OUT OF NOWHERE, I GOT MY FIRST OFFER.
10 days into the first offer, I’d received 15+ step-asides from other agents. I started to doubt myself again—did nobody else want my book? On the final day of my deadline, I got my second offer from the agent I ultimately signed with. She's the best thing that's happened to me in my whole author career.
Three months later, Rachel sold my book to my dream publisher, and look where I am now!
The Swati from May 6th, 2022 could never have dreamed of this. But the Swati from this very moment knows that holding onto that hope and giving my blood, sweat, and tears for this despite every bone in my body telling me to give up?
That's what led to this incredible publishing journey I'm on now.
Moral of the story?
💛 Keep querying, if you can.
💛 Hold on to your dream.
💛 Have a solid strategy and find friends who will cheer you on and let you vent.
Because you NEVER know which query might turn into the best thing that could ever happen for you.
On June 15th, I'm hosting a Querying 101 workshop with a live Q&A plus live critiques. You'll learn my best tips to craft a request-worthy query letter, the mistakes I made early on in my publishing journey that you absolutely should not repeat, and how to create a solid querying strategy and mindset that works for YOU. A recorded replay will be sent your way later, even if you don't make it live.
Talk soon, and I hope to see your name on the attendee list!
Love hard & dream big,
Swati 💛