[PubQ] Querying Strategy After Unexpected Publication?
Hi Folks,
Using a throwaway account for the sake of privacy. This subreddit has been such a helpful and encouraging place. I appreciate y'all in advance for your input!
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Background:
I've been querying a nonfiction book for several months. Agents who read the full have generally praised the writing but passed for market/positioning reasons — essentially, they liked it but weren't confident they could sell it. And fair enough!
However, I just learned that an excerpt of the book will appear in a top-tier national publication in the coming months — one that has occasionally led to book deals.
Before this, I've had no platform beyond my professional background and no prior writing credits, so it's a meaningful change on my end. In hindsight, I wish I'd waited to query, but I had no idea it was coming!
Two questions:
- Is it appropriate to send a brief update to agents who previously passed on the full, letting them know about this development?
- For agents who never responded to the original query, is it reasonable to re-query with the update? And if so, should I acknowledge the prior query or just send a fresh one?
- If I do update agents, is it best to wait until after the piece has been published and I can send a hyperlink, or should I notify in advance that the piece is forthcoming on [insert date here]?
Thanks so much for any input!