From Query to Book Deal! Fall Fifteener Stats!

stats. stats. STATS! So. You want to know how many queries it takes to get an agent? How many months you'll be on sub for? And OMG how long does it take to negotiate a publishing contract? Well, I don’t have the exact answers for your journey. But, good news: you'll get a good picture of how all over the board OR how similar the query to book deal journeys were for the Fall Fifteeners! Rest assured, stats-hungry queriers and on-sub writers, you can get your STATS FIX here!

Note: Eighteen Fall Fifteeners participated in this survey but were not required to answer every question.

QUERY TRENCHES

1.         Is your debut the same book you queried your agent with?

            YES: 12           NO: 6

The book you query with might not be your debut!

2.         Do you have an agent?

            YES: 17           NO: 1

3.         Is this your first, second, or third agent?

            1^st:  12              2^nd:  4              3^rd:  2

4.         How many queries did you send before signing with your agent?

            0-25:  6          26-50:  7        51-75:  1        76-120:  3

How many queries does it take?

ONCE YOU GET AN AGENT

1.         How many revisions did you do with your agent?

            0:  2                1:  2                2:  11              3: 2

2.         How long was it before your book was ready to go on sub?

            1-4 weeks:  6             5-10 wks:  1              
            11-16 wks:  5            16-20 wks:  1

3.         How many books did you have on sub that didn’t sell?

            0:  10              1:  3                2:  3                3:  1

SUB TRENCHES 

1.         Were there any other offers aside from your book deal?   

            YES:  6                        NO:  10

2.         Was there an auction for your book?

            YES:  4                        NO:  12

3.         So. How long was it from the day you went on sub to the day of your offer?

            0-1 month:  8                        2-4 mths:  4              
            5-8 mths:  3                          9-14 mths:  2

How many months must one endure the pain, the excitement, the agony?

4.         Did you ever cry on sub? 

            YES:  11          NO:  5

5.         Did you ever use comfort foods/desserts/drinks to ease your rejection pain?

            YES:  11          NO:  4

           

6.         Mmmmm…what kind? Popular answers were…

            Diet coke! Macadamia nuts! Ice cream! Wine! Beer!

THE REAL DEAL 

1.         How many books did your publisher buy?

            1:  10              2:  7                3:  1               

2.         How long was it from the day your pub offered until you signed the contract?                 

            0-1 month:  3             1.5-3 mths:  9                       
            4-5 mths:  4               6-9 mths:  2

The wait is over...contract signed!

3.         How long from contract signing to RELEASE DAY?

            11-12 mths: 4           13-15 mths: 3                      
            16-20 mths: 6           21-24 mths: 5

4.         In what age category is your book?

            YA:  15            MG:  3

5.         What genres and sub-genres are represented in these book deals? Contemporary, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Steampunk, Sci-Fi, Southern Gothic, and Magical Realism!

       

6.         What was your word count at time of offer? (all numbers rep YAs except where noted)

            34k-38k:  3 (MG)      50k-60k:  3                61k-70k:  3               
            71k-80k:  6                81k-90k:  2                91k-100k:  1

How long are these Fall 15er books anyway?

BONUS:           More details on what’s in your book please!  

Thanks so much to everyone for coming by the Fall Fifteeners blog today! We've obsessed over stats and even though you won't listen...don't obsess too much over these. It's all in good fun. Happy querying and happy on-subbing! 

Stats compiled and fancified for your viewing pleasure by Ami Allen-Vath, author of Prom Bitch, releasing November 2015. Special thanks to all the Fall Fifteeners for participating, and to my husband who was my charts & graphs associate.