Is There a Wrong Time of Year to Query?

I hear a lot of people talking about whether it’s the “right” time of year to query, especially as it concerns the end of the year and its associated holidays. 

I don’t believe that there’s a “right” or “wrong” time of year to query, so this isn’t necessarily a helpful way to think about sending in your queries. 

The reality is that agents work on different schedules - some of them may take off around the end-of-year holidays, others might use that break from their day job in order to look at queries. You just don’t know--plus, your query is going into their slush pile once you send it, and it will get read when it’s read. 

There are exceptions to this, of course. Like I said in this post, always make sure to check whether an agent is open to queries before you send it. A bad time of year to send a query is...when an agent is closed to queries. Sometimes, entire agencies shut down for the holidays - make sure you check both an agent’s page and the main submissions page for the agency to ensure this isn’t the case. 

I also encourage querying writers to check agent’s twitter accounts. Not just to see if they’re closed, but also to see if they’re posting about their preferences for querying authors. Some agents might not be formally closed for the end of the year, but they might tweet that they would prefer that authors wait until the new year to query. If an agent communicates their preferences in this regard, be courteous and follow them!  

Other than that, send your queries when you can. If you have off for the holidays and finally have time to send in some queries? Do it! The vast majority of agents are, I believe, sensitive to and respectful of the fact that querying writers aren’t full-time writers (yet!). Just like agents, writers have to get to querying when they can. 

So don’t be shy- if an agent isn’t closed, query them when you can!