When is it okay to re-query a literary agent? 📬

When, whether and how to resubmit your query

The querying process requires navigating a maze of confusing industry standards and expectations regarding what’s deemed acceptable and what’s considered taboo.

One specific aspect of querying etiquette that can be particularly confusing? The delicate matter of when and whether to re-query a literary agent.

Today, I’m setting the record straight with everything you need to know about re-querying agents, so you can present yourself professionally and maximize your chances of capturing an agent's attention.

Here are the questions we’ll cover:

• Can you re-query a literary agent after they’ve rejected you?

• Can you re-query an agent who previously rejected you for one project with a new one?

• When you do get a literary agent, will they represent a project they previously passed on?

• What should you do if an agent asks you to query them with a future project?

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Can you re-query an agent after they’ve rejected you?

I totally understand why authors ask this question — you’ve put a lot of effort into your manuscript and query package, and when you’ve found an agent who you believe could be a really great fit, of course you don’t want to give up on the possibility of working with them. At the same time, you don’t want to turn them off by re-querying them after they’ve rejected your manuscript already. So how do you navigate this?

There’s no black and white answer here, because the answer depends on your individual situation, as well as the agent’s own guidelines. So let’s walk through a few different scenarios:

1. You have not revised any part of the manuscript or the query materials: If you are essentially sending a copy of the exact same query that the agent already reviewed, I would not recommend re-querying them. They will have a record of your previous query and may recall it, then will be confused as to why you are sending them the same query after it was rejected.

2. You’ve revised your query materials, but not the manuscript: I still would not recommend re-querying an agent if you have only changed the language in your query letter and/or your synopsis. The most important aspect of your query — your pages — are still the same in this case, so you should trust that the agent has already given your book, in its current form, their full consideration.

3. You’ve substantially revised the manuscript: This is the situation in which some agents will be open to re-queries. Now, precisely how “substantially” the manuscript needs to be revised is a bit nebulous, but I typically like to use the following framework: