Can I Query Agents After Self-Publishing?

It’s a common question among authors who’ve chosen the self-publishing route but still dream of landing a traditional deal. While the answer isn’t always clear-cut, there are important factors to consider before sending your query letter. Let’s take a closer look at how your book’s performance and approach could impact your chances.

As for which route to choose in the first place, consider your overarching goals. If getting your book in a bookstore and having representation feels crucial, you might want to publish traditionally. If you’d prefer to publish faster and don’t want to wait for acceptance—and you’re seeking more creative control—you might want to self-publish.

Note that traditional publishing doesn’t guarantee sales, and indie authors can sell quite well if they have strong marketing skills and a manuscript that resonates with readers.

Approaching Agents with a Self-Published Book

Generally speaking, agents aren’t interested in self-published novels unless they’ve gained significant traction.

If your book hasn’t performed exceptionally well, you do have the option of querying as if the book is unpublished, then seeing how it goes. But you will have to disclose this information once you’ve secured an agent’s interest (Friedman 2017).

If you’ve received strong reviews and demonstrated an active readership, an agent may see potential for broader distribution. In this case, be upfront in your query, providing concrete numbers and explaining why your book deserves a wider reach. In the meantime, I’d continue to actively market your novel and find ways to get your novel noticed.

Querying with a New Manuscript

If your self-published book didn’t attract significant attention, querying with a new manuscript might be the best strategy. After all, most agents are seeking unpublished works. This is the best way to secure a traditional publishing deal.

Try Querying First

If your ultimate goal is traditional publishing, you may want to exhaust your querying efforts before self-publishing. There’s no exact number of agents you need to query before deciding to go indie, and it depends on how long you want to wait overall.

As it takes about 4-6 weeks to receive a response, I’d recommend crafting a personalized query and sending it out to a handful of agents at a time (Zieba 2020). This will ensure a more focused approach, as it’s super important to query to agents who represent your genre and show them why you’re a fit.

Crafting a Personalized Query

In addition to my editorial services, I do provide query packages to help you secure a traditional publishing deal. I’m happy to help regardless of where you are in the process and whether you plan to self-publish or publish traditionally. Let me know how I can be of assistance along the way.