February 2015 Query Stats

By Sarena Ulibarri. 

Our first 2015 open submission period is now closed, and our new assistant editors Laura Harvey and Sarena Ulibarri are finished frolicking in the slush. After a month of long nights perusing the inbox, and several epic arm-wrestling matches, they are now retreating to their editing nests to read manuscripts and see which of their favorite queries will hatch into a wonderful book. Still following these metaphors? Well, we’re a bit cross-eyed from query-reading, so please forgive us.

Care to take a peek at what we received this month?

Queries received in total: 97
Length of query period: 28 days
Received as a result of an #AdPit request: 13

Form:

• Novels: 74
  
• Novellas: 16
  
• Short story collections: 7
  

 Audience (other than general adult):

• Young Adult: 14 
  
• New Adult: 4

 
Sub-genre within speculative fiction:

• Science fiction: 25
• Fantasy (total): 30
  • Primary-world fantasy (e.g. contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy): 10
  • Second-world fantasy (e.g. high fantasy): 17
  • Historical fantasy: 3
• Paranormal: 9
• Speculative*: 5
  
• Horror: 4
• Other Genres (literary, thriller, historical, etc.): 9
  
• Not mentioned or unclear**: 12
  

*Click here to read our blog post on what the catch-all term "speculative fiction" means.

**A few vampire stories fell into this category, since vampires can be either fantasy or horror, depending on how they are handled.

Common tropes and trends:

• Car Crashes (usually leading to some speculative consequence)
  
• Telepathy/Psychic Ability (just as common in science fiction as fantasy)
  
• Vampires (we do love vampires, though we only requested one of these)
  
• Djinn/Genie (the frequency of this one surprised us)

Response time (initial response to query letter):

• Shortest: 1 day
• Longest: 16 days

As of this writing, there are no February queries waiting for an initial response

Responses:

• Acceptances: None yet. It'll take us a few months to sort through everything.
• Request to read manuscript: 23 (24%)
  • Partial manuscript request: 8 (8%)
  • Full manuscript request: 15 (15%)
  • Requested by Laura Harvey: 11 (11%)
  • Requested by Sarena Ulibarri: 11 (11%)
  • Requested by Eileen Wiedbrauk: 0 (0%)

• Declined queries: 77 (79% to date; this number will increase)
  • Percentage of declined queries that received personal responses: 25%

Stats on requested manuscripts:

• Form:
  • Novel: 20
  • Novella:  1
  • Collection: 2

• Sub-genre:
  • Second-world fantasy: 35%
  • Science fiction: 26%
  • Primary-world fantasy: 17% 
  • Other or mixed: 22%

• Audience:
  • General adult: 70%
  • Young adult: 30%

Though both assistant editors requested manuscripts in several sub-genres, Laura Harvey requested the most second-world fantasy, and Sarena Ulibarri requested the most science fiction.

How many of these requested manuscripts will lead to published books? It’s hard to say. Editor-in-Chief Eileen Wiedbrauk estimates between one and five, but it will depend on how many of these query-eggs hatch into wonderful books, and whether Laura Harvey or Sarena Ulibarri think they can help those book-babies grow wings.

We will open for submissions again in June and September of 2015. Two anthologies are currently open: Far Orbit: Apogee until March 31, 2015, and Frozen Fairy Tales until May 15, 2015. Rumor has it that the next installment in Rhonda Parrish’s anthology series, Sirens, will also be open for submissions August 15 - November 15, 2015. 

Remember that the best way to get to know a publisher is to read what they've published, so while we're reading your books, please read some of ours.