A Positive and Productive Mindset When Querying: Get a Literary Agent

This article explains how to stay motivated while querying literary agents, how to keep your confidence intact, and how to stay productive in the ways that actually improve your odds of getting a literary agent. It’s part of our free Guide to Getting a Literary Agent, written by a former literary agent with 30 years of experience in the publishing industry—not only as an agent, but also as the former Marketing & Licensing Manager of a well-known book publisher, and as an author coach and consultant who has helped 400+ writers get literary agents and/or traditional publishers since 2011.

QUICK SUMMARY: STAYING POSITIVE AND PRODUCTIVE WHILE QUERYING LITERARY AGENTS

Trying to get a literary agent is difficult because traditional publishing is subjective, slow, and unpredictable—even when your book is strong and your query letter is well written. Writers often misinterpret literary agent rejections as personal judgments, assume that early “no’s” predict the final outcome, or lose momentum by focusing on what they can’t control (agent preferences, response times, and the market).

The key to staying positive while querying isn’t forcing constant optimism—it’s understanding how literary agents make decisions, staying grounded in reality, and keeping your attention on what you can control: the quality of your submissions, the clarity of your positioning, the strength of your query materials, and consistent querying. The writers who get agents most often are the ones who protect their creative momentum, keep submitting strategically, and persist long enough for their work to reach the right advocate.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Rejection from literary agents is normal and often reflects fit, timing, list needs, or market confidence—not your worth as a writer.
• Silence from literary agents is common and usually means the project wasn’t right for that agent or they were overwhelmed with volume.
• One enthusiastic “yes” from the right agent outweighs countless “no’s.”
• Publishing is often a meritocracy and often subjective at the same time—both things can be true.
• Agents look for projects they can sell confidently, not just “good writing,” which is why strong books still get rejected.
• The most productive mindset is focusing on what you can control: submission quality, agent targeting, consistency, and volume.
• Overthinking rejections can lead to unnecessary revisions; consistent querying is usually a better use of energy.
• Writing your next book while querying is one of the best ways to stay motivated and protect your long-term career.
• Successful writers treat querying as part of the job, not a personal referendum on their talent.
• A writing career is built over years, not months—persistence creates opportunities that quitters never reach.

This guide is organized into clear sections with short, focused ideas you can return to whenever you need them. The goal is not only to help you understand the process better, but also to help you stay grounded, focused, and productive while you pursue representation. The bottom line: improve your odds of getting a literary agent.

Table of Contents

• Trust Yourself and Your Preparation
• Understand the Game You’re Playing
• Rejection Is Normal (and Necessary)
• Don’t Take Rejection Personally
• Myths Debunked
• Control What You Can Control
• Manage the Emotional Rollercoaster
• Things Successful Writers Tend to Do Differently
• Persistence Can Be More Important Than Talent
• Tough Love
• Maintain a Long-Term Perspective

The Mental Part of Getting a Literary Agent

Your primary job as a writer seeking representation and publication isn’t to predict the outcome—it’s to keep your work moving forward.

Trust Yourself and Your Preparation

Before you can stay productive during the query process, you need a stable foundation: trust in your reading life, your writing instincts, and the work you’ve already done.

1. You have spent years learning what good writing looks like. Every book you’ve read and every story that moved you helped shape your sense of what works on the page. That experience matters, even if you sometimes forget it during the submission process.
2. Confidence does not mean certainty—it means continuing anyway. Very few writers feel completely sure of themselves while querying. Confidence is simply the decision to keep moving forward despite uncertainty.
3. A few opinions do not define the value of your work. Agents can only respond from their own perspective, interests, and market considerations. Their decisions do not represent the final word on your manuscript.
4. The right advocate will recognize what others may miss. Publishing success often begins when one person sees the potential in a project and chooses to champion it. Your task is to keep giving your work the chance to reach that person.
5. Your job is to keep showing up for your work. That means writing, revising, submitting, and continuing to develop your craft. Consistent effort over time creates the conditions where opportunities can emerge.
6. Doubt is part of the process, but it should not control the outcome. Most writers experience moments of uncertainty, especially during querying. What matters is refusing to let those moments stop you from continuing the journey.

Once you’re grounded in your own preparation, it becomes easier to see the publishing process clearly—without reading rejection as a personal verdict.

Understand the Game You’re Playing

Traditional publishing has rules—some spoken, many unspoken. This section clarifies how literary agents think about marketability, timing, and fit so you can interpret responses accurately.

1. Publishing is often a meritocracy. Good writing, a compelling concept, and a strong manuscript matter. Writers should not lose sight of that, especially when the process feels confusing or unfair.
2. Publishing is often subjective. Personal taste, market conditions, timing, and individual agent preferences can also affect outcomes. A strong project can still get different reactions from different people. Many agents will tell you that.
3. A rejection is a business decision, not necessarily a verdict on your talent. An agent may pass for reasons that have little or nothing to do with your ability. It usually means the project was not right for that particular person at that particular time.
4. Literary agents reject good books every day. Agents pass on projects they respect, admire, and even enjoy because they do not feel confident enough to take them on. Liking a book is not always the same as being able to represent it successfully.
5. Timing matters more than most writers realize. A project can be well written and still struggle due to timing. The same manuscript might get a different response six months earlier or later.
6. Market fit can be just as important as writing quality. A manuscript may be strong on the page but difficult to position in the current marketplace. Agents have to think not only about what they like, but also about what editors are likely to buy.

Once you understand the business reality, the next step is to normalize rejection—so it stops hijacking your confidence and your productivity.

Rejection Is Normal (and Necessary)

Rejection is not a sign you’re doing it wrong—it’s a standard feature of the querying process. This section helps you stay emotionally steady by remembering what rejection usually means (and what it doesn’t).

1. Getting a request means you’re on the right track. When agents ask for partials or full manuscripts, it signals that something about your submission captured their attention. Even if representation doesn’t follow immediately, any request is an encouraging indicator.
2. Getting no requests doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong track. Some books are “simply” harder to get requests for. That doesn’t mean you won’t make it. You only need one request to make it.
3. Rejection is the admission price to traditional publishing. Nearly every traditionally published author encountered rejection before securing representation or a book deal. It is not a detour from the process—it is part of the process.
4. Silence usually means the project simply wasn’t right for that agent. Agents receive far more submissions than they can respond to individually. In many cases, silence reflects time constraints or fit rather than a strong judgment about your manuscript.
5. Form rejections are normal and not a personal judgment. Because agents manage large volumes of queries, standardized responses are common. A brief reply usually reflects workflow efficiency, not lack of respect for your work.
6. Rejection often says more about the marketplace than the manuscript. Agents must consider trends, editor demand, and positioning in addition to writing quality. A project can be strong but still difficult to place in the current market.

Rejection becomes much easier to handle when you stop personalizing it and start understanding the decision-making behind it.

Don’t Take Rejection Personally

Writers often interpret agent rejections as a judgment of their talent or their future. This section helps you depersonalize “no” responses by understanding what agents actually need in order to say yes.

1. A few early rejections do not reveal the fate of your manuscript. Writers sometimes assume the first responses predict the final outcome. In reality, the right advocate may simply not have seen the project yet.
2. If one agent rejects your work, it does not mean all agents will feel the same way. Different agents respond to different voices, concepts, and genres. The same manuscript can inspire enthusiasm in one person and indifference in another.
3. An agent’s list shapes what they can take on. Agents have to consider how a new project fits with their existing clients, specialties, interests, and workload. A pass may simply mean the project is not a practical fit for that agent’s current list.
4. Sometimes the reason for rejection is simply “I already represent something similar.” In that case, the agent may be protecting an existing client relationship or avoiding internal competition on their own list. The rejection may have little to do with whether your book is strong or publishable.
5. Agents generally can’t take on books they simply “like” or “like a lot” that they believe deserves to be published. They must “fall in love” with a book to commit to the author. Representation is a long-term professional relationship that often requires months or years of effort. To invest that much energy, most agents need a level of enthusiasm strong enough to sustain advocacy through the ups and downs of submission and beyond.

Once you understand what rejections usually mean, you can let go of the most common myths that make querying feel heavier than it needs to be.

Myths Debunked

Writers carry misinformation into the query process, which can fuel anxiety and poor decisions. This section debunks common myths about agents, query letters, and what rejection “means,” so you can stay clear-headed and productive.

1. You don’t need every agent to love your book. You only need one who truly does. Representation happens when the right agent feels strongly enough to champion your work. A long list of rejections does not matter once the right person says yes.
2. You don’t need to be positive or believe you’re going to make it—to make it. You do need to keep querying. Many writers who eventually succeed experience periods of doubt, frustration, or discouragement. What matters most is continuing to put your work in front of agents.
3. A form rejection does not mean an agent dismissed your work carelessly. Agents receive enormous volumes of submissions and often rely on form responses to manage the workload. A brief reply usually reflects time constraints, not disrespect.
4. You don’t have to be perfect to get a literary agent. You have to be compelling. Agents are often drawn to projects that feel fresh, engaging, or meaningful, even if they are not flawless. What matters most is whether the book excites them enough to represent it.
5. Agents are not looking for reasons to reject books—they’re hoping to find one they love. Agents make a living by discovering projects they can sell and champion. Every query they open is another opportunity to find something worth pursuing.
6. Querying widely does not make you desperate—it makes you thorough. Finding representation is partly a numbers game. Expanding your reach increases the likelihood that your manuscript will reach the right agent.

With the myths out of the way, the next move is simple: put your attention where it can actually change outcomes.

Control What You Can Control

The fastest way to stay productive while querying is to focus on what you can influence and release what you can’t. This section helps you stop obsessing over agent response times and start strengthening what improves your odds.

1. Don’t waste time and energy on what you can’t control. You cannot control whether agents reply, how quickly they respond, or what they ultimately decide. Focusing on those things drains your energy without improving your chances.
2. Getting emotional about submissions rarely helps you become more productive. Frustration, anger, or discouragement can make the process feel heavier than it needs to be. Protecting your mindset helps you stay focused on actions that actually move your career forward.
3. If you’re going to feel discouraged about submissions, wait until you’ve queried every possible prospect. Many writers become discouraged after only a handful of attempts. Give your manuscript a full opportunity to reach the right agent before drawing conclusions.
4. Stay focused on what you can control, such as the quality of your submissions. Strong query letters, polished manuscripts, and thoughtful targeting of agents can significantly improve your odds. These are areas where effort and preparation truly matter.
5. Control the pace of your effort, even if you cannot control the pace of responses. You can decide how consistently you research agents, send queries, and move forward. Taking steady action keeps you focused on progress rather than waiting.
6. Keep learning while you pursue representation. Reading industry advice, studying successful books in your genre, and improving your craft all strengthen your position over time. Growth is one of the few variables fully within your control.
7. Focus on building momentum instead of chasing perfect outcomes. Every improvement you make to your writing, submissions, or platform increases your chances over the long term. Small steps forward accumulate in meaningful ways.
8. Get help. Feedback from experienced writers, editors, or publishing professionals can strengthen your materials and help you avoid common mistakes. Improving your submission package can make a meaningful difference.

Even when you’re doing everything “right,” the query process can still mess with your head—so let’s address the emotional side directly.

Manage the Emotional Rollercoaster

The emotional ups and downs of querying can distract you from the work that actually moves your career forward. This section offers simple ways to stay steady and protect your creative energy while you pursue representation.

1. Querying magnifies self-doubt—even for experienced writers. Waiting for responses, receiving rejections, and facing uncertainty can shake anyone’s confidence. Remember that these feelings are a normal part of the process and not a reliable measure of your manuscript’s potential.
2. Avoid checking your inbox obsessively. Constantly refreshing your email can make the process feel more stressful than it needs to be. Give yourself space by checking responses at set times instead of throughout the day.
3. Protect your creative momentum while querying. Do not let the submission process drain the energy that fuels your writing. Keep your focus on the creative work that brought you this far in the first place.
4. Writing the next book is the best therapy during the submission process. Starting a new project keeps your mind moving forward instead of dwelling on responses you cannot control. It also strengthens your long-term career as a writer.
5. Build a support system of other writers and/or publishing professionals who understand the journey. People who have been through the process can provide perspective, encouragement, and practical advice. You do not have to navigate the ups and downs alone.
6. Celebrate small wins like requests for pages. Requests show that agents see potential in your work and want to learn more. Acknowledging these moments can help maintain motivation during a long process.

Once you’re emotionally steadier, it’s easier to adopt the habits that successful writers use to stay productive over the long haul.

Things Successful Writers Tend to Do Differently

Writers who eventually get agents and book deals tend to share a few habits—regardless of genre or background. This section highlights the behaviors that help authors stay productive, resilient, and forward-moving during the submission process.

1. Successful writers treat querying as part of the job, not a personal trial. They understand that rejection and uncertainty are normal features of the publishing process. Instead of internalizing every response, they focus on the work itself.
2. Successful writers separate their identity from the outcome of a single manuscript. A rejection of one project does not define their ability or future. This perspective helps them remain resilient during the process.
3. Successful writers continue improving their craft while pursuing representation. They read widely, write consistently, and keep learning. Growth in skill often compounds over time.
4. Successful writers keep their work circulating instead of waiting passively for results. They send queries, follow submission guidelines, and maintain momentum. Progress comes from steady action.
5. Successful writers stay focused on the long game instead of one round of submissions. A writing career unfolds over years, not weeks. Patience and persistence help sustain that journey.
6. Successful writers learn from the process without letting it destroy their confidence. They stay open to insight while protecting their belief in the work. Balance helps them remain productive.
7. Successful writers keep writing while their current book is being queried. A new project keeps their creativity moving forward. It also ensures that one manuscript does not carry the weight of their entire career.
8. Successful writers keep going long after many others have stopped. Persistence often becomes the quiet advantage that eventually leads to success.

The longer you stay in the game, the more chances your book has to reach the right agent—so let’s talk directly about persistence.

Persistence Can Be More Important Than Talent

Many writers assume success comes down to talent alone, but persistence often plays a bigger role in who ultimately gets represented. This section reinforces why staying in the query process—long enough—can change outcomes.

1. The longer you stay in the query process, the more chances your book has to find the right agent. Every additional well-chosen query is another opportunity for your manuscript to reach someone who connects with it. A book cannot be championed by an agent who never gets the chance to see it.
2. One enthusiastic “yes” outweighs a long string of “no’s.” You do not need dozens of agents to love your work. You need one good agent with genuine enthusiasm, belief, and a clear sense of how to position your book.
3. Some books find representation quickly; others find it later. A slow start does not mean a failed outcome. Sometimes success comes only after your query reaches the person whose taste, timing, and list are the right fit.
4. A discouraging start does not determine the final outcome. Early responses can shape your mood, but they do not predict the end of the story. Writers often assume the first batch of replies reveals everything, when in fact it may reveal very little.
5. Writers who keep going often reach opportunities that others never do. Many writers stop querying too early, before their work has had a real chance to circulate. Persistence creates possibilities that simply do not exist for people who leave the process too soon.

Persistence is powerful—but it also requires a clear-eyed acceptance of reality. That’s what the next section is for.

Tough Love

Sometimes the most encouraging thing a writer can hear is the truth stated plainly. This section offers tough love for authors querying literary agents: what’s hard, what’s real, and what still makes success possible.

1. It’s true that you might not get a literary agent, even if you’re persistent and query every possible agent. But you sure as you-know-what won’t make it if you stop querying. Success in publishing is never guaranteed. What you can control is whether your work continues to circulate and create opportunities.
2. Wanting to be published is not enough; you must keep putting your work in front of decision-makers. Agents cannot champion manuscripts they never see. Action matters far more than intention.
3. Talent alone rarely carries a writer to the finish line without persistence. Many strong writers abandon the process early because the rejection feels discouraging. Those who keep going often reach opportunities others never see.
4. Many writers blame their material or the industry when the real problem is that they “simply” stopped too soon. Publishing is difficult, but persistence often separates the writers who succeed from those who fade out of the process.
5. Think and feel less—query more. If you prepared well before you began querying, your best move is usually to keep submitting rather than overthinking every response. Action reduces anxiety and keeps you moving forward.

Finally, zoom out. A long-term view makes every rejection easier to handle—and every next step clearer.

Maintain a Long-Term Perspective

Querying feels intense because it compresses hope, uncertainty, and ambition into a small window of time. This final mindset anchor helps you keep perspective, stay motivated, and remember that a writing career is built over years.

1. A writing career is measured in years, not months. Publishing moves slowly, and meaningful progress often takes time. Writers who think long-term are better able to stay steady during the inevitable ups and downs of the process.
2. One project does not define your future as an author. Some manuscripts find representation quickly, while others do not. Either way, your growth and opportunities as a writer continue beyond any single book.
3. Many bestselling authors were rejected repeatedly early on. Rejection is a common part of the journey to publication. What later appears to be an overnight success is often the result of years of persistence and development.
4. The goal is not just getting an agent—it’s building a sustainable writing career. Representation is an important step, but it is only one stage of a much longer journey. The habits you build now will shape your future as a writer.
5. Every project improves your skill and strengthens your chances. Each manuscript deepens your craft, clarifies your voice, and expands your experience. Over time, those gains compound in ways that can open new opportunities.
6. You—and only you—will ultimately decide if your book is published. Though agents control who gets a major publisher, you can write and pitch more than one book. You can pitch legitimate publishers that don’t require agents. And, as a last resort, you can self-publish. Start at the top, but don’t tell yourself that you’re a total failure if you don’t get a literary agent. Those who make it to the Olympics but don’t win a medal aren’t failures. Neither are those who don’t make it to the Olympics. All we can all do is our best.

The Bottom Line

Getting a literary agent is rarely a straight line. It’s a process that tests your patience, magnifies self-doubt, and tempts you to overthink every rejection or non-response. The writers who come out the other side most often are not the ones who felt confident every day—they’re the ones who stayed grounded in reality, focused on what they could control, protected their creative momentum, and kept submitting long enough for their work to reach the right advocate.

If you want to increase your odds, don’t try to “emotion” your way into better results. Improve what’s improvable (your query, pages, positioning, agent list, and platform if relevant), then keep moving. Treat querying like a campaign, not a verdict. One enthusiastic yes can erase a long trail of no’s—and the only way to find that yes is to keep showing up.

I can help you apply all of this to your specific project (fiction, nonfiction, or kidlit) and create or improve your query letter, submission package, and agent-targeting strategy. To talk through the smartest next steps for your book—and anything else related to you getting a literary agent—set up a coaching or consulting call on my Literary Agent Advice page. I’ve never met an author, book, or set of pitch materials I couldn’t help—and I’d be happy to help you.

Next Steps

This article about “How to Stay Positive and Productive While Querying Literary Agents” was written by a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark Malatesta is the creator of The Directory of Book Agents, host of Ask a Publishing Agent, and founder of Literary Agent Undercover and The Bestselling Author.

Mark has helped hundreds of authors get offers from literary agents and/or traditional publishers. Writers of all Book Genres have used our Book Agent Advice coaching/consulting to get Top Literary Agents at the Best Literary Agencies on our List of Literary Agents.

The Bestselling Author, LLC

Established in 2011, The Bestselling Author has helped 400+ authors get literary agents and/or traditional publishers. Writers who’ve worked with Literary Agent Undercover, a division of The Bestselling Author, have gotten six-figure book deals; been on the New York Times bestseller list; had their books adapted for TV, stage, and feature film; had their work licensed in 40+ countries; and sold many millions of books.

Notable authors include Nelson Johnson, author of Boardwalk Empire, which Martin Scorsese produced for HBO; Leslie Lehr, author of A Boob’s Life, which is currently being adapted for an HBO Max TV series by Salma Hayek; and Scott LeRette, author of The Unbreakable Boy, which was published by Thomas Nelson and is now a major motion picture by Lionsgate starring Patricia Heaton, Zachary Levi, and Amy Acker.

The founder of The Bestselling Author, Mark Malatesta, is a former literary agent, literary agency owner, AAR member, and Marketing & Licensing Manager for the gift and book publisher Blue Mountain Arts. He is now an author coach and consultant. Click here to see Mark Malatesta reviews.

About the Author

The founder of The Bestselling Author, Mark Malatesta, is a former literary agent, literary agency owner, AAR member, and Marketing & Licensing Manager for the gift and book publisher Blue Mountain Arts. Mark is now a highly regarded author coach and consultant, dedicated to helping writers obtain literary agents. Drawing on decades of industry experience, he works with writers across genres, offering personalized coaching to navigate the complexities of the publishing world.

Through The Bestselling Author, Mark provides practical tools, industry insights, and motivational support tailored to each writer’s needs to help them do so. In addition to coaching, Mark shares his expertise through speaking engagements and online resources. His dedication to empowering authors has made him a trusted mentor in the writing community, earning him a reputation as a knowledgeable and approachable guide for writers pursuing their dreams. Click here for Mark Malatesta reviews.