Should I Query Yet? A Brutally Honest Checklist for Writers on the Fence

So you’ve got a draft. Maybe even a second or third draft. You’ve told your friends you’re “just about ready to query” but deep down, you're still hovering over your document like a hawk with commitment issues.

How do you know when your book is actually ready?

Let’s break it down. Because querying too early is like entering a baking contest with raw dough—you’ll leave with a mess and a strong desire to throw your laptop into a lake.

Here’s the real checklist. No fluff. Just the stuff that matters.

✅ 1. Have You Finished the Book?

I know, I know. Obviously, right?

But you'd be shocked how many writers query with a half-finished draft, a detailed outline, or a manuscript that still ends with “Chapter 32: Finish This Later.”

Agents want to see a complete, polished novel—especially for fiction. If you're still tinkering with Act Two, querying is off the table. Finish first. Always.

✅ 2. Have You Revised (Like, Actually Revised)?

Editing isn’t just spellcheck. If your “revision” was a quick skim where you changed two adverbs and renamed a side character, I have bad news: that’s not revision. That’s cosmetic surgery on a patient who’s still in surgery.

A ready manuscript has gone through big-picture edits: structure, pacing, character arcs, emotional payoff. You've murdered some darlings. You've rewritten at least one scene that made you want to lie down on the floor.

That’s the kind of revision that shows up on the page.

✅ 3. Has Someone Who Isn’t Related to You Read It?

Your mom loves you. Your best friend might be too nice. Your dog has no notes.

But if you haven’t given your book to a critique partner, beta reader, writing group, or someone with an objective lens, you’re flying blind.

Yes, it’s terrifying. Yes, you’ll get feedback that stings. But you’ll also find your blind spots—and that’s gold.

✅ 4. Can You Pitch It in One Breath?

If you can't describe what your book is about in 1–2 sentences, you’re not ready to query.

This isn’t just about marketing. It’s about clarity. You should know:

• Who your main character is,

• What they want,

• What stands in their way,

• What makes your story different.

If that sounds like an existential crisis? Great! Now’s the perfect time to figure it out—before you send a query.

✅ 5. Do You Know the Market (At Least a Little)?

You don’t need to be a publishing expert. But you should know:

• What genre your book fits in,

• Who it’s for (age group, tone, themes),

• A few comps (i.e., “this will appeal to readers of X and Y”).

If you pitch your romcom as “a thriller with zombies,” you’re going to confuse everyone—including yourself.

✅ 6. Are You Ready for Rejection (Even a Little)?

Querying is not for the emotionally fragile—and I say that with love, as a deeply emotionally fragile person.

You’re going to get rejections. Probably a lot. Some of them will sting. Some of them will be weirdly encouraging. Some will just be... silence.

So before you query, ask yourself: Am I ready to hear “no” and keep going anyway?

You don’t need to be invincible. But a little resilience will serve you well.

Final Thoughts from the Pre-Query Cliffside

There’s no such thing as a “perfectly ready” book. If you wait for that, you’ll be 87 years old and still tweaking Chapter 12.

But there is such a thing as querying too soon—and that’s a fast track to burnout and missed opportunities.

If your book is revised, test-read, pitchable, and you know what it’s doing in the market, you’re probably ready.

If not? That’s not failure. That’s just part of the process.

Give it time. Sharpen your tools. Get it right.

When you do query, you’ll show up with something real—and you’ll know it.

You've got this. Just don’t hit send before you mean it.

—Vicky