u/Pr0veIt

tl;dr - I signed with Brent Taylor of Triada Literary and we we're on sub!

STATS

Total Sent: 47

Fulls: 12 (7 before nudge, 4 after nudge, 1 partial to a full)

Partials: 3

R&R: 1

Offers: 3

Query Rejects: 22

First query to signing: 1/28 - 4/30 (13 weeks)

QUERY LETTER I am reaching out because you mentioned you [personalization]. I am seeking representation for CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR FAKE BOYFRIEND IS EVIL, an 85k-word standalone adult paranormal romance. It will appeal to fans of the cozy, enchanted-house magic and found family of A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna with the witchy romcom vibes of The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling.

Mackenzie Fisher’s life looks ideal on paper: a thriving career at a Seattle tech firm, a SoulCycle coven of very fit witches, and a textbook-perfect boyfriend. When she inherits an old coastal Victorian, she can almost hear the patter of little baby feet on oak floors.

But a crushing breakup leaves Mac alone in a decrepit enchanted house with no internet and her aunt’s grimoire. In a grief- and Midnight-Margaritas-fueled haze, she conjures a man to be the partner who’ll finally make her happy—attentive, protective, and completely devoted. Her creation is harmless, until the house’s wards unravel and an unsettlingly charming demon possesses him.

Desperate to repair the wards, Mac turns to her new coven mate Jamie. His helpfulness and friendly magnetism (and, yes, a strong jaw and broad shoulders) make her feel seen in a way she hasn’t in a decade but trusting him with her demonic mistake feels riskier than anything creeping through the wards.

If Mac can’t woman up and get vulnerable with Jamie, her home—and the future she desperately wants there—will crumble around her.

As a Seattle-based geologist and National Board Certified science teacher, I’ve combined my love of the natural world with a passion for approachable fantasy world-building and swoon-worthy romance to write this novel.

TIMELINE

Early Dec 2025 -- posted my query letter here for a [QCrit]. Had a literary agent reach out in the DMs to give me her solicited query link.

Late Jan -- a big 5 editor reached out in the DMs and said that she loved the pitch and would read it and possibly connect me with an agent. I vetted her contact through the publisher and shared the manuscript.

Jan 28 -- sent a batch of 7 queries to fast responders. One was Brent Taylor. Got two partial requests and a full request from Brent within a few days. That confirmed my query package was working.

Feb 2 -- sent another batch of 22 queries

Feb 8 - April 17 -- sent another 18 queries as agents opened up

Mar 25 -- heard back from the editor that she loved the book and wants to set up a call to chat about it. Set up the call for mid-April. Nudged all the agents that had my full to tell them I had this call set up. A few agents responded that they'd fast-track reading my manuscript.

April 10 -- got a request to set up THE CALL with the agent who had reached out on Reddit

April 15 -- got a request to set up a call with Brent

April 16 -- met with the first agent, got a request for a call with a third agent, gave the first agent a two week deadline and nudged all the outstanding queries

April 17 -- met with Brent and the editor

April 29 -- met with the third agent

April 30 -- signed with Brent

May 6 -- received editorial letter and started edits

May 15 -- finished edits (added about 4,000 words to make the romance more earned and make the evil boyfriend more evil) and sent them back

May 19 -- edits passed muster and we're starting the process of going on submission!

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

• I was much more likely to get a CNR on an email than a QM submission
• I included that I had 2 offers and editorial interest when nudging the outstanding queries, and a few of those turned into fulls but I also got a few full rejections that said "it looks like you have someone who can be a strong advocate, and so I'll step aside". It's impossible to know if including the number of offers and interest helped or hindered getting more fulls and offers.
• I got full requests from a huge range of query packages (letter only, 5 page, 10 page, 3 chapters, 10k words)
• I had multiple partials and fulls that cited the book title as the reason they were requesting
• I sat in the "maybe" pile for a number of agents and those DID turn into fulls eventually

Thanks to everyone who gave feedback on the initial query letter. Let me know if you all have any questions!