The query letter that changed everything

The actual email that eventually led to my book deal, along with the story of the journey toward sending it.

the query letter, blurred

Last week I shared that I hit my 70,000 word goal for my first draft of my manuscript for HOW TO HANDLE ANYTHING (Bloomsbury 2026) and after an initial “Congratulations!” the immediate question that regularly comes up is… How’d that come about?

Since I’m not a celebrity I didn’t have publishing houses knocking on my door. I had to do the door knocking.

Previously I shared a bit about the process (and the amount of time) it took to get a book deal. Prior to this book I self-published two books and this one I was determined to attempt the traditional publishing route. Before attempting the traditional publishing route, I knew very little about it. In 2014 I turned down a publisher for my first self-published book (a story I could share another time). I wrote my second self-published book as a tribute to a dear friend, whose life left so sadly and tragically.

Happy the beloved horse, me, and my illustrated book A Girl and Her Horse.

But this book… How to Handle Anything, was (and is) different.

Having self-published books before I knew I could take that approach. With my most recent self-published book I wrote, illustrated, and published it in less than a year. The process was clear to me.

But, How to Handle Anything, from the very beginning I knew, I felt, I so strongly believed it needed to go the traditionally published route. I knew it could help people, a lot of people, and that the message, the stories, the techniques, the practical principles would benefit readers especially in the age we’re living in - one where we’re surrounded by uncertainty, change, and situations outside of our control. I believed so strongly in the impact this book can (and will make), and that belief inspired action on my part.

In 2018, soon after landing a TED talk, I pitched some variation of this book to a decision maker at a top publisher. Nope.

Instead of pitching a zillion more publishers (or agents), I instead focused on client work, my speaking/performing craft, my writing, and shelved the book for a bit. Partly, I think, because I didn’t really know what to do after that first rejection, and also because life, work pulled my focus in other ways.

Then, during the pandemic, rather than learn the craft of sourdough bread baking and binging more than 1 season of a reality TV show, I took a neuroscience course via Duke University, trained in Reiki, and partook in some polyvagal theory training. Alongside learning, I created an immense body of work. I wrote, produced, and performed a comedy special about living with my parents during the pandemic. I wrote a comedic script that eventually became an award-winning short film. I wrote several manuscripts, including the one I had previously pitched, completely re-focusing the topic though from a leadership book to one more broadly focused on personal growth, navigating life’s chaos, uncertainties, twists and turns, through intentional improv techniques (particularly inspired by the dots I was connecting between neuroscience, nervous system research, and the improv craft).

Clearly creating was my coping mechanism.

I was feeling more and more clear on the focus of my book, the content was coming together, and the missing piece for me was really understanding and improving my ability to go the traditional publishing route.

For years I worked in venture capital and in minutes I can “deck doctor” an entrepreneur’s pitch deck, but when it came to the materials needed for a book deal to happen, I was less experienced. The “querying process” was completely new to me and I must thank

Courtney Maum

for her classes and coaching support that had me putting together a query letter and proposal that I felt confident (enough) to start sending.

Enter 2023. With a (mostly) drafted manuscript, a very tediously crafted query letter, and a proposal I had combed through so many times I could’ve likely recited it, I began the querying process.

And, like you may have read, nearly 200 queries later, I got a response that changed the trajectory of my book.

So, without further ado, a special edition for paying subscribers to the Substack… the query letter that landed me an interested response from the agent I eventually signed with.

☺