Contacting agents is an energy consuming task. I spent maybe a month together with one of my editors to craft a query letter (a 1-sided document to best present the story), and then another month to write the synopsis (a run through of the whole story, spoilers and all) for The Beasthunter of Ashbourn. When that was finally done, I realized through my other editor and four agents, that the book is simply too long. So I split it up, which was easy, since the book was already split into “Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”.

But now I had to work on a new query and synopsis for the first part of the book. It’s mind boggling work, because you REALLY need to find the best way to present your story, and the story has to be excellent. It took another month of studying every word for too long, me and my editor constantly wondering if this is the best way to present the story. I asked for other people’s thought on it, and they all offered great help, but all the help pointed in different directions. What one guy liked, another disliked, and I ended up not knowing what to go for. At some point, you just have to make a decision though, and I landed on something. Then it was a new month of writing the synopsis, but I got it completed too.

Agenting time. I send it out to about 20 agents. First I send to my two dream agents, and then a lot of other agents I would still love to work with. Waiting for an answer takes time. Agents receive so many applications they have to look through, all while still working with their existing authors, that I feel sorry for them.

But after some time, the answers started raining in, and it was all ‘No’s. The agents are polite though, I’ll give them that, but none wanted to take up my story. I’ve had such success with people who read my books, that I still believe 100% in them, and I decide to self-publish.

I order a cover for the first book, write and get a cover for a book magnet (a short story to introduce my world to readers), and order a date to get reviews for my book and settle on a launch date. All is going great, I’m getting more attention than I thought I would with my book magnet and—then my dream agent answers. 

The email starts like all the other: “Thank you for the opportunity to consider your query. I sincerely apologize for the delay in my reply; I try to stay on top of my query box but I am afraid that sometimes the volume of submissions makes it difficult to give a timely response to everyone who submits to me.”

I’m thinking what I’m always thinking: another rejection.

But then he says he’s interested and requests the 10 first pages of the story. I’m told very few people get this far, so I send them right away! I can’t sleep that night, and I have trouble getting back to reality at the possibility that might open up.

That’s where I still am today. He’s one of the largest fantasy agents, he’s a busy guy. It might take several months to get an answer, if I get one at all. But at least there’s a chance! I’m so excited, and I might postpone the launch of “The Beasthunter of Ashbourn, Willbreaker” to see how this goes.

So, we’ll see. If he likes it, he’ll probably ask for the 50 first pages, and then the full book, but that’s only if he likes my writing. We’ll see. I’ll surely update.

Here’s the query letter that got his attention:

Dear Agent

I am writing to seek representation for my first novel, THE BREAKER OF WILLS, a 78 000 word adult fantasy crime story. I am particularly excited to be making contact with you, as I’m a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson, whose style and worldbuilding has been a real inspiration for me.

During a vicious attack on her home, Ara’s parents are brutally murdered, but she is saved by two beasthunters named Khendric and Topper. With nothing left to her name, she is taken under their wings where she learns the job of a beasthunter: to protect humans from the terrible monsters of the world. The suspects can be anything from trollmen and varghauls to gorewings and spiderlings. However, in Ara’s first case as a beasthunter apprentice, corpses are piling up faster than she can dig up clues—the village of Cornstead is on the brink of panic.

Even with the help of the two beasthunters who saved her life, the monster haunting the village remains elusive. While trying to solve the case, Ara must battle her own distrust toward her new companions. Her natural scepticism and reluctance to trust are deeply rooted in her upbringing: with a father who beat her; and a mother who ignored her plight. Are the two men only playing nice for some sinister purpose, or do they actually care about her? Through learning, being treated with respect and overcoming great challenges, her barriers crumble. Slowly, she learns to trust again.

As they close in on the beast terrorizing the citizens of Cornstead, superstitious villagers blame the brutal crimes of the monster on the beasthunters. With her mentors arrested or gone, the creature plaguing the village unhindered, Ara is again desperate and alone. With the risk of losing everything, she must reunite her newfound family and save the villagers, even as they condemn her to death.

Ara’s story occurs in a world where dangerous and terrifying creatures are lurking around every corner and without proper knowledge, you can be their next victim. THE BREAKER OF WILLS takes inspiration from THE WITCHER SERIES and MISTBORN, with monsters, magic and strong characters navigating a perilous world. The novel stands on its own with a complete storyline, but hints at a bigger mystery, and has the opportunity to be expanded into an already written trilogy: THE BEASTHUNTER OF ASHBOURN.

My name is C. A. Lende and I’m from Norway. I am currently working for the Norwegian movie producer behind “Who Killed Birgitte”, “One Love” and “All about my Father”, Bjørn Eivind Aarskog, on developing the storyline for a Norwegian thriller. He hired me after reading parts of this book, trusting I could bring his vision to life.

Thank you Mr. Agent, for taking your time to read my submission. I look forward to hearing from you.