Why Literary Agents Reject Manuscripts: 8 Red Flags to Avoid
- Helen Lane
- Aug 11
- 6 min read
Querying feels incredibly complicated when you’re an author. (I’ve done it myself for years and know the pain!) Now that I’m an agent, it can be just as complicated, but for different reasons.
As an author, I made sure my query letters followed a pattern that included all the critical information an agent would need or want. And making sure your query letter has all the right pieces is definitely important. But, as an agent, I find myself reading between the lines and recognizing problematic areas that the author may not even be aware of.
So what are some of the red flags that agents are on the lookout for?
8 Reasons Why Literary Agents Reject Manuscripts
The Word Count Is Too Long (or Too Short)
Every genre and age range has an optimum word count - in particular an upper limit. Guidelines for this can be found all over the internet with a quick search.
For example:
If a middle grade novel is 80,000 words, that often means the story is overwrought or needs developmental edits.
If a picture book is 2,000 words, it’s likely not adhering to market expectations.
The reason for this is that agents have to be able to sell books to publishers that make decisions based on profitability. (This is a business after all!) And publishers have to pay extra printing costs for extra pages. And while they may be happy to take that risk for exceptional books or for authors who have an existing fan base, they are reluctant to spend the money on an unknown author.
In my experience, most queries with big word counts also have problems with pacing and poor editing. Sometimes it’s that authors are unwilling to edit their book further, or that they can’t see the problems. And the amount of work needed to fix this by an agent is often far more than we can invest in one client.
We all want to believe our story is the exception, but if you're a debut author, that’s rarely the case. Staying within word count guidelines tells agents you understand the industry and are ready for publication. And ignoring those guidelines is one big reason why literary agents reject manuscripts.
Your Comparative Titles Are Outdated or Inaccurate
Comparative titles (aka “comps”) help us quickly understand where your story fits on the shelf. They show us what audience your book will appeal to and how it might perform in the market.
Comps should be recent (preferably within the last 3 years).
They should also be in the correct category and genre.
For example, if you’re pitching a middle grade fantasy and your comps are Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, those are too old and too vague to help. If your comps are adult thrillers and you're submitting a young adult horror, that’s a mismatch. If your comps are books the agent doesn’t represent, that can be a red flag too.
I don’t mind if you reference older comps or describe the vibe of your story. Where I start to worry is when someone claims upfront that they are the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling—and expects me to treat the opportunity accordingly.
Not only does this set a tone of entitlement, but it also creates unrealistic expectations from the very beginning. Most authors are not Stephen King, and even if we both believe your book has something special, no agent can guarantee how it will sell. I’ve seen authors leave their agents—even after great deals—because their friend had more success with another imprint. Or because they compared their book to a blockbuster and it didn’t perform that way.
Yes, Stephen King sells tens of millions of books. Most horror authors don’t. If you don’t understand the realities of publishing, you risk being disappointed in your own success—and in the efforts of the people trying to help you.
You Didn’t Follow Submission Guidelines
Every agent and agency has submission guidelines for a reason. Not following them tells us that you either didn’t read them or didn’t care—and neither is a great look.
It's a huge red flag for me when someone chooses to ignore that I am closed to queries for arrogant reasons or who try to jump the queue by emailing me when I’m only open via Query Manager. (Yes, authors have admitted they’re doing both of these. Pretty frequently.) A mistake is one thing, but when it's intentional...it says a lot about you.
The Agent Doesn't Represent that Genre
The same goes for authors who query me with genres or age ranges I don’t represent, hoping to entice me anyway. (And yes, they often say that outright in the letter.) Please believe me—you don’t want an agent who doesn’t work in your genre.
You Ignored Content Warnings
Many agents are clear about the types of content they’re not open to reviewing. This might be due to personal trauma, triggers, or simply preference. Submitting a manuscript with these themes anyway (especially without warning) is a major red flag.
Even worse? Telling the agent why they should read it, despite their warning.
If someone has stated they don’t want to read certain subjects, always respect that. You don’t have to understand why; you just need to be considerate.
Pressuring agents who have your work
A polite nudge after 3 or 6 months is completely fine. (Agents do it with editors too!) But if you’re emailing an agent just a week after submitting to ask why they haven’t read your manuscript yet, it tells us you’re likely to put unreasonable pressure on us if we work together.
Remember: the agent-author relationship is a partnership. If you’re difficult before we’ve even signed, it’s a sign of trouble to come.
You Were Unprofessional
This shouldn’t need to be said—but some authors truly go out of their way to be rude. The biggest red flags are how you speak to us in queries or respond to rejections. You’d be surprised how often we receive online abuse from someone, only to get a query from that same person days or weeks later.
How you act and speak to—and about—agents matters. We don’t want to work with people who think it’s okay to disrespect others. And if you can treat us this way, it’s likely you’ll cause problems for a publisher or editor down the line too.
Speaking of which...
Most agents do not want to represent people who persecute or hate others. We won’t feel safe working with you—whether for personal reasons or due to potential scandals—if you speak hatefully about others.
Just as importantly, we have to protect our author community. If we represent you, you may gain access to Discord groups or communities with other clients, some of whom may be part of the groups you’ve spoken against. We also want readers—many of whom pick up our authors’ books based on trust—to feel safe doing so.
You’ve Submitted the Same Story Multiple Times Without Major Changes
Most agencies track submissions. If you send the same manuscript multiple times—especially without significant revisions—agents notice, and it’s not a good thing.
This includes sending the same project eight times in five weeks (yes, it happens), often before we’ve even had a chance to respond to the first one. It also includes reworking and resubmitting the same manuscript repeatedly over several years. Once or twice is fine. (Most authors submit too early at some point—I definitely have!) But if it keeps happening, it suggests you're struggling to judge the readiness of your own work.
There’s a difference between persistence and inflexibility. If several agents have passed, it might be time to revise—or write something new. Publishing is subjective, yes—but it’s also a craft. Improving your work is part of the process.
Other red flags in this category include adding agents to a query mailing list without consent, emailing every two weeks for years, or refusing to accept a rejection and insisting you’ll keep trying until we block you or give in. That kind of behavior doesn’t come across as passionate—it comes across as a problem.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, querying professionally is simple: treat agents the way you’d treat anyone in a professional setting—or better yet, as fellow humans with feelings. The agent you lash out at for a polite rejection in 2023 might be the very one you’d love to work with in 2025, when the sting has worn off and you're ready with a new project.
Don’t burn bridges or shut down opportunities before they even have a chance to grow.
Every author wants their work to be memorable—but these red flags are not the way you want to stand out from the crowd.
Have you ever made one of the mistakes above when querying? Want to make sure your next query is the best it can be? Check out our Kidlit Query Kit! It walks you through the querying process step by step!
About Helen:
Helen Lane joined the Ki Agency in 2025. She is also an editor at Jericho Writers. She lives in London with her family and the world’s naughtiest cocker spaniel.
