The 20-30 Second Rule: How Literary Agents Really Read Your Query

Twenty to thirty seconds.

That’s how long most literary agents spend reading your query letter before deciding whether to request pages or pass.

We know. It’s terrifying.

Or, rather, it sounds terrifying–until you realize that this is absolutely something you can optimize for.

In our recent event (#YourQueries, where we ask an agent to review member queries at inbox speed while giving comments) with Kelly Van Sant, Senior Agent and Contracts Director at KT Literary, we discovered something crucial: this isn’t the nightmare scenario it seems.

In fact, understanding how agents read in those 20-30 seconds can completely transform your querying strategy.

Deep breath. You can do this.

“When You Know, You Pretty Much Know Right Away”

Kelly has been in publishing for over 20 years. She’s reviewed thousands of queries across multiple agencies and publishers. And here’s what she told us:

“For most things that I’ve requested in the past, I’ve known within like the first couple sentences of the query that I’m gonna request it. I can just get excited about it immediately.”

The key phrase there? “First couple sentences.”

Not the entire query. Not even the first paragraph necessarily. The first couple of sentences.

This isn’t because agents are lazy or careless. It’s because after reading thousands of queries, they’ve developed an almost instinctive ability to recognize what they’re looking for—much like an experienced teacher can assess a student’s paper at a glance.

It’s almost energetic–and energy is fast.

“I think it’s probably surprising how quickly, how little information an agent really needs to make that decision,” Kelly explained. “I know that at the beginning of my career, [I took] a lot longer than that, but now, yeah, I would say 20 to 30 seconds is probably accurate.”

What Agents Evaluate in 20-30 Seconds

So what exactly are agents assessing in those crucial moments? Based on Kelly’s real-time query reviews, here’s the breakdown:

1. Metadata Check (First 5 Seconds)

Before agents even start reading your pitch, they’re scanning for basic information:

Word count – Is it appropriate for the genre?
Genre and age category – Does this fit what I represent?
Format details – POV, standalone vs. series, etc.

If your word count is wildly off (like a 250,000-word middle grade) or you’re querying an agent who doesn’t represent your genre, the read stops here.

“If the word count is egregious, I’m just not gonna read it because I don’t have time to edit a 250,000 word middle grade down to 40,000 words,” Kelly noted.

2. Voice Assessment (Seconds 5-15)

This is where most decisions actually happen.

“The number one thing I’m looking for is character and voice,” Kelly emphasized repeatedly during the event. “Beyond metadata, it’s character and voice.”

Agents aren’t just looking for correct grammar or a clear premise—they’re looking for that intangible quality that makes your writing yours.

Can they immediately sense your book’s tone? Does the character’s personality shine through? Does the writing have rhythm and energy?

Learn more about what agents look for in queries.

3. Clarity Check (Seconds 15-25)

In the remaining seconds, agents are asking themselves: “Can I summarize what this book is about?”

Or, as Jessica Sinsheimer, agent at Context Literary put it: “Would I get an A on the pop quiz of this book?”

If they finish your query confused about the main story, genre, or stakes, that’s a pass—even if the writing is technically proficient.

“We want to make a responsible choice,” Jessica emphasized. “If I’m not going to pass the pop quiz, I should bow out so you get a yes from someone who will.”

Kelly demonstrated this perfectly when reviewing a science fiction query. Despite finding the characters “compelling” and the premise “intriguing,” she said:

“I’m sort of struggling to figure out what the book is about. Like what is the main story here? I feel like we have all of these pieces, all of these different competing factions, but I couldn’t summarize for you based on reading this query what happens in this book.”

4. The Gut Check (Final 5 Seconds)

In those last few seconds, agents are simply asking: “Am I excited about this?”

This is related to voice, energy, and the educated guesses we make when we weigh all of the above.

It’s not always “Is this objectively good?” or “Will this sell?” but “Do I personally want to read this manuscript?” and “Can I see myself falling in love?”

Because here’s the truth: if an agent isn’t genuinely excited about your project, they can’t be an effective champion for it. They’ll need to read and edit your book for weeks, or probably even months. They need to keep up the enthusiasm that whole time to do a good job.

You know that feeling of loving a book so much that you just have to tell all your friends about it? That. We want to feel that.

“When I work on a book, I’m gonna have to read it like 3, 4, 5, 6 times during the course of getting it ready for submission,” Kelly explained. “I have to stay passionate and excited about it so that I can be the best possible advocate for you and your work.”

How to Optimize Your Query for a 20-30 Second Read

Understanding how agents read changes everything about how you should write your query. Here’s how to make every second count:

Front-load Everything Important

Don’t save your metadata for the end. Don’t build up to your genre reveal. Put it all upfront.

Whatever you put first gets the most emphasis.

Kelly praised multiple queries that did this effectively: “I really love when a query kind of front loads all that information because that answers kind of all my questions up front, sets my expectations for what’s to come.”

Show Voice Immediately

Voice isn’t something you build to over three paragraphs. It needs to be evident from sentence one.

Kelly loved queries that used:

Vivid imagery
Alliteration
Specific character details
Tone-appropriate language

Each of these immediately telegraphed what kind of book the agent would be reading.

Prioritize Clarity Over Cleverness

Resist the urge to be mysterious or build suspense in your query. This isn’t your manuscript—it’s a business document that needs to convey information quickly.

What About Pages?

Here’s the good news: if your query doesn’t quite work but something intrigues the agent, they might simply scroll down to your sample pages.

“A lot of times, you know, a query’s only real job is to get you interested enough to read some pages and then go from there and evaluate it based on the writing,” Kelly noted.

She demonstrated this several times during the event, saying things like:

“I would probably scroll down and read some pages to see if I could get a sense of where on the spectrum of middle grade this fits.”
“I do think though that there is a lot here that is interesting and compelling… I might scroll down to read some pages and take a look at what is the actual writing like.”

Your sample pages can sometimes rescue a mediocre query—but they can’t fix a query that leaves agents completely confused or uninterested.

The Liberating Truth About Fast Reads

Initially, learning that agents spend just 20-30 seconds on queries feels harsh. But actually, it’s liberating.

You don’t need a perfect query. (Make a comma mistake? Most likely, most agents won’t notice.)

Instead, you need a clear query that makes the agent feel right away.

You don’t need to trick agents into requesting. You just need to find the agents who will immediately recognize your work as something they’d be excited to read.

As Kelly put it: “When you know, you pretty much know right away.”

Your Action Steps

Quiz your friends – Can they understand your query in 30 seconds?
Front-load your metadata – Genre, word count, comps in paragraph one
Rewrite your opening sentence – Make it pop with voice and specificity
Test for clarity – Can someone summarize your story after one read?
Remove filler – Every sentence should serve a purpose
Show voice immediately – Don’t wait until paragraph three

Remember: 20-30 seconds is enough time for an agent to fall in love with your query. You just need to make sure you’re showing them what matters most, right from the start.

Looking for the perfect agents to query? Check out our sister site, ManuscriptWishList.com.