Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Roberto Cofresi

Success Story Interview - Roberto Cofresi

An Interview with Roberto Cofresi (RCHopgood on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent A.J. Van Belle of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

03/11/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Roberto Cofresi:
Querida: is a 100k word, literary sci-fi set in near future Mexico, Texas and the Caribbean. It’s a story about a family heirloom, a book called Querida that allegedly rewrites itself every time you open it. It’s Love and Rockets (Hernandez Bros) meets Maddaddam trilogy (Atwood). It features the amazing Maria Collins, a 60-year-old Mexican-American queer punk firecracker who’s searching for meaning in the last stage of her life and subverts all expectations.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Roberto Cofresi:
I’ve been writing for as long as I remember, though my first love was songs. I did a brief stint into screenplay writing in college, but soon realized what I was interested in was stories, and the most effective way to get the story out was through prose.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Roberto Cofresi:
I started this book in 2018 and finished it in 2022. So it took 4 years to get to the current manuscript which of course may change once it gets to a publisher. I continue to co minor edits over time.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Roberto Cofresi:
Give up on writing? No. Give up on this book? I queried it for two years, so yes, many times I considered self-publishing or shelving it. But in the end, I realized that querying is a long process and rejection is an integral part of it. I had to learn to be patient and get used to the rejection letters.
QT: Is this your first book?: Roberto Cofresi:
It's not my first book, but it’s the first novel. I previously published “Bellows: Fables from the Musical Underground” a book of 10 interconnected fables about the world of music, each fable illustrated by a different artist. The book was published through a successful Kickstarter campaign. I’ve since written a book of interconnected short stories and another novel.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Roberto Cofresi:
I went to film school where I studied screenplay writing. And I’ve taken numerous writing workshops through the Redbud Writing Project based out of Raleigh NC.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Roberto Cofresi:
As best as I can. I plan to write 15 minutes each day. It’s a way to trick myself. If I say I need to write for an hour or two, it may seem like too much, but I have no excuse not to sit down for 15 minutes. It usually turns into more, but even if it doesn’t, I’ve put in a few minutes, written a few words and kept the flow going. Of course, I’m generally writing in my head all day long until the moment I sit down to write, usually at night.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Roberto Cofresi:
There was only one major re-write where I changed POV and the whole direction of the book. But it has been extensively edited, whole sections cut out, new sections added, and each chapter has been reviewed and revised with my workshop partners, the Nameless Workshop and the Atelier 23 workshop.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Roberto Cofresi:
Not really. Unless you count the previously mentioned workshop partners.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Roberto Cofresi:
A combination. For Querida:, I wrote several chapters, probably the first 100 pages and then drew an outline. Then I wrote more and went off the outline. Then I re-outlined it based on the new version. I guess I make rules only to break them.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Roberto Cofresi:
This is the only book I’ve queried to agents. I have written other books that I queried directly to small indie publishers and two of those will be published this year, a middle grade book and a book of interconnected short stories. This book, Querida:, I started querying in November 2022, so it took over two years to get an agent for it.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Roberto Cofresi:
I sent 177 queries. I almost gave up at 100, but instead decided to change my querying routine. Instead of sitting down once every few weeks to send a bunch of queries, I started sending out one query per day, five days a week. That way the querying process became part of a routine and the expectations were lowered. Interestingly, as soon as I started doing that, I started getting full requests. Not sure that it’s related, but it felt like it was.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Roberto Cofresi:
At first, I was looking for dream agents, so I would only query agents that seemed like they were looking for a book exactly like mine. It was difficult and of course heartbreaking. By the time I hit 100 queries, I was much more relaxed in my search and was looking at agents who were in my genre which being a cross-genre book could vary from literary to speculative to sci-fi. It became easier to find agents to query and less heartbreaking when they rejected me.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Roberto Cofresi:
At first, each query was customized in detail to the agents, but eventually I found a query that only required a few minor edits for each agent.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Roberto Cofresi:
The most important lesson I think was learning to manage rejection. The publishing process at all stages is an emotional rollercoaster and rejection is a big part of it. I keep handy a rejection letter that the New Yorker sent Gabriel García Márquez one year before he won the Nobel Prize. It helps me keep things in perspective. Another important lesson is that as much as it’s painful to write blurbs, comps, and elevator pitches, they are all tremendous help towards understanding what it is that I have written and how to discuss it with people in the publishing world.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Roberto Cofresi:
Here's the winning query letter:

Success Story Interview - Roberto Cofresi

Query Letter: