Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Ryan T. Pozzi

Success Story Interview - Ryan T. Pozzi

An Interview with Ryan T. Pozzi (ryantpozzi on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Giles Anderson of The Anderson Literary Agency, Inc..

05/01/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
The Mess That Made Them is a narrative nonfiction book about the artists, writers, and composers we now call geniuses, but who weren’t treated like that in their own time. It’s not about talent or fame. It’s about what it takes to keep going when success still feels completely out of reach. Each chapter tells the story of someone who shaped culture in a lasting way, but only after being ignored, rejected, broken down, or nearly erased. What ties them together isn’t brilliance. It’s persistence.

I didn’t want to write a book that made creative people look tidy or transcendent. I wanted to know what it cost to make something meaningful, especially when no one was watching. That idea got under my skin and wouldn’t leave. I’ve always been obsessed with the mess behind greatness, probably because I’ve lived through a fair amount of mess myself. So I wrote the book I needed, something to remind me that the things we make don’t have to be perfect or popular right away to matter.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
Technically, since the late 80s or early 90s, when Highlights Magazine published a haiku I wrote with the wrong number of syllables. Shortly after that, I started rewriting major historical events with Bugs Bunny inserted into the story. I called it fiction. Around the same time, I won an essay contest about the meaning of the American flag and began making fake newsletters in Microsoft Publisher for causes that didn’t exist. In college, I wrote for the campus paper. After college, I fell in with slam poets. So I’ve always been writing in one form or another, but I didn’t take it seriously until late 2024. I was semi-retired and unsure what came next, when my wife suggested I finally try treating writing like more than a hobby. That’s when everything shifted.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
I started writing it in October 2024, but in many ways the work began years earlier. I spent a long time as a working artist, trying to navigate the gap between what I wanted to make and what the world seemed willing to support. That experience shaped the questions at the heart of this book. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was collecting the emotional thread long before I ever sat down to write. So while the manuscript came together over the past six months or so, the story has been building for much longer.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
Plenty of times. It wasn’t the writing or building the manuscript that nearly broke me. It was querying. That process can be brutal. I reached out to other writers on Bluesky at least once a week, sometimes more, looking for encouragement, reassurance, or just a place to vent. I didn’t expect it to help as much as it did, but hearing other authors say things like “We all hate this” and “This is normal” and “It sounds like you’re still on track” made a real difference. I had a lot of fear that I was doing it wrong somehow. In fact, not to shamelessly plug or anything, but anyone querying who wants the same kind of sounding board is more than welcome to find me over there, too, @RyanWrites. I definitely owe for some of the support people gave me.

On the craft side, I was writing a book about creative endurance, and still there were moments when I wanted to walk away from it completely. What helped the most, strangely enough, was the book itself. I kept thinking, if I quit now, what kind of credibility would I have writing a book about persistence? That thought alone got me through more than a few rough patches. Also, my wife reminded me often that I was never going to be happy if I stopped halfway. She was right.
QT: Is this your first book?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
Yes, this is my first book-length project. I have written in many different forms over the years, including essays, performance work, and even fake newsletters as a teenager. But The Mess That Made Them is the first time I committed to something this ambitious. I knew from the beginning that I did not want to write just a biography collection or just a craft book. I wanted to build something that carried emotional weight, historical depth, and real stakes. It took a long time to figure out how to make that work, but this is the book where it finally came together.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
I was briefly the darling of my local university’s English department once upon a time, but I have never done well in environments I could not shape to fit my own brand of weirdness. As much as I value structure, I have always learned better by doing. Most of my training came from the projects I threw myself into over the years, including performance scripts, essays, experimental work, and a lot of writing that never saw daylight. That hands-on approach taught me more than any classroom ever could.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
I had an advantage many writers do not. I stepped away from my formal career as a nonprofit executive back in 2018, so when I decided to write the book, I treated it like clocking in to work. I got up in the morning, went down to my office, and worked on it until the day was over. I have always believed in the power of consistency for writers. Ted Kooser, who is a local hero in my part of the country, often says, "Do not wait for inspiration. Sit down to write every day so that you will already be writing when inspiration shows up." There is no better advice as far as I am concerned.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
At least four major times, not counting all the smaller revisions along the way. The original version was actually a three-book series, which is what I queried first. I learned a lot from that attempt, especially about commercially viable length and how to position a book for agents. A number of people liked the concept, but no one would take it seriously because of the structure. So I took their advice and reworked it into a single volume.

That version is what I queried through QueryTracker and what eventually led to multiple offers of representation. But before that happened, two agents gave me detailed feedback in the same week. They both said it felt wandering and encyclopedic. They were absolutely right. Their notes helped push me toward a much stronger draft.

One last rewrite came after the agent I am signing with today suggested I treat a specific comp title as a kind of guiding light for the book. That led to the final round of changes. That version is when everything clicked. The responses shifted from encouraging but cautious to agents using words like “wonderful” and “moving” and asking to schedule calls.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
Yes. One was a longtime collaborator who had written with me, for me, and occasionally instead of me on several past projects. The other was a family member with a strong academic background who brought a very different perspective. Between the two of them, I got a mix of creative insight and intellectual rigor that helped shape the book in important ways.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
I would not call it full outlining, but I definitely spent a lot of time agonizing over which chapters to include or exclude, how they should be ordered, and how to group them into themed sections. The structure mattered to me as much as the content. I wanted the book to build emotionally and conceptually, not just feel like a collection. So while I did not use a traditional outline, the architecture of the book was carefully shaped from the start.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
This was my first time querying. I sent my first query letter on January 2, 2025, and I received my first offer of representation on April 21, 2025. I had not queried any other books before this one, so everything I learned came from figuring it out as I went.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
I sent exactly 208 query letters for this book.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
I focused first on agents whose past deals matched the style and tone of my book. I looked for those with a track record in narrative nonfiction that blends cultural insight with strong voice and emotional depth. When I did not get offers from those early waves, I widened the net to include agents who were actively seeking narrative nonfiction more broadly. That shift helped me reach people who might not have been an obvious match at first glance but turned out to be strong readers for the work.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
I used a core letter template but customized the details for each agent when it made sense to. If an agent had specific preferences, recent sales that aligned with my book, or a Manuscript Wish List request that matched my themes or approach, I made sure to highlight that. The core message stayed the same, but I wanted each agent to know I had done my research and was reaching out with intention.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
A few things come to mind.

First, get advice from someone qualified. I have only done this once, and I was fortunate to end up with multiple offers of representation. But that only happened after I was dangerously close to the end of my query list. It could have gone another way entirely.

Second, do not take the wrong advice. One of the first personalized rejections I received said there was no place for my book in commercial publishing and suggested I pivot to university presses or small independents. That path works for many writers, but if I had taken that advice immediately, I would not be agented today and preparing for submission to Big Five and Big Five adjacent publishers.

Third, as painful as it makes the waiting, it really is wise to query in small batches. That gives you space to evaluate feedback and revise if needed. I did not follow that advice closely enough. If I had made key edits earlier, I am confident at least two agents who passed would have made offers. That would have turned my two-offer outcome into four. I am happy with how it worked out, but I would make that adjustment next time.

Last, I will end with something from the closing of my book. It may be cheesy to quote myself, but on this topic it may be the best advice I have to give:
Don’t wait to be picked. Don’t wait for credentials or clarity or some official invitation to begin. The people in these pages weren’t chosen. Most of them were ignored, ridiculed, betrayed, or punished for what they made. But they kept making it. Not because they knew it would last, but because it mattered to them. That’s what you’re allowed to do, too.
Not later.
Not when it’s safer.
Not when you’re ready.
Now.

Make it even if they don’t understand. Make it even if they never will. Make it with what you have. With what’s left. With what no one ever taught you how to use. Make it too early. Make it too late. Make it too messy, too honest, too much. Make it even if they laugh. Make it even if they look right through you. Make it because you have something to say. Because you’re still here. Because you’ve made it this far. Because you’re not done.

You are not too much.
You are not too behind.
You are not broken beyond repair.
You are the story they didn’t plan for.
You are the sound they didn’t expect.
And if no one else hears it yet—
I do.
I hear you.
Keep going.
I’m still listening.
I’m not going anywhere.
We’re in this together.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Ryan T. Pozzi:
Sure. Here is the body of the specific query letter I sent on March 11, 2025, to the agent I’m signing with today. The agent responded to the emailed query in just under two hours and I had a proposal to him the same day, though that may have had more to do with the luck of us both being in front of our email at the same time than with the effectiveness of the pitch. Over the next six weeks, we discussed positioning, exchanged revisions, and had two phone calls—the second of which was the offer of representation. His notes on the manuscript in the first call were instrumental in strengthening the scope and structure of the book so, while I was careful and diligent about the multiple offers I received, I think it would have felt strange to sign with the competing agency.

The letter:

Success Story Interview - Ryan T. Pozzi

Query Letter: