How Revising My Novel While Querying Helped Me Win a Book Award

Today’s post is by author Chital Mehta.

I began querying my novel Have You Seen Romit? last summer, a day before school ended. I had spent five years drafting and rewriting my book, so querying felt like the right time. Six months before querying, I met an agent through AWP’s Writer to Agent program who said she loved my opening pages and wanted to see the finished manuscript. I worked on the book feverishly for the next few months and sent it to her. She responded the same day with excitement. When I sent the manuscript, it felt urgent as if the world was waiting for my book.

I had given my best. I knew the manuscript would need changes, but I told myself the agent would make that decision. I knew it was futile to wait for one agent’s response, so I began sending queries on a weekly basis. I stalked agents on the internet, wondering why they were not responding. I realized it was a numbers game, so I increased the number of agents who were likely to be interested in my book.

The rejections trickled in slowly. An agent asked to see my full manuscript and sent a kind rejection letter a week later. A couple of agents admired my manuscript but mentioned it didn’t give them the rush they were looking for. My Excel sheet was filled with red boxes and wonderful comments.

I had heard from other writers how hard querying would be, but nothing prepared me for the pain it came with. I took the rejections personally. At least, some of them. I allowed them to cause me physical pain, terrifying myself with the question, Do I have it in me to find a home for this book?

Some of the things that occurred in the months after changed my outlook toward the querying process.

A phone call with a writer friend

One evening, I stepped out for a walk and called a writer friend, asking her for tips on managing the querying process. She had signed with a Big Five publisher the previous year. She told me two things.

1. Querying can be challenging, so connect with your writing community.
2. Start working on a new project.

While I queried agents, I began to generate new ideas, which was a painstaking process in itself. Because I was focused on finding a home for my completed manuscript, it felt like a waste of time to work on another project. I set a timer for ten minutes and worked on a new project, without caring if the words were good or not. In the second half of the day, I set a timer for thirty minutes to send queries and browse for agents.

Nothing changed for months. I listened to podcasts about how other writers had signed with their dream agents. I longed for that relationship, for someone to become a champion for my work, for someone to take me on and tell me that this was the book they had been waiting for.

An email from an agent

On New Year’s Eve, an agent responded, saying she loved the book. She praised my voice and pacing. She loved my characters. But she also added that the dialogue needed work and that the manuscript had too many filler verbs and passive voice. She also mentioned that if I ever revised further, I could send her the manuscript.

I felt shattered. I kept wondering why she wouldn’t set up a meeting with me and sign me on so I could then edit the manuscript and go on submission with her. Mostly, I felt exhausted with the thought of revising because at that point, my manuscript had gone through fifty or more drafts.

Another small press editor mentioned they loved my book but that they would love to see more character interiority. They also wanted to see the book after the suggested changes.

I was disappointed. Instead of signing with an agent, I now had feedback, which meant more work.

Sitting with feedback

I didn’t reach for my manuscript right away. I took a vacation with my family, which gave me time to step away from the book and the querying process. I had an agent meeting a month later through Tin House’s winter workshop. I had a deadline and a manuscript that needed work. I opened my manuscript and spent long hours revisiting every sentence. I was surprised that the book needed so many changes. The agent was right. The manuscript was indeed filled with unnecessary verbs that made for a sloppy reading. I ended up going through four rounds of intense revisions over the next few weeks. I was gearing up for the agent meeting who had an amazing record of clients.

Letting go

I met the agent on a Zoom call for a 20-minute meeting. We spoke about my query letter. She suggested some minor changes, but asked me to send the first three chapters. The same evening, she asked me to send the full manuscript. I wept and added a prayer before hitting send. The waiting game began. By now, I had enough practice with waiting, but I knew if the agent sent a rejection, it would crush me.

Submitting to AWP’s book award

My plan was clear: I wanted to sign with a great agent who’d take my book on submission to the big publishers. I had no plans of entering book contests. I had heard of book awards, but I wasn’t confident in two things: the contest fees and the idea of competing against other books. I felt I didn’t stand a chance. I had an AWP membership, and the awards submission window had opened up around the time I had completed the revision. I submitted the book for the novel contest, then forgot all about it.

Meanwhile, the agent whom I had met through Tin House sent me a kind rejection. I made the painful decision to shelve the book to work on the next book. Months later, I learned that my manuscript Have You Seen Romit? won the James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel.

The book will be published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2026. I kept thinking back to the time I had received feedback from the agent. Although she rejected my revised manuscript, her specific feedback steered my book into a different direction, which made it much stronger.

I do think most agents and editors don’t have time to give personalized rejections. But when they do, it’s a good idea to sit with the feedback for some time before rejecting the idea. Not all ideas will work, but some can do wonders for the book. It’s about finding what works and what doesn’t. It’s also a good idea to understand that every book’s journey is different.

Chital Mehta

Chital Mehta is the author of the book Have You Seen Romit? which won the 2025 James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel, judged by R. O. Kwon. Her book is scheduled for release in 2026 by the University of Nebraska Press. Her short stories have appeared in The Pinch, Oyez Review, SLAB magazine, and elsewhere. Her story “Damaged Gifts” won the SLAB fiction contest in 2022. Her work was a finalist for the 2022 Pinch Literary Award. Her stories center around displacement and belonging. She holds an MFA from Lindenwood University. She lives in Delaware with her husband and children, where she is working on her next novel and a collection of short stories based on Asian immigrant themes. She can be reached at ChitalMehtaJey.com.