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Guide · Query & submission tracking
Freelance query tracker in Excel
A freelance query tracker (or agent / RFP response tracker) is an Excel log of who you contacted, what you sent, when you follow up, and why a pitch died — not a blank email staring contest. Yellowcell’s Query Sprint Kit pairs that tracker with a 7-day playbook and a one-page packet checklist so you leave week one with a master query and a logged first send batch.
What a query / submission tracker should log
- Target — agent, editor, or outreach contact name plus genres / MSWL notes
- Contact path — email or submission link (keep it private; do not broadcast lists)
- Date sent — the day the packet actually left your outbox
- Status — queued, sent, waiting, follow-up due, pass, request, closed
- Wait / follow-up — expected wait window and next follow-up date
- Kill reason & notes — form rejection, no response, wrong fit — so you stop repeating the same miss
- Materials — which packet version / samples went with that send
Same pattern works for literary agent queries, nonfiction proposals, and cold freelance pitches — the columns stay; the packet changes.
Simple Excel layout (yellow in, gray helpers)
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Yellow — agent / contact | Name + agency or company |
| Yellow — MSWL / genres | Short note from their wishlist |
| Yellow — email / link | Submission URL or address |
| Yellow — date sent | 2026-09-10 |
| Yellow — status | Waiting / Follow-up due / Pass |
| Yellow — follow-up date | Calendar date, not “sometime” |
| Yellow — kill reason / notes | Why this send closed |
| Gray — wait days (optional) | Formula from date sent → today |
Examples only. Replace every yellow cell with your own targets before you send a batch.
Why a sprint beats “query when motivated”
- Days 1–5 — lock positioning, hook, bio, comps, and personalization notes
- Day 6 — send a small high-fit batch and log every row the same day
- Day 7 — install a 30-day send / follow-up calendar so cadence survives next week
- Blank-email paralysis usually means the packet is unfinished, not that you “need motivation”
- Scattered notes in chat and email drafts hide overdue follow-ups
- A tracker without a checklist still ships incomplete packets
RFP / agent submission hygiene
- One row per send — never overwrite last month’s status in place
- Personalize from an MSWL / brief note bank in the tracker, then paste into the email
- Run a packet checklist before each batch (hook, comps, bio, samples, guidelines match)
- Spot common kills before send: wrong genre, missing comps, vague bio, ignored guidelines
- Duplicate the .xlsx (or File → Make a copy in Sheets) per project so status history stays clean
What is in the Query Sprint Kit
- Query Sprint Playbook (PDF) — day-by-day plan, packet anatomy, common kills
- Agent Tracker (.xlsx) — columns above, sample rows, Google Sheets–friendly
- Packet Checklist (PDF) — one-page preflight before each send batch
- Also in the download: six annotated templates (fiction, memoir, nonfiction proposal, cold freelance pitch, follow-up) and a 30-day query calendar (CSV + printable PDF)
Plain files — PDFs, text/markdown templates, and Excel. No macros, no Notion login, no Discord community, no live critiques, and no promise of representation or paid assignments.