From 11 Years of Rejections to 22 Manuscript Requests and an Agent Offer
After querying eight manuscripts since age fourteen, Victoria Bilstein joined Query Bootcamp and finally cracked the code. Her funeral industry fantasy landed 22 manuscript requests and an offer from Spencerhill Associates in just four months.
The Numbers:
The Numbers: 📝 81 Queries Sent 📬 22 Manuscript Requests 🎉 1 Agent Offer (in May 2025) ⏱️ 4 Months of Querying
The Backstory
An Eleven-Year Journey
Victoria's writing journey began in middle school. At fourteen, she boldly sent her first manuscript to literary agencies and received her very first manuscript request from Sterling Lord Literistic, where a senior agent paired her with an intern who provided feedback and guidance.
"I was determined to be published after that!"
— Victoria Bilstein
Over the next eleven years, Victoria wrote seven projects and queried throughout high school and college in different genres. With each project, she steadily gained more manuscript requests but no offers.
After starting her career as a funeral director in her 20s, she pivoted to writing about the funeral industry—a unique niche that would finally be her breakthrough.
The Struggle Before Query Bootcamp
"My biggest struggle was finding community. I had a hard time finding other writers locally who were querying and editing manuscripts for submission."
As a dyslexic writer working in a STEM-centered field, Victoria faced unique challenges balancing her writing dreams with her professional life. She needed strategy, support, and resources she couldn't find on her own.
The Turning Point
Discovering Query Bootcam
Victoria first discovered Lauren's content on Instagram and TikTok in 2023, then began following her resources in 2024 when looking for publishing guidance.
"In fall of 2024 I really wanted additional resources to prepare for querying again in the new year, but I was having trouble finding options I could afford. Then I received an email about Query Bootcamp, and I couldn't believe how affordable it was and how many resources it came with!"
"Finding community in Query Bootcamp was a game changer, because it created a support system, access to critique, and writers to bounce ideas off of! It also provided me with so many resources I hadn't had in past querying journeys."
The course transformed her approach completely:
Learning Strategy, Not Just Hope
"The biggest difference came from learning strategy in querying. In past querying experiences, I mass queried, or didn't take the time to consider changing my query package if things weren't working on submission."
Query Bootcamp taught her:
How to make the numbers work in her favor
When to adjust her query package
How to polish her materials for maximum impact
The 10-query batch strategy that changed everything
The Querying Journey
February - May 2025: The Final Push
Victoria started querying her eighth manuscript—a funeral industry fantasy—at the beginning of February 2025.
The results were immediate: "I had my first full manuscript request in 24 hours! I couldn't believe it!"
The Call That Changed Everything
Her agent offer came from Ciara Smith at Spencerhill Associates—remarkably, an agent from her very first batch of ten queries who had requested the first 50 pages, then the full manuscript just two hours later.
"It was so awesome to have the support of my Query Bootcamp group when I gave them the news!"
"I'll never forget getting the email asking for 'the call!' I had been checking my email at a red light, and had to literally pull over and re-group before I could keep driving!"
What’s Next?
The Next Chapter
Victoria is now represented by Ciara Smith at Spencerhill Associates for her funeral industry fantasy novel.
About Her Book
An unorthodox mortician unknowingly accepts a position at a funeral parlor for the otherworldly, and must confront the true nature of her relationship with death to save her newfound family of monstrous outcasts when a scheming faerie king threatens their home.
Victoria’s Advice
"Hang in there! You got this! It's definitely a marathon and not a sprint, and everyone's querying journey will look different. There were some agents I submitted to during this project who I've been submitting to since I was a kid, and it was so fun to finally send them that notification of representation email."
Follow Victoria's journey on Instagram: @victoriabilsteinwrites and through her website https://www.victoriabilsteinwrites.com .