[PubQ] Need advice on my Religious Fiction book (that's technically just fantasy) getting representation and editors
I submitted my query to an editor so that I can receive professional guidance on how to market/query my book that I label as "Surrealist Fantasy/Religious Fiction." I was surprised that they denied me specifically on account of it being Religious Fiction. I would like to summarize various aspects of my book, and hopefully someone out there can give me some helpful advice on not just querying but also good places for resources if I'm looking for someone to edit my query letter.
It's difficult because the central conflict centers around the biblical afterlife. God from the bible is indeed a real character that has a stake in the story. There are also a handful of other biblical characters (Jesus, Satan, Cain, etc). However, it is also very much a traditional fantasy novel. Heaven (the main setting) has knights with swords, there are fantastical creatures and magic, and a lot of the central characters are not from the bible. The premise that I started with was that it was essentially a 3rd testament to the bible. As if the types of stories that are in the new and old testaments (specifically the weird ones) continued to occur in the modern day.
It is not "religious fiction" in a sense of Christians navigating a world and holding true to evangelical beliefs. If anything, it is a hard critique on living life under an all-knowing, all-powerful God and struggling against that power. More Jonah running from God in fear than Job struggling with faith.
I'm tempted at this point to omit the "religious fiction" aspect of my querying because the book can be enjoyed entirely from a secular perspective that just wants a straight fantasy story and from someone who is looking for religious commentary. I've been querying for about 9 months now, and I know that it is very difficult and seemingly random whether or not we get representation. But I wonder how many times agents saw "religious fiction" and immediately trashed it after recieving a poor impression of what it actually is.
Thanks in advance everyone. I'd be willing to DM (if that's a thing on reddit) my full synopsis if anyone would like to read it.
Posted Dec 10, 2025, 2:58 AM UTC