The Writers Digest Guide to Query Letters

by Wendy Burt-Thomas

Make That Crucial, Positive First Impression

Anyone who's researched the marketplace knows: The path to publication begins with your query letter. If your query is weak, unfocused, or uninspired, an editor or agent won't even bother to request your article, novel manuscript, or nonfiction book proposal. But a well-crafted, compelling query sent to the right editor or agent is an essential sales tool for fiction writers and the most effective way for nonfiction writers to pre-sell your idea.

In this book, professional freelance writer and magazine editor Wendy Burt-Thomas shares practical advice on how to craft persuasive letters that connect with editors and agents and ultimately generate sales for you. You'll learn how to:

- Conduct targeted research to find suitable editors and agents

- Hook an editor with a tantalizing lead and shape a summary that compels editors to buy

- Select the strongest slant for your book or article

- Use research and interview shortcuts that keep your query prep profitable

- Make your query rejection-proof by weeding out subtle mistakes that can sabotage your project

- Communicate your author platform and sell yourself as the best writer for the subject

Complete with dozens of sample queries–some that landed article assignments, agents, or book deals, and others that never stood a chance–this book offers you a comprehensive strategy for presenting your writing ideas in a way that will increase your chances of publication. Though the title may lead some to believe it's strictly to be shelved as a reference manual, The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters is a smooth read from cover to cover.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Daniel Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'd think there wouldn't be 200 pages worth of material to writing a query letter, but you'd be wrong. This book is straightforward, practical, and on topic all the way through. It's more focused on articles and nonfiction, I'd say, so perhaps it's not the best book for fiction queries; but for nonfiction, it's pretty stellar.

What was particularly useful to me were the numerous examples, both good and bad. It's clear that the author has query letters down to a science, and she's not just pushing a simple recipe.

Not only is it helping me with my nonfiction book query, but I kinda want to give query letters for articles a shot, now, too.

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my work as a freelance writer and editor, I don't write query letters. So I didn't expect to get a lot from this book. The author asked me to review it on my blog, and since I know many of my readers would benefit from help with query letters, I agreed to review it. It turned out that I really enjoyed the book. The author has a great sense of humor and put it to good use in the book. The examples of bad query letters were very helpful, and the variety of query letters she covered makes the book helpful to a variety of writers.

[Tyshawn Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do we even write queries anymore? I thought everyone was self-publishing. However, if you are still going the traditional publishing route, this book is a must have. It sums up the process pretty well and will make you a query pro if you want to waste your money on stamps when you could self-publish for the same cost as a book of stamps...

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know absolutely nothing about query letters and want a clear "do this not that" list, this book is exactly what you're looking for. The author blends humor and practical advice to keep things moving along and customizes various advice depending on who you are as a writer and who you're querying. My only real complaint is that this book was published in 2008, and a lot has changed since then (no one asks for snail-mail submissions anymore, so a self-addressed stamped envelope is moot). Maybe there will be a new one out soon?

[pianogal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. I wish it would have focused a little more on queries for fiction as opposed to all the magazine info. But there were still things from that I think are applicable to book world. I think tis one is going to be helpful.

[Charles Chettiar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good guid

[Lozza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this and learned a lot of useful stuff.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A quick, informative read. Will definitely refer to it a lot as I craft query letters.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to the hidden mystery of writing query letters. They are hard, and only a hurdle for unpublished authors. This book gives some good examples, which I am appreciative of.

[Antica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a quick read for me; it's not only focusing on query letters for agents like I thought it would be but a big majority of the book concentrates on submitting queries to magazines. I skipped those sections and moved on to the sections concerning books, publishers and agents. The information I found was useful and I see myself referring back to it often

[Tara]

There's some helpful info here, but more than half the book wasn't applicable to me. The info for novelists is good, though. If you know nothing about queries, pick this up. If you already have a decent understanding of queries, you can skip it.

[Viktoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for anyone wanting to dabble into freelance writing. Filled with details, sample cover and query letters, what if scenarios and tons of resources. The writing is very light and funny but straight to the point.
Worth every penny.

[Abhi Para · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unless someone you know and trust recommended this, please don't buy it. The five-star reviews are not genuine. There's nothing here that isn't available free of cost online. A better investment of time and money is the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook.

[Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

very practical and a very nice read.

[Jennifer Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is if your planing on being a writer, you need this book. The tips in this book made me take a hard look at my writing and sat me on the right path.