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How to Write a Query Letter
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The Do’s:
· Do address your query specifically to an agent. There are lots of greetings from which to choose. Here are your options in order of best to worst:
Attn. Ms. Shermanstein:
Dear Adrian Shermanstein:
Dear Ms. Shermanstein:
Dear Ms. Shermanstein,
Dear Adrian,
Yo Adrian,
· Do state the title of your book.
· Do mention the word count and genre of your book. Novels should be 80,000 to 100,00 words. Young adult novels can be significantly less: 40,000-60,000 words. Suavely insert word count and genre at the end of your first “hook” paragraph.
· Do mention exactly why you’re approaching Ms. Agent. Try to compare your book with other books that Ms. Agent has represented in the past.
· Do adopt a professional, serious tone.
· Do keep your query to one-page only.
· Do format your query using standard business letter alignment and spacing. That means: Single spaced. 12 point font. Everything aligned along the left margin. No paragraph indentations, but a space between each paragraph. One-page only!
· Do list your phone number, mailing address, and email address
· Do include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with all snail mail submissions.
· Do have a pair of "fresh eyes" proofread for typos and grammar mistakes.
The Do Nots
· Do NOT start off your query by saying, "I am querying you because I found your name in 'such and such' writing guide or internet agent database" (like AQ!). Not only does this take up valuable query letter space, but it's also the sign of an amateur.
· Do NOT refer to your novel as a fictional novel. That’s redundant. Just call it a novel.
· Do NOT sing the praises of your book or compare it with other best selling books.
· Do NOT send gifts or other bribes with your query.
· Do NOT print your query on perfumed or colored paper. Use plain business stationery.
· Do NOT shrink your font down to 9 point so it all fits on one page. 12 point is standard. 11 point if you’re really desperate.
· Do NOT Fedex or mail your query in a lavish, signature-required fashion in order to make your query stand out. It will stand out, but in a very "annoying, over-zealous, bad first impression" kind of way. Not to mention, it's a friggin' waste of money.
· Do NOT apologize in your query for being a newbie writer with zero publishing credits and experience. Your goal is to write a tight, alluring, eye-catching query and sound like a professional. If you're worried about your lack of writing credentials, just keep quiet and let the writing speak for itself.
· Do NOT include sample chapters of your novel with your query UNLESS an agent's submission guidelines specifically SAY to include sample pages with your snail mail query. If you really feel compelled to show an agent your writing style along with your query letter, include only the first 5 pages of your novel. Never send more than the first 5 pages with your query unless the guidelines say, "A-Okay!"
· Do NOT forget to list your email address or contact phone number on your query.
· Do NOT forget to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE)
· Do address your query specifically to an agent. There are lots of greetings from which to choose. Here are your options in order of best to worst:
Attn. Ms. Shermanstein:
Dear Adrian Shermanstein:
Dear Ms. Shermanstein:
Dear Ms. Shermanstein,
Dear Adrian,
Yo Adrian,
· Do state the title of your book.
· Do mention the word count and genre of your book. Novels should be 80,000 to 100,00 words. Young adult novels can be significantly less: 40,000-60,000 words. Suavely insert word count and genre at the end of your first “hook” paragraph.
· Do mention exactly why you’re approaching Ms. Agent. Try to compare your book with other books that Ms. Agent has represented in the past.
· Do adopt a professional, serious tone.
· Do keep your query to one-page only.
· Do format your query using standard business letter alignment and spacing. That means: Single spaced. 12 point font. Everything aligned along the left margin. No paragraph indentations, but a space between each paragraph. One-page only!
· Do list your phone number, mailing address, and email address
· Do include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with all snail mail submissions.
· Do have a pair of "fresh eyes" proofread for typos and grammar mistakes.
The Do Nots
· Do NOT start off your query by saying, "I am querying you because I found your name in 'such and such' writing guide or internet agent database" (like AQ!). Not only does this take up valuable query letter space, but it's also the sign of an amateur.
· Do NOT refer to your novel as a fictional novel. That’s redundant. Just call it a novel.
· Do NOT sing the praises of your book or compare it with other best selling books.
· Do NOT send gifts or other bribes with your query.
· Do NOT print your query on perfumed or colored paper. Use plain business stationery.
· Do NOT shrink your font down to 9 point so it all fits on one page. 12 point is standard. 11 point if you’re really desperate.
· Do NOT Fedex or mail your query in a lavish, signature-required fashion in order to make your query stand out. It will stand out, but in a very "annoying, over-zealous, bad first impression" kind of way. Not to mention, it's a friggin' waste of money.
· Do NOT apologize in your query for being a newbie writer with zero publishing credits and experience. Your goal is to write a tight, alluring, eye-catching query and sound like a professional. If you're worried about your lack of writing credentials, just keep quiet and let the writing speak for itself.
· Do NOT include sample chapters of your novel with your query UNLESS an agent's submission guidelines specifically SAY to include sample pages with your snail mail query. If you really feel compelled to show an agent your writing style along with your query letter, include only the first 5 pages of your novel. Never send more than the first 5 pages with your query unless the guidelines say, "A-Okay!"
· Do NOT forget to list your email address or contact phone number on your query.
· Do NOT forget to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE)
ooh so useful! thanks for posting this, cali! ;D
you're welcome! I don't know why it ever occured to me that I actually had this in my computer . . . lol
Thanks for this, Cali! It's really helpful! :D
You're welcome! I still can't believe that it's been hidden away for so long, and I never thought of it until like . . .now. lol
http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx
And here is the basic thing I copied and pasted to my computer about a year ago . . .
How to Write a Query Letter.
Just answer these questions:
Who is the protaganist?
What dilemma does he/she face?
How does it get resolved?
Answer each question in less than 25 words. That's the skeleton for a good query letter. It may not be your finished version, but it will give you the bone structure you need.
If you CAN'T do that...don't query me. Your novel needs the work then, not the query.
A query letter has three concise paragraphs: the hook, the mini-synopsis, and your writer’s biography. Don’t stray from this format. You won’t catch an agent’s attention by inventing a creative new query format. You’ll just alienate your chances of being taken seriously as a professional writer. A query letter is meant to elicit an invitation to send sample chapters or even the whole manuscript to the agent. It’s not meant to show off how cute and snazzy you can be by breaking formatting rules and going against the grain. Keep it simple. Stick to three paragraphs. The goal is to get the agent to read your book, not to blow you off because you screwed up the introduction.
Paragraph One—The Hook: A hook is a concise, one-sentence tagline for your book. It’s meant to hook your reader’s interest, and wind them in. The best way to understand how to write a hook is to read the loglines of the titles sold by agents in our database.
The "When" Formula: As you can see, we’re a fan of the when formula: “When such and such event happens, your main character—a descriptive adjective, age, professional occupation—must confront further conflict and triumph in his or her own special way. Sure, it’s a formula, but it’s a formula that works.
However, be warned...everyone and their grandmother who reads this site will try using our "when" formula, so we recommend simply using it as a starting point. Write your basic hook, then try spicing things up as you get more and more into the groove of "hooking." And don't worry, it's legal in every state, not just Nevada.
Other Great Ways to Start Your Hook:
· Give era and location: Three Different Examples:
1. Set in modern-day Jerusalem...
2. During the summer of 1889 in a rural Texas town...
3. Taking place in turn-of-the-century New York City...
Set up your main character: Three Different Examples:
1. The tale of Una Spencer, wife of Melville's legendary fictional whale harpooner Captain Ahab...
2. A chatty cozy mystery starring 50-something college professor Bell Barrett...
3. Narrated by Cot Daley, an Irish peasant girl kidnapped from Galway and sent to Barbados...
Variations on the "when" formula: Three Different Examples:
1. Following a botched circumcision...
2. While defending a drug-addicted prostitute accused of murder....
3. After years of abuse at the hands of her alcoholic mother and step-father...
There are literally scores and scores of hooks listed in our database, specifically in the past & present clients section of our agents’ profiles. We encourage you to read as many as possible, and learn what captures your attention in a single sentence. Then try to emulate a similar hook for your query letter.
Paragraph Two—Mini-synopsis: This is where you get to distill your entire 300 page novel into one paragraph. Lucky you. We’d like to offer advice on how to do this, but really, it just takes practice, hard work and lots of patience. Then, like we said before, get your friends to read it and if their heads hurt afterwards, go back to the drawing board. We don’t envy you. We really don’t. Summing up your entire book in an intriguing single paragraph is worse than a root canal.
So think of it this way. You had trouble writing the gist of your book in one sentence, right? Now, you get a whole paragraph. About 150 extra words. Here’s your chance to expand on your hook. Give a little bit more information about your main characters, their problems and conflicts, and the way in which adversity changes their lives. Read the back flaps of your favorite novels and try to copy how the conflict of the book is described in a single, juicy paragraph. You can do this. You really can. You just have to sit down, brainstorm, then vomit it all out onto the page. Afterwards, cut, paste, trim, revise, and reshape.
Paragraph Three—Writer’s bio: This should be the easiest part of your query. After all, it’s about you, the writer. Okay, so it’s a bit daunting, especially if you’ve never been published, never won any awards, hold no degrees from MFA writing schools, and possess no credentials to write your book. No problem. The less you have to say, the more space you have for your mini-synopsis. Always a plus.
If you do choose to construct a writer’s bio (and you should), keep it short and related to writing. Agents don’t care what your day job is unless it directly relates to your book. Got a main character who’s a firefighter, and that’s your day job? Be sure to say that. Otherwise, scrap it. Education is helpful because it sounds good, but it’s only really important if you’re offering a nonfiction book about A.D.D. children and you hold a PhD in pediatric behavioral science. If you’ve published a few stories in your local newspaper, or a short story in a few literary magazines, or won any writing awards or contests, now’s the time to list the details. Don’t go hog wild, but don’t be too modest either.
Your Closing: Congratulations! You’ve finished your query letter. As a formal closing, be sure to do two things. First, thank the agent for her time and consideration. Second, if it’s nonfiction, tell them that you’ve included an outline, table of contents, and sample chapters for their review. If it’s fiction, alert the agent that the full manuscript is available upon request. And in case you still don’t believe us, we want to reiterate: don’t query agents until you’ve finished your full fiction manuscript. Agents will want to read the whole novel before they offer representation to you and your book.