Question. How many query letters should I send out?
Query letters - I've know the term for years, perhaps you have too.
But those aren't for me, you may argue, just as I did, that's for big, professional writers; I'm just going to go to the quicker, easier way and send my whole manuscript.
Wrong!
The fact of the matter is that agents and publishers today are swamped with query letters. Many, many people want to be published, and agents/publishers simply don't have the time to read whole manuscripts anymore - some are even refusing to accept them anymore. Instead, the publishing industry has turned to query letters.It takes a lot less time to read a query and the agent/publisher will also get an idea of your writing capability. If you want your book to get ahead; if you want to succeed as an author, a query letter is the way to go.
So what exactly should be included in a query letter? I'll tell you:
Greeting:
One sure-fire way to irritate the agent/editor right off the bat is start the query by saying "Dear Madam," or, "To Whom it May Consern," - oh, and you can substitute "madam" with "sir", "agent" or "editor". Do your reserch and find the name and title of agent/editor you are querying. You should be able to find this on the agency/publishers web-site.
Paragraph One:
The first paragraph of a good query letter should either include the title, word count, and genre of your book -- or a hook to get the publisher/agent's attention:I am seeking representation for ABIDE WITH ME, a 57,000-word crime novel about friendship, community, football, hope, and biscuits. Oh, and gangsters.
While Josie Moore hasn’t exactly made peace with her decision to give up her baby boy, she has learned to accept it. She lives her life as if on hold, impatient for the day her son Austin turns eighteen and she is finally allowed to contact him.In the first paragraph the agent/publisher finds out a lot about this book: is it a genre they represent/publish? Is the word count within their specifications? With hook query the agent will (hopefully) be instantly intrigued - why did Josie Moor have to give up Austin? What will happen when she gets to meet him? These sorts of questions will compel the agent to continue reading the query.
But literary agent, Janet Reid, the Query Shark has a warning about starting your query:Don’t start with a rhetorical question. You’re talking to really sardonic people in New York City, and they’re not going to answer the question how you expect.Paragraph Two:
In paragraph two you should start the synopsys if you didn't in the first paragraph - if you did than you can either stop it to give the genre, word count, and title now, or finish the synopsis first. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that your synopsis should not be more than two or three paragraphs - you don't need to tell the whole plot, just give the editor/agent enough to make them want them to read more. Here are som words of wisdom about writing a synopsis for your query from literary agent, Rachelle Gardner:To figure out how to do this, read the back-cover-copy or flap copy of your favorite books. The goal is not to give a detailed synopsis, but instead to write something interesting and informative enough that I want to read more.Paragraph Three:
Either finish your synopsis, or give the word count, genre, and title now.
Paragraph Four:
Now is when you should tell the agent/editor a little bit about you, and anything you may have published before. You should use, caution, however, when mentioning self published thins - many agents and editors don't have much respect for self published books, so unless it's done really well, I wouldn't mention it.
Some other things to avoid mentioning from Rachelle Gardner's blog:
"My mother [best friend, husband, Great Aunt Matilda] told me I needed to write my story."(And for those of you who may have been offended by the bit about not mentioning that God called you to write it, Mrs. Gardner posted about that here.)
"For years, all my friends have been telling me I should try to get my work published."
"God told me to write this book." ...
Believe it or not, none of this is relevant in a query. It doesn't help an agent make a decision. It doesn't make your query any more attractive. Our experience tells us that there is rarely a correlation between how many people told you to write your story, and how good or publishable that story really is. And yes, this even includes God.
And since so many people say these things in their queries, once again you sound cliché if you say them...
They might truly love your work. But they most likely don't know the publishing biz.
Closing:
Thank the agent/editor for taking their time to read your query (they're busy people you know!) but don't ask them to respond quickly, as a quick response usually means a rejection, since they'll need time to consider it if they're interested!
For more tips on writing a query letter you can visit Janet Reid's 20 Tips on Query Letters and Rachelle Gardner's post How to Write a Query Letter.
~ Katherine Anne Dawn
Credits and copyright notice: both query examples come from the Query Shark blog, number 123 and 117, both are copyrighted to their respectful authors and are used with Janet Reid's permission. All other writing in this post except where specified is copyrighted to me, 2009.
In a last desperate attempt she put her iPod on shuffle and decided to take a different path than usual. Turning the corner she walked slowly, listening to songs she had not heard in ages and thinking thoughtfully of why she could not come up with any inspiration - or enthusiasm . Then, she caught her breath. There, just across the street from her there was a little corner of the world where the grass was hidden from veiw by a layering of leaves - pink and orange and red blending to make an unmatched hue of peace and calm.
The tree above still held some of it's precious leaves, which created a roof of the same color. And there, dancing and spinning and twirling in joy was Maud - her muse. She looked enviously as she walked past, thinking of all the ideas waiting there with Maud, and thinking of her characters - wishing the feeling would never leave. But as she looked to the left of her, there was inspiration too. Was it possible to have two muses, she wondered? For there, alongside the cool gray stone mansion, surrounded by pale green grass was another muse - different, but just as inspiring - sitting atop a small pile of small boulders, with a carpet of yellowing leaves at his feet.
That could be Callan's manor, she thought happily.
She walked up and down the street for several more minutes - then took a quick stroll down the middle of a street. It was then that it hit her - or rather, Emily appeared again. For the first time in a year Emily was before her again - begging for a second chance. Willing - even - to become older, wiser, more mature; and, to take a friend along - a chum.
But her authoress could not decide. She had promised Callan a last try - he deserved one, didn't he? But how, oh how! was she to write a book for which she had no inspiration, no motivation - and very little desire?
On a side note, there is only six days until November. I am very excited/happy."You can stay here," the pretty red-head told Audra causally, motioning to the guest room.Audra was surprised at the finery of it; the walls were a soft yellow and there was a large dark blue rug with a pattern of of pink and yellow flowers on the hard wood floor. The white frame bed in corner was spread with a thick pink quilt and had many pillows propped up against the head board; while the vanity across from the bed held a white pitcher and basin atop it.Gordana walked up to the vanity and, picking up a book and a glass filled with a transparent, green liquid - which smelled of pickle juice - said, "Lativia has a gown you can borrow. I'll go get it." She then walked out, leaving Audra alone.She walked slowly about the room, admiring the pretty things, before sitting quietly on the bed. It was a miracle for her to be in such a nice room after what had happened. She was eternally grateful to Gordana and her siblings - especially Emeric, but she wished that there was some way she could repay them; some way that she could earn her room and board. She hated getting charity, but what else was she to do? She had never felt so alone as she did then, with nowhere else to go, and no one else to turn to - she only wished to be with her family.
