How to Write a Query Letter

A query letter is your first chance to make an impression with a prospective agent. Depending on how it's written…I suppose you can either make a bad or a good first impression, right? Most folks aren’t indifferent…because that would probably fall into the “bad” category, of the two.

Each agent will be looking for a query letter that speaks to them. Remember, they sift through thousands of the things each year! So how best to write a magnificent query letter? Compose a letter that will appeal to most agents and then tailor it to the specific agent you are targeting.

By “targeting” I mean try to include some personal material near the top of your letter. If your number one agent loves Aston Villa and has a pug he adores and dresses in costumes for each holiday, perhaps you have some common ground? Okay, so you’re a cat person and don’t know what sport Aston Villa plays…what else does the agent feel passionate about? (This is where you go look at his blog again) Once you find something, consider how you can help facilitate a brand new relationship based on the information you found. Things like:

·      Your blog is brilliant, especially your tips for aspiring authors.

·      I just finished reading Pirates of the Arctic Ocean and loved it. I noticed it was on your favorites list.

      

The title: Most agents will ask for an "Attn: Charlie Hay, Query for "Murder in the Highlands" type of title. Be sure to check their website, as often they'll ask you to submit to a particular agent depending on the genre of the book. Never assume that submitting to a specific agent will get your work read faster than submitting to "Attn: Hay Literary Agency" if they ask you to submit to the agency itself. Each agency will put their recommendations on their website. If you choose to ignore them, you'll probably pay the price.

While we’re on the subject of that first impression email you’re thinking about sending…an author is a professional. Be conscious of which email address you’re using. If you need to, create one just for writing. Nothing’s worse than looking over someone’s resume and seeing their email address is fuzzybunny1992…or worse. (Okay, I was a recruiter and it only happened a few times, but still!)

The opening line: The opening line needs to say in a sentence what you want to say in a page. Many agents have links to query letters on their sites. What does that tell you? They want you to succeed. They are begging to be wowed! A first sentence shines when it begins with a "When" type of statement, which shows change and action:

·      When a steamfitter’s daughter falls in love with a gypsy prince, an ancient prophecy is fulfilled, and…

·      Lieutenant Jack Flack returns home after a decade of fighting Martians, to find...

·      It was a normal day in the peaceful city of Tillio, when out of the sky...

You get the idea. There are many variations for this opening, but most agents will have these types of letters at the top of their lists. One thing almost all agents vehemently hate are rhetorical openings. Don’t begin with a question. A pitch is not a question.

The body: The next paragraph is your chance to describe the novel. Word choice is key. Strong, decisive words communicate your story concisely. The last thing you want is an agent thinking you have a tepid novel that will bore them. Make your story stand out. Forgo words like: “ran” “went” “did” “friends” anything lukewarm. Go for impact: “fled” “escaped” “persevered” “assailants” “allies” words which lend conviction to the statements. Of course there are an infinite number of better words to be used, this is just an idea of how to replace a weak one with a stronger one.

The closing: The last paragraph is your place to be more personal. This is a great place to differentiate yourself from hundreds of other writers with great pitches. Humanize yourself. Talk about your interests and likes, especially if the agent has similar likes.

Mention whether you’ve been published, or if you haven’t, just reiterate how your book fits into the categories they like to represent. Comparing your book to a few books they’ve represented never hurts, unless of course, you’re too lazy to read them and make sure they actually are similar. Lying is stupid. Just don’t lie. Not even a little. But exaggeration is probably okay.

Agents are people too. In closing your query, remember to thank them for their time.

And after you click the “send” box…that’s not the time to wonder whether you made any mistakes. You’re supposed to triple read your whole submission before you send it. That means the letter, the synopsis, and sample chapters. All of it! Just take the time to do it. Rushing is stupid, too.

A query takes me between two and three hours to send. That might seem like a lot of time to spend on an email, but think about it, it isn’t just any old email. It’s a professional request for consideration of a writing project. So write it well! Triple check everything, making sure you follow every single guideline that agency wants. Spell the agent’s name right, and please know whether they’re a Mr. or a Mrs. or a Ms.. That one just makes you look useless if you get it wrong.

Autocorrect is a bastard. Read your query carefully, even if you’re copy/ pasting. And once that query is out there, sitting in an email inbox, fight every temptation to fret over it and send follow-up emails.

Most agents will plainly state their projected response time. For some, it’s months. For most, it’s between one week and four. They even usually tell you when to grow concerned if you haven’t heard back. If your query passes that point of time and you’ve heard nothing, send a polite email to confirm that they received your submission. Most agents will respond promptly.

If you receive a rejection, that should probably be the last communication for a while, unless the agent specifically says that they enjoyed your writing but don’t feel they can represent the work, and then they ask whether you have another book available. If it reads like a form rejection letter, it’s probably just a “no” and it’s time to move on. Many agents encourage you to submit only one book to them at a time, but that shouldn’t stop you from sending another book to them in the future…and I don’t mean next week.