Query Letters

Answer:

The query should be about 1 page long, NO LONGER no matter what. You're not trying to tell the whole story, it's sort of like a pitch- you've got about 1 paragraph- around 6-7 seconds- to hook in the agent and/or editor, and it better be a good one.

Usually the whole query is made up of these main sections:

[in the center]Letterhead, includes THEIR Name, Contact Info, etc.[/center]

Dear Mr/s. FIRST AND LAST NAME,

Paragraph 1- hook! Start with a sentence that can express your story but also be interesting. If you've got a snappy character that's a bit sarcastic, start with a short intro like, "Have you ever fallen in love? Yeah? Well, sucks for you." or something like that.

Paragraph 2- Pretty much a summary on your story. Launch into it, just start saying, "Title is a coming-of-age story that revolves around [character name] as s/he tries to figure out love, life, and everything in between." And so on. It really should be a lot more harder to summarize your novel in 3 or 4 sentences, so pick wisely. ;) You can also mention tidbits like, "It's like Sarah Dessen meets Ellen Whittlinger", giving them an idea of what your writing style is like by using other authors, preferably more well-known ones, as representatives.

Paragraph 3- This is the paragraph where you tell them why they should take on the novel. Good stuff includes letting them know you've got background knowledge on their publishing house. Stuff like, "Since you specialize in publishing young adult novels, you should take on this novel because..." will let them know that you've done your research and you're sure they'll be the right people to represent your novel. Basically, say, "You should give me a book deal because why." But, of course, in more eloquent, author-like terms.

Paragraph 4 [optional]- To further prove that you are qualified for the job, mention any credentials you have THAT RELATE to it. Don't send in a nonfiction manu. and tell them, "Oh, and I'm a romance writer who's been published 12 times." This should be fairly short and concise, and it IS your bragging paragraph.

Paragraph 5- Wrap it up. Tell them something like, "If you are interested, you can reach me at the contact information I have enclosed. Thank you for your time."

*Sometimes they'll ask you for both a query and however many pages they want at the same time. So you can alter it and tell them, "I am enclosing chapters 1-10 as you have requested." And then launch into what I suggested in the above paragraph.

Sincerely,

Name

[and the sincerely or whatever closing you want to end with plus your name is right-justified, so hit the enter button 1 or 2 times, then left-justify again and type in YOUR contact info.]

[/end explanation]

There'll be variations to query letters and such, as they have a wide variety of purposes, not just for asking agents and editors to read your novel. You've got book proposals and all that, which I am still yet to fully understand, but once I've got that down I'll be sure to tell you guys.

But remember: don't get in over your head trying to take all this in. You can read books, too, remember? ;) There's this other book about Query letters and formatting and all this stuff and that's where I got a lot of my understanding from. Next time I visit the library, I'll look it up for ya'll. It's one of the most helpful books I've ever read.

Just try to write the novel first. One thing at a time, darlings. And you’ll have to extend the same patience with the query letter and agent-finding as you do with your manuscript, because a real well-crafted query letter should take just as long and as much effort as that manuscript. I’m not saying spend a year on one query letter, but take your time.