Crafting a killer query letter

ew marketing tasks are as universally hated among writers as query letter writing. After all, you’ve written a 70,000+ word novel and you’re supposed to boil it down to a few paragraphs of sales copy designed to seduce an agent into reading your work? Oh and a typical literary agent has hundreds, if not thousands, of letters from other authors, all of whom are trying to do the exact same thing. Yep. That about sums it up. Sorry.

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While query letters can vary depending on the agent (and his/her specific guidelines) and the genre of your book, there are many elements that are universal to all successful query letters. Those elements include:

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​Personalization

• Nothing earns a faster reject from an agent than a query letter addressed to “Dear Sir or Madam”, or “To Whom It May Concern.” Take the time to research your prospective literary agent, check the agency’s submission guidelines, and address your query accordingly.​

The Vital Stats

• The vital stats of your book include the genre and category, word count and the title/subtitle. Failure to provide these stats will most likely result in an auto-reject.

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​The Hook
No, we’re not referring to the Blues Traveler song of the same title. We’re referring to the meat of your story, a roughly 100-250-word summary. Write it like you would write blurb copy for the back of your novel. It should be enticing and written in the same unique “voice” you use in your novel.

Bio (optional)
Include any previous publishing credits or awards you might have at the end of the letter. This would be a good place to mention that you’re a multi-published, NYT-bestselling author. Or that you’re close, personal friends with Stephen King, who is willing to blurb your novel when it’s published. But if none of that is true, and you don’t have any other impressive, relevant writing credits (the time you won the first grade young author’s award for your short story about Frogger doesn’t count), you can skip the bio.
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The Closing
​Wrap up your query letter with a simple thank you. Don’t gush or beg. Have some dignity, and stick with something super-simple like “Thank you for your time and consideration.” Include your contact information (phone # and email address) under your name in the signature line.
That’s great, you say, but this all seems easier said than done. We’re not gonna lie: it’s not easy to entice an agent to read your work. But it’s not impossible, either.

​​How to start  
Unless you are being referred to an agent by one of his/her existing clients, or you met the agent at a conference or event, we recommend starting your query letter with your hook. Some writers have also had success with the less sexy but still effective direct approach (something like: I’m seeking representation for my book, [Title], a 65,000-word paranormal romance novel.)

​​How to write an effective hook
The hook should include:

• Your main characters and the conflict they face (Note: we said “main” characters. Don’t include all your characters in the hook. Your story’s sidekicks and secondary characters don’t belong here.)
• What’s at stake for the characters (and if it’s not high stakes, you should probably revisit your book’s plot)
• A zinger. A zinger is a one-liner about what makes your book unique. Without a zinger, the agent might decide your story is tired and done-to-death. (Note: the only time your hook might not need a zinger is if your writing voice is so cool and unique that the agent is willing to read your work despite its lack of zinger. But it would, of course, be better to have both a zinger and a unique voice if at all possible.)
• The setting

​Overall, in a hook, less is more. Choose your words carefully, and if a word isn’t absolutely necessary, eliminate it.

​​What shouldn't be in a bio
If you decide to include a bio, only include what’s listed above. Don’t include:

• How many Twitter and Facebook followers you have. No one cares.
• Your book marketing plans. Hate to be harsh, but again, no one cares.
• How much your mom/brother/husband/bestie loves your book. Not only does no one care, but now you sound pathetic.
• How many rejections or sample requests you’ve had from other agents.
• How long it took you to write your book. Have we mentioned no one cares?

​What should be in your closing
Other than the polite “thank you for your time and consideration,” here’s what you should and shouldn’t include:

• Don’t tell the agent that you’re simultaneously querying other agents. It’s understood in the industry that everyone does this.
• Do let the agent know if your book is part of a series.
• We said it before, and we’ll say it again: DO NOT beg the agent to represent you, or gush about how great he/she is. No one likes an ass-kisser.​
• Do include your contact information, but don’t demand a specific form of contact. Let the agent contact you in the way that’s most convenient for them.
• ​Don’t ask to meet the agent in person. This will be seen as pushy, or maybe even creepy and stalkerish.

Random other stuff
Other general things to keep in mind:

• Don’t ever tell an agent about the quality of your work or compare yourself to other bestselling authors. It can come across as bragging, which no one likes.
• Don’t let your query letter run longer than 1 single-spaced page. If it’s longer than that, you’ve likely included too much information.
• Use adjectives and adverbs carefully, if at all.
• Don’t tell the agent about trends in the market you’ve noticed and how your book might fit within them. Trust us when we say agents are already well-aware of the market trends.    
• Don’t tell the agent that you’ve written a fiction novel. All novels are fiction. Calling your book a fiction novel screams amateur hour to a prospective agent.
• In the name of all that’s holy, read the agent’s submission guidelines. If they say the agent doesn’t accept email queries, don’t send emails. If they say the agent doesn’t accept children’s books, don’t send a query for your children’s book. It’s as simple as that. Failure to adhere to submission guidelines is an auto-reject for most agents.   
• Don’t give away your book’s ending in your query letter. No one likes a spoiler.

For examples of successful queries (and some not so successful), check out Writer’s Digest and  Query Shark. 

How about you? Have a question or query story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!

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