I'm currently helping a new writer with her query letter,
and since I'm covering similar issues, I thought I'd also share this with my
readers who might be aspiring authors.
A great query letter is clear, concise, and to the point. It
doesn’t meander or include information that’s not pertinent to luring the
agent/editor into reading/asking for your manuscript. As a rule of thumb, if
you’re in doubt as to whether something should go into your query letter or
not, leave it out. Some of these tips you might already know, but I’m writing
this to include people who have no experience with query letters.
The basics of a great query letter are:
Your hook, general details of your manuscript, and reason
for querying particular agent/editor.
Your comparison/tagline and book summary.
Your bio and platform.
It sounds simple, but to write a dynamic letter with so few
words and in one page can be a challenge! So here are some suggestions to help
you:
1. Salutation. Never use a general form of address like Dear
Madam or Dear Sir. Address your query letter to the editor or agent you are
sending to by name.
2. Start the first paragraph with your hook or pitch.
Why am I suggesting you start a query letter with the hook
for your novel? Because agents/editors get hundreds of queries a month, and
generally will only read the first couple of sentences before going on to the
next. This is your chance to (hopefully) lure them in to reading the rest of
your letter. This is a subject I hope to expand on in a future blog post. For
now, I can suggest that you research other author’s pitches on the internet to
help you come up with yours.
Follow your hook with pertinent details (What type of book
is it? Word Count? Is it a finished manuscript?)
Then follow with the reason you are writing to this
particular agent/editor. Whether it’s because you were referred to them, or
they publish another author whose work is similar to yours, or maybe you’ve
just read a lot of the books they publish/represent. Also, if you have met the
agent/editor at a conference and they asked to see your work, be sure to remind
them of it here…and if you’re querying via email, put Requested Material in
your subject line. If you are querying by snail mail, put this on the envelope,
somewhere under the name and address of the agent/editor.
3. Now launch into your plot summary, and lead with a tagline
and/or comparison of another book, author, movie, or character.
Here’s some examples of comparisons to help you: Indiana
Jones meets The Real Housewives. In the tradition of The Lord of the Rings.
Harry Potter for grown-ups. The imagination of JK Rowling and the romance of Julie
Garwood.
If you need help on how to come up with a tagline, I wrote a
blog post about it here:
http://kathrynekennedy.blogspot.com/2010/05/for-writers-taglines-query-letter.html
If you’re struggling with your plot summary, study the back
cover blurbs on books in your genre to help you formulate an intriguing
summary. Another way to approach your summary is to write one paragraph about
your heroine, and then another about your hero, working in their goals and
motivations. In a romance, you want to show why these two people are uniquely perfect
for one another. Weave your plot in with the emotional conflict.
4. For your biography, include personal information about
you if it pertains to the book you’ve written. For example, you raise Arabian
horses and have written a Western. You did your Doctorate on Italy and have
written a historical romance in that time period. Include any major publishing
credits or contest wins. Keep in mind that you don’t need to pad your bio.
Sometimes less publishing experience will work for you.
And here’s a tip that I’d suggest in this internet era. List
your platforms, if you have any. If you Blog or Tweet or have Facebook friends,
include them here. And if you have other platforms available to you, mention
your profession or degree. Why? If you’re an attorney, for example, you have a
platform within that community. If you have a degree, you have a platform in
the university alumni.
5. Your closing sentence, short and professional. Be sure to
submit only what the agent/editor’s
guidelines asked for, which means that you should have already visited their
website for this information.
Include your own website url or blog (if you have one) after
your signature/name if you haven’t already included it in your address
information. Most agents/editors want submissions via email, so you may not
have a formal return address on your letter.
EXAMPLE QUERY LETTER
Here’s an example of a professional query letter to help you
with the points I’ve mentioned above:
Dear Ms. Wheeler:
When a Wild West
American heiress travels to London
and hires an impoverished Duke to launch her into English society, his
predictable Victorian life is turned upside down. This is the premise of my single title Historical Romance
novel, complete at 100,000 words. I’m interested in your representation because
I attended your workshop at the Desert Dreams conference and appreciated your
insight into promoting an author’s career.
Who says a proper lady
can’t carry a knife? Inspired by the classic tale of Pygmalion, My Unfair Lady
is about a Wild West beauty who takes Victorian London by storm. Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest
in winning over London society--it's the New York bluebloods and
her future mother-in-law she's determined to impress. She knows the cost of
smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never
imagined it might cost her heart.
The impoverished Duke
of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the
ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers
him a king's ransom if he'll teach her to become a proper lady, he's prepared
to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot,
it's not her fortune he finds impossible to resist.
I have published
several short stories in various magazines, including a Sword and Sorceress
book anthology. I earned Honorable Mention twice in the Writers of the Future
contest. I am a member of Romance Writer’s of America and have served as
librarian in my local chapter. I am on many social-networking sites, including
400 Twitter followers, 500 Facebook friends, 1,500 Myspace friends, and 500
Gather connections. I have a degree in Business Administration and am a
licensed insurance professional.
I’m sending you the first twenty pages of my manuscript per
your submission guidelines. Thank you for taking the time to review my request.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Kathryne Kennedy
http://www.kathrynekennedy.com
I hope you find these suggestions helpful, and if you have
any questions or comments, feel free to share!
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