Query letters are your best bet if you’re an up-and-coming writer looking to secure an agent to land you a publishing deal for your novel.
Query Letter Do’s
Do – Research the Agent or Publisher
Whether an agent is a right fit for you would entail some investigation on your part. Always research your market. It’s a good idea to source agents who represent published authors with a similar writing style to yours. Educate yourself on their involvement and history with traditional publishing houses and with whom they affiliate within the publishing industry.
Do – Create an Engaging Pitch
The query letter is your 30-second sales pitch on paper. Your job is to captivate the agent with an outline so enticing that your book proposal will reach reputable publishing houses as soon as humanly possible. You need to keep the book pitch brisk and tantalizing. Your letter should indicate mood and genre, define the protagonist, and the basic silhouette of your narrative.
Agents are busy individuals, so get to the point and keep the synopsis epigrammatic. Aim for around 200 words. An impressive query letter will have a summation that expresses crucial information, resulting in the intrigued agent requesting a follow-up.
Do – Personalize the Query Letter
By now, you’ve done your research about the agent you want to pitch your book to, “to whom it may concern” seems too rigid for someone you’ve spent time “getting to know.” Your query letter should have a lively fascinating tone and appeal to individual agents, making it more noticeable.
Drafting a query letter is taxing, and you’re likely forwarding a substantial number of letters, don’t be ashamed to cut and paste most of it. Still, you’ll want to incorporate some personalized features for each agent. They’ll enjoy the attention. Edit the first paragraph and use it to present yourself, reveal any associations, and strategically place a personalized line or two distinctive to the agent.
Do – Sell Your Personal Brand
Not only are you selling your novel’s storyline with a query letter, but you’re also selling yourself and any successes you’ve achieved. Take pride in your work. Reference your applicable publishing credits and any qualified or educational awards; this gives you huge brownie points and gets you seen.
Should your query letter promote your first book, mention any short stories you’ve published. You may have stepped out of your comfort zone and ventured from a fiction to a nonfiction novel. Think about what you’ve published in the nonfiction realm and showcase it.
Mention your Master of Fine Arts in creative writing or reputable accolades, bolstering your widespread literary presence.
Do – Check the Agent or Publishers Contact Information
You’re excited about the incredible query letter you just wrote, proving to yourself that you’re a writing genius capable of anything. You attach your personalized masterpiece to the email and hit send. After you’ve slept on it, you check your inbox, and there’s no reply.
What? You’re certain that your letter warranted a prompt response. Upon frantically checking your sent items, you blush, realizing you’ve entered the incorrect email address. Always confirm you’ve entered the correct contact details.
It’s a great idea to call the company’s receptionist or assistant to confirm the email address. We’re so blessed these days to have access to the internet because we can easily search for the company’s phone number. We also don’t have to rely on the postal service to deliver the query letter to the agent who’ll change your fate. Don’t let a misspelled word or carelessness rob you of your destiny; check the address carefully.
Do – Mention Your Referrals or Industry Connections
If you’ve done some networking and established connections with agents, use it to your advantage and play them up against each other, that’ll catch your chosen agent’s attention. You might have other things in common, a mutual friend or the same alma mater. Drawing upon areas of camaraderie helps get your foot in the door. If an agent has referred you to them, make them aware your query letter may spark more interest.
Do – Review Query Letter Examples
As an author, a creator of literal masterpieces, sometimes it’s good to take a step back from your creation and open yourself to the opinion of people you trust. Request to read query letters colleagues have sent, specifically if said letter scored them the representation required to land a publishing deal.
Query Letter Don’ts
Don’t – Address the Agent or Publisher Personally
We’ve previously mentioned that personalization is a fantastic tool; remember, less is more. You don’t want to appear infatuated or too casual in your writing. This could give the appearance that you’re not a serious author. Unless you’ve met the agent, you could appear slightly obsessive. There’s no need to be profusely diffident; rather, find a healthy balance between friendly and excessively intimate.
Don’t – Write a Long Query Letter
Understanding agents are very diligent individuals who often read through an excess of 10 query letters daily, which will help you keep in mind that time is precious and keep your letter brief. If you can stick to a one-pager or even shorter, it makes their task easier.
Don’t – Write in the Wrong Font
In most cases, when people buy, they do so with their eyes. You’re selling a piece of written art, so there’s no need to satisfy your craving to explore bold new hues and fonts. You’re not marketing graphic aesthetics, so should you have doubts stick to Times New Roman.
Don’t – Include Invalid Credits
In the spirit of sticking to the point and keeping your query letter as short as possible while selling yourself, it’s best to avoid a drawn-out list of your accomplishments. They will get lost in a sea of boasting, and nothing will stand out or be remembered. Emphasize the work and recognitions you feel present you the best.
Don’t – Avoid the Editing and Proofreading
Proofread, proofread, and proofread some more. Read your piece out loud to see how it flows off the tongue. You’re bound to locate typos you glanced over before. Only amateur writers allow people to read grammatically incorrect pieces, so write like the skilled author you are.