Taking the Mystery Out of Query Letters

I think writing query letters can be hard because we forget agents are just people, too. One of the most valuable things I’ve learned by attending conference is that agents and editors are a lot like the rest of us. Driving kids to school, figuring out what’s for dinner, dreaming of a REAL vacation . . .

And my best tip is to write the query and let it sit for a while before sending it. That fantastically cute thing that seemed perfect on Monday has an excellent chance of feeling dumb by Friday.

Marie Campbell from The Rights Factory in Toronto, told me that query letters she can write in her sleep. A novel is more than she wants to manage. I was pitching to her at the time, and I so longed to ask, well, couldn’t you just write this one for me, then?
But essentially, this post distills everything that she said to me. So perfectly succinct: A reasonably intelligent letter, addressed to us personally, that pitches the book in a way that makes us understand it, makes it sound fascinating and makes us really want to read it.
Love it. Thank you.

One of my favorite “query letters” is on the back cover of Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks At 50.” Essentially, he writes his life in “400 words or less.” This encapsulates both the drama and the context for the book…and it makes you want to read the rest of it.

Rachelle, the links to past posts on this subject don’t work because they lead to your old website.

Query letters seem hard only to anyone who does not do their homework on the agent that they are querying. In an earlier post I said that the “perfect” query letter is like the Unicorn, it is a myth. That is true, but you can write a compelling query if you research the agent that you are sending the query to. Here’s my list of the things that make up a good query letter. Keep in mind that I’ve made most of the mistakes that I’m advising you not to make. That’s how I know they don’t work.

1. Write a great book and have it professionally edited.
2. Put some thought into who you want to publish your book. If you want Doubleday to publish your book, since they won’t even look at an unagented MS, you need an agent. If you are thinking small press, Indie, or POD then you don’t need an agent.
3. If you decide that you want or need an agent don’t just buy a copy of 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and randomly query a whole host of agents.
4. Remember, not having an agent is preferable to landing the wrong agent. Pick an agent that you think would be right for you.
5. Now that you’ve made the decision to try and hire an agent (that’s right, you are the employer and the agent will be working for you) take into consideration, however, that the agent doesn’t get paid if she can’t sell your book. Refer back to 1. Write a great book and have it professionally edited.
6. So now the prospective employee (the agent) is interviewing you (the writer) using the only means at her disposal, the query. All the more reason to craft it like a fine violin.
7. Do go to the agency website and pick an agent who represents authors that write the same kinds of books that you do. You might want to look at a few of them in your local Barnes & Noble or check some of them out on Amazon and read some of the reviews.
8. Your query letter should NEVER be longer than ONE page single spaced with one inch margins all around! Agents read pages upon pages everyday so no funky fonts. Twelve point Times New Roman is pretty much standard.
9. In real estate the watch word is location, location, location. In your query it is professionalism, professionalism, professionalism. An agent who receives over a thousand queries a month has no time to waste on amateurs. She will stop reading at the first hint that you are an amateur, even if you are the next James Joyce.
10. Agents realize that you are probably making multiple submissions, but you MUST convey the impression that she is the only agent in the world to represent your work. Makes sense, you wouldn’t go on a first date and keep looking at every other man or woman in the restaurant, would you? Not if you want a second date. So, something like: While every other agency in New York has turned my novel down, I know you’ll just love it. Sounds silly doesn’t it? Yet agents see this or worse in query letters all the time. What do you think happens to the query when the agent reads something like that? Round file! Dear author, this just isn’t right for us. Please excuse this cold form letter.
11. If you’ve met the agent or heard her speak at a writer’s conference open your letter with a brief reminder, no more than one or two sentences. If not go directly to the meat and potatoes of the book. Be specific (professional), not vague (amateur).
12. Start with the word count, the title, genre, and a comparison with the work of a well known author only different. My 75,000-word novel (Title) is a psychologically complex suspense thriller in same style as James Patterson’s Alex Cross novels. It has a slightly different protagonist, Tim Kelly is a rebel with a tortured soul.
13. Follow your introduction with three succinct paragraphs that you could use for your book’s back cover copy. If you are, for instance, comparing your book to Michael Connelly’s THE REVERSAL your book’s back cover copy should read like his: “Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller never thought he would cross the aisle and work for the prosecution–until imprisoned child killer Jason Jessup is granted a retrial based on new DNA evidence….” There’s more, but you get the idea. THE REVERSAL is a great read, by the way.
14. Let the agent know you’ve done your homework by telling her something like: Book title should fit in with your other titles, such as (title), (title), and (title), although it has a slightly different twist. Your website mentions that you are currently looking for suspense thrillers with a different twist, and I hope you will find my novel (title) to be a good match.
15. If you have CURRENT writing creds mention them now. If not don’t. Don’t say this is my first novel and my Uncle Fred, he’s read a book or two, thinks it’s pretty darn good. Dear author this just isn’t for us. Please excuse this cold form letter but the overwhelming number of queries we receive makes it impossible to answer each one personally. I wish you luck in your writing career. And the beat goes on.
16. The end should be a short polite thank you for considering your work.
17. In summary your query letter should be about your book not your family, pets or hobbies. Don’t waste the agent’s time with those things. If you do. You guessed it: Dear author please excuse this cold form letter …

That’s my little blurb on querying, yet I’m still trying to secure representation. To all of you out there who’ve tried and failed, keep trying and above all else keep writing.