which will tell you what they’re looking for. That’s the crucial part of the query letter. You don’t want to send out a query letter about your fiction novel to an agent that only accepts non-
When I queried my first novel, I didn’t know how many resources were out there or how high the standards were. I assumed the query letter would be like most pitch emails, and as a result, my query letter was only a halfway decent elevator pitch with a few vibes and comparable books...
To see what a standard non-fiction query might look like, here is an actual example of a letter that worked! Sample Non-fiction Query Letter One of Jon Darga’s clients kindly permitted us to reprint their query letter. The title and author name have been redacted — and some of the fo...
2. Write a strong “hook” for the book Just as your novel must get readers involved within thefirst few pages, your query letter must pique an agent's interest within a few lines. This part of the letter is known as the hook, and it’s a short description of your book’s concept...
TheWriters Market2020 edition includes helpful analyses of effective one-page query letters, such asan example of a good fiction book queryavailable via Google Books preview. 5. Cut irrelevant waffle Once you've drafted your query letter, give it several reads over. ...
Author bio for fiction: Don’t worry about platform and don’t stress about your bio. If you have traditionally published fiction before, tell a bit about your publishing history. If not, don’t worry about this part of the letter, just say you’re a first-time novelist. If you like,...
Describing your entire novel in a one page query letter may feel impossible (it does to me!). Thankfully there’s a standard but effective formula you can follow, spicing it up with your own style. First, I'll introduce the query letter formula, and then I'll show you exactly how to...
For one, it was a better book. A lot of attention is placed on writing the perfect query letter, but truth is,the best query in the world can’t sell a book that isn’t working.With my first submission attempt, I never got past the query stage. My second attempt, I got a few ...
The query letter is a valuable tool for writers. Not only does it help them clarify their idea, it's the letter that will hook and agent or editor, or become the cover copy that will make a reader buy the book. Writing one is a smart move, whether you're going indie or traditional...