Having written and sent a query letter that was not only read by a few agents, but resulted in signing with one, a few authors have recently asked me about query letters. I followed these tips below. More than one agent asked to read more, so something in the method works. It was based on reading dozens of blogs and articles on the topics. I applied all this:
- Think of the query letter as four sections. Intro. The story. Books like it. Bio. (one page total max)
- Make it personal. Why do you want that one agent other than the fact they represent your genre?
- Make it clear what your character wants/will get if he succeeds, and what might prevent him from doing that. Leave the agent wanting to read more, too.
- Don’t include too many sub-character names (don’t give away the whole story).
- Always give book comparisons so the agent knows where you land on shelves.
- Be honest about your publishing career. Is it just beginning or do you have other books published? (They’ll instantly go to Google to search out your other books and find the truth.)
- Indicate if you plan to make a career of writing or if you plan to write only one book. (Yes, most of you will say career.)
- Don’t hesitate to add in humor or your personality, but keep it professional.
- Queries and sample pages are cut-and-pasted into an email. No attachments.
- If submission requirements ask for page count, give it. Otherwise, don’t sweat it.