by Kathryn J Bain
Membership Coordinator, Ancient City Romance Authors
The
query letter. The first way most writers have to make an impression on an agent
or publisher. And first impressions do count. It doesn’t matter how wonderful
your manuscript is if the publisher never gets to read it.
The
main way to get your query noticed is to be professional. You are writing to a
business, so act as if you are a business owner when you write your letter.
The
following are several steps that make a query noticeable. Since most queries
are now sent by e-mail, I have written this based on that fact. A letter sent
by postal service would be done similarly, but the contact information at the
top, like a business’ letterhead.
1.
One is keep your query short. No more than a page. A long letter will only make
the agent or publisher roll their eyes.
2.
Does your query look like a third grader
wrote it? Proofread it until you are absolutely sure there are no errors in it.
Your query is one page long. One error might make an agent assume you didn’t
proof your manuscript any better.
3. Do not call the editor/agent by their first
name, even if you’ve met them. If her name is Sean Jones, the salutation should
read Dear Ms. Jones, for a man, Dear Mr. Jones. Make sure you know which also.
Addressing a letter to a man as Mrs. will not win you any points. I always do a
search on the Internet when I’m not sure. I have yet to know find out.
4. Use the first paragraph or two to give a
brief synopsis of the book. Make sure it’s a good hook. If you bore your reader
here, they’ll assume you’ll bore them with your book.
5. In the next paragraph, tell them why you’re
writing. “I’m writing in the hopes you would be interested in reading my
manuscript ….” Tell them the genre and how many words it is. If you do not know
the genre, you’re not ready to submit.
6. Next, include a small writing resume. Don’t
tell me you don’t have one. They’re easy to get. Just volunteer in your local
writers’ group. The first job I ever did was to get guests for our local
Florida Sisters in Crime meetings. I called myself the Public Relations
Director. There was no such position. I made it up. You want a title, tell the
head of your group you’d like to bring snacks to all the meetings. Now you’re
the Hospitality Director. Put that in the resume section of your letter. This
lets an agent or editor know that you are willing to step out and be noticed.
7. The final paragraph of your letter should
thank them for taking their time. These are busy people. Thanking them leaves
warm fuzzies in their hearts.
8.
The last step is to sign your letter and include all your contact information,
including address, phone and your website, if you have one.
I
have gotten several compliments on my query letters for being good and
professional. Attached to this blog is a sample of the query for my latest
manuscript. Regarding this query, one publisher wrote: “I liked your query [a lot!] It was
professional and told me what I needed to know, and I look forward to reading
your complete
manuscript.” A possible sale because of a simple, yet professional query.
A publisher asking for
a complete manuscript puts you closer to a contract than one that never
responds. Please feel free to use the following query as a guideline, and let
me know how it works. And if you get published, all I ask for is a candy bar
(no nuts please) if we ever meet.
SAMPLE QUERY
Dear ___________:
A name can mean a lot. You expect a Jasper to be the CEO of a
company. Name your son Phineas, well, he might get beat up a lot. However if
you chose to call your daughter Trúble, you get what you ask for.
Trúble Lawrence makes a habit out of discovering dead bodies. When
the police look to her as a suspect, she has no choice but to search for the
killer. If that’s not bad enough she has to deal with a grandmother who has
visions, a co-worker who makes the Wicked Witch of the West look like Shirley
Temple, and a guy who constantly reminds her that celibacy is hard when a hot
male's around.
I am writing in the hope you will be interested in reading my
completed manuscript, Trúble in Knight and Day. It is a
humorous mystery and approximately 65,250 words in length.
- Breathless, an inspirational romantic suspense released January 13, 2012 from White Rose Publishing;
- Game of Hearts, a humorous novella released on e-book March 1, 2012 through Astraea Press; and
- Catch Your Breath, the sequel to Breathless which is due to come out from White Rose Publishing in 2012.
Also, my first release, Breathless, was the winner of the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award for Inspirational Fiction.
I was the President of Florida Sisters in Crime from January 2010 – December 2011, and am currently the Public Relations Director and Membership Director for Ancient City Romance Authors. I am also a member of National Sisters in Crime, American Christian Fiction Writers, National Romance Writers of America, First Coast Romance Writers, and Florida Writers Association. During my spare time, I work as a paralegal for an elder law attorney.
Thank you for your attention. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Writing Clean Fiction with an Edge
www.kathrynjbain.com
