Amateur To Published: The Fiction Writer's Guide To Publishing

2 - Write A Query Letter

A query letter is a one-page pitch letter that gives a briefdescription of your work. Essentially, it is a sales letter to persuadean editor or agent to request a full manuscript or proposal. There is no'standard' format that all authors use for their query letters. However, it isa business document and, accordingly, it should look like a formal one-pagebusiness letter.

The road to drafting the perfect query letter isa minefield. Seemingly innocuous sentences can send up red flags in theeyes of the agent/editor, while missing information can leave them withquestions and make them too annoyed to ask for your manuscript. So how can youguarantee that your letter says everything it has to without carrying anyunnecessary information?

STEP 1: START WITH A PERSONALIZED GREETING

There's nothing more amateurish than starting off with 'To Whom It May Concern. This screams 'I'msending this query letter to every single agent and publisher on this side of the Pacific'.And while that's probably the case, you'll miss a valuable opportunity toengage the agent/editor.

Right from the start of your query letter you need to showyour agent/editor that you've done your research into them and believe thatthey might actually be a match for your work. You're not just mass-sendingqueries. The best way to do that is to greet them by their name.

Every single letter you write will be personalized tothe person you're sending it to. If you don't know the name of the agent/editor,then do your research. However, even as you personalize the greeting make sureto maintain professionalism. Dear Ms. Kendall works perfectly fine, but DearAmanda is too casual and may get you the boot.

You could further personalize the letter by referring to the agent/publishinghouse's existing clients/authors in the body of the query letter and explaininghow much they're influenced your own work. Or if you want to do better, referto something the agent/editor has written or said in public and how itresonated with and influenced you.

STEP 2: BUILD RAPPORT

Your first paragraph needs to capture theagent/editor's attention and make them interested in you as a person. There aredifferent ways to do this:

- If you've published before and won accolades or got very goodresponses from that novel start with that.

- If you've met before either in a writer's conference or someother place, or heard the agent/editor speak at an event, or read a bookthey've written that indicated that they're a good fit for your work, mentionthat.

-If you got a referral from an established author orpublishing insider, mention it.

- If you're a fan of specific authors that he or sherepresents, share it.

If you have none of the above connections, don't panic. Just jumpstraight into your pitch.

STEP 3: IDENTIFY WHAT YOU'RE SELLING

'I'm writing to seek representation/publication for my 84,000 word debut romance, Loving The Enemy'

The above statement is a basic pitch.You'll notice that it gives three key pieces ofinformation about the book i.e. the title, genre and word count. That's right –always include your word countbecause the agent/editor willbe looking for it.

STEP 4: CRAFT AN IRRESISTIBLE HOOK

The point of this paragraph is to summarize your storyin the most interesting way possible. When you were writing your novel, you hada few pages to draw your reader's attention. However, with your query letter,you have to make do with just a few lines. This part of the letter is known asthe hook.