his section has six parts, outlining the separate parts that I believe make up a killer query. Print out the examples in the Query Samples section of this book. Make notes. Think and think and then think some more about your novel.
When I sat down to write my query, I had about seven successful examples of query letters spread out on my counter. I made notes on what the first line was. The second. How many paragraphs. I had them in digital format and I put the word count at the top of the printed copy. I looked at the last paragraph, how the letter ended, all of it.
Then I wrote my letter by hand, incorporating the common themes I found in the successful query letters. I have achieved good success with my query letters (30-35% request rate) and I believe that you can too.
Note:
Query letters should be written in the tone of your novel. Keep that in mind as you go through this studying process. Just because a successful query is over-the-top funny doesn’t mean yours will be—unless you’ve also written a comedy. Remember this, but the query-writing formula doesn’t change because of it.
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From the Query to The Call
Non-FictionFROM THE QUERY TO THE CALL outlines what a query letter -- or cover copy -- is, why every author needs to master the art of describing their book in just a few words, and how to successfully navigate the querying process. Authors looking to query pu...
