Query. Letters. Suck.

Lets face it, if you're asking yourself how to write a query letter it's because you wrote a book. I've got news for you, writing the book was the easy part. The query letter sucks. There's a ton of articles online that tell you how to write one, but they all say conflicting things.

Even if there was one solid way to write a query letter, it would still suck having to write one. Yesterday I worked with the wonderful, Melissa Foster (Go read her blog: http://www.melissafoster.com/ ) on writing my query letter. She did a wonderful job helping me, despite the fact that she hadn't read my novel.
Five revisions later, here is the format that we've settled on.

Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. (Agent's Last Name)

Paragraph 1: Tell the agent why your querying them specifically. Give the title and word count of your novel. This paragraph was only about 2 lines for me.

Paragraph 2: Write something interesting about your book. This needs to be something that will hook the agent and make them want to keep reading your letter. This was about three lines for me. (This doesn't have to be here. It works for some people, but not everyone needs it.)


Paragraph 3: This is the big paragraph. Write a synopsis of your book using the main events and the key points. This is the ultimate hook. If the agent doesn't like this, they're probably not going to ask for more.

Paragraph 4: Just a simple, "thank you for your time" and, "my complete manuscript is available upon your request."

Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Email)
(Your Phone Number)
(If there are any blogs you write that pertain to writing, put their address here.)

Before you even think about writing any of this you need to DO YOUR RESEARCH! A big percentage of denials from agents are due to the fact that the person querying them didn't do their research. If the agent only represents Mystery books and your wrote a Science Fiction novel, don't query them. Find a different agent.

When you do find an agent that represents your genre you need to find their submission guidelines. They may ask for only a query letter or they may ask for a query letter and 5 pages of your manuscript. Whatever they want, give it to them! Also, find out how the agent wants to be queried. If they only accept emails, make sure you send an email. If they only want mail, make sure you send mail.

The process has to be professional. You need to do your research. A query letter is basically a job application. You're asking the agent for a writing job. You wouldn't walk into a job interview dressed in jeans and a ripped t-shirt while talking in slang, would you? So don't write a query letter that gives the same impression! (If you would walk into a job interview that way, I sincerely hope you don't write that way.)

This is just the basics. Some things you should know: Always use Ms./Mrs./Mr. and the agent's last name. No buts. Write your second and third paragraphs in the present tense using an active voice. You want to entertain the agent, not put them to sleep. Read, read and reread, and then give it to someone else to read. Make sure there are no contradictions in your query. Agents will pick up on them! Finally, spell check and grammar check it all!

The Query is your first and only shot with an agent. Don't blow it. It HAS to be perfect!

(Original Post on June 27, 2011 at: http://dft.ba/-BSMeyers69 )