Writing 12

Query Letter Info

The 5 Elements of a Novel Query

Every query should include these five elements, in no particular order (except the closing):

◾Personalization: where you customize the letter for the recipient

◾What you're selling: genre/category, word count, title/subtitle

◾Hook: the meat of the query; 100-200 words is sufficient for a novel

◾Bio: sometimes optional for uncredited fiction writers

◾Thank you & closing

What's in the very first paragraph of the query?

This varies from writer to writer and from project to project. You put your best foot forward—or you lead with your strongest selling point. Common ways to begin a query:

◾You've been vouched for or referred by an existing client of the agent's—or if you're querying a publisher, you might be referred by one of their authors.

◾You met the agent/editor at a conference or pitch event where your material was requested (in which case, your query letter doesn't carry much of a burden).

◾You heard the agent/editor speak at a conference or you read something they wrote that indicates they're a good fit for your work.

◾You start with your hook—a compelling hook, of course.

◾You mention excellent credentials or awards, e.g., you have an MFA from a school that an agent is known to recruit clients from, you've won first prize in a national competition with thousands of entrants, or you have impressive publication credits with prestigious journals or New York publishers.

Many writers don't have referrals or conference meetings to fall back on, so usually the hook becomes the lead for the query letter. Some writers start simple and direct, which is fine: "My [title] is an 80,000-word supernatural romance."

Personalizing the query: why it makes a difference

Remember, your query is a sales tool, and good salespeople develop a rapport with the people they want to sell to, and show that they understand their needs. Show that you've done your homework, show that you care, and show that you're not blasting indiscriminately.

Will you be automatically rejected for not personalizing your query? No, but if you do take the trouble to personalize it, you'll set yourself apart from the large majority of writers querying, and that's the point.

Example of a strong, personalized lead

In a January interview at the Guide to Literary Agents blog, you praised The Thirteenth Tale and indicated an interest in "literary fiction with a genre plot." My paranormal romance Moonlight Dancer (85,000 words) blends a literary style with the romance tradition.

The 3 Elements of a Novel Hook

For most writers, it's the hook that does most of the work in convincing the agent/editor to request your manuscript. You need to boil down your story to these three key elements:

1.Protagonist + his conflict

2.The choices the protagonist has to make (or the stakes)

3.The sizzle

Some genres/categories should add a fourth element: the setting or time period.

What does "sizzle" mean? It's that thing that sets your work apart from all others in the genre, that makes your story stand out, that makes it uniquely yours. Sizzle means: This idea isn't tired or been done a million times before.