Query SOS

The biggest question I get from aspiring authors is, How do I get published? Well, I want to help you guys out here. When I was starting out I had NO IDEA what I was doing and had to learn through trial and error. So I'm going to be doing a series of posts this year that will (hopefully) help all you writers navigate the treacherous waters of publishing.
You're welcome.

I'm going to start with one of the most daunting parts of the submission process, the dreaded Query letter. Now, I've posted on this before but here's a refresher. a Query is a letter you send to agents and or publishers you want to pitch your work to. It's scary because they get SO MANY queries everyday, yours really has to stand out. Not in a gimmicky, this paper smalls like roses way, but in a professional, concise, interesting way.

So what should your query letter look like? Well, here's a good template that someone shared with me so I'm passing it along.

Dear Ms. Agent of my Dreams (be sure to personalize. No one likes to be mass emailed):

{main character} is a {brief description} who {standard state of affairs} until {name the inciting action of the novel that changes things.}

Now {this is the character's problem} and {this is what the character must do to solve it.} {This is the thing that prevents the main character from solving the problem,} but {this is what will happen if the main character does not solve the problem.} Making it worse is {something that makes it even worse/raises the stakes.} But now {and this is the bad thing that will happen if the main character DOES solve the problem, the personal stakes which create tension in the reader.}

My previous publications include {this, that and the other thing} and {this may be some relevant detail about why I'm qualified to write this book, as applicable.}

TITLE OF THE BOOK (word count, genre) is available immediately on request.


It's very basic, but it will give you a good starting place. As a rule, don't use dialogue in the letter, don't ask rhetorical questions, and don't ramble or give the entire story away. It's like a first date. You want to let them see who you are, but leave them wanting more.

I hope this helps. I'll be back in a few weeks with tips on writing a synopsis and how to create a marketing proposal. Have a great week everyone!