I’ve been enjoying a bit of a change of pace, now that the book’s done, and working on putting together a query letter. It’s easier said that done. Some people have a knack for it, but it’s been taking a lot more thought and time than I expected. Here are a few links that I’ve found helpful so far:
How to write a query:
- Writing a Simple, Compelling, Query via Kidlit – Not sure what the meat of your query should be? Answer these questions.
- How I Got My Agent (Part 1 – The Parts of a Good Query) via Susan Denard – She breaks down the individual paragraphs in a query, using her own as an example.
Examples of successful queries:
- Houses of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Foster
- Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
- Control Issues by Elana Johnson
- Gail Carriger’s Query Letter via Pub Rants
- Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
- Successful Queries via Writer’s Digest
I’m an example oriented person, can you tell? Seeing how it’s been done successfully is far more valuable to me than guidelines. Still, I’ve got no idea whether what I’ve written (query wise) is any good 😉 It’s a challenge!
Have you ever gone through the query rounds before? If not, how far along are you with your writing right now?
I’m going to have to flag this one for later, that’s for sure. I’m nowhere near the query process, myself… but when I get there, I’m similar to you in that I find examples very useful.
You’ll get there 😉
Great links, thanks very much.
mood
You’re welcome 🙂
Yeah, I’m not quite there yet, heh, but I’m sure this will definitely be useful in the near-ish future. 😀 (I liked reading Gail Carriger’s query, though. So far one of my favorites.)
Thanks for sharing, and good luck crafting your letter!
Thanks Tiyana! You’ll get there!
BubbleCow did a useful article on this (as well as other useful stuff on getting published):
http://www.bubblecow.net/the-query-letter-that-won-me-an-agent-and-a-four-book-deal-and-why-it-was-so-successful
I often worry with the query letter that there’s a danger of falling into a template format that everyone then adopts and expects. Is it worth deviating ever so slightly to try and catch an agent or editor’s attention without pissing them off? I did hear from a published author that one of the best things you can do is make the agent/editor laugh on the first paragraph. Again this approach could easily backfire!
From what I’ve read, the tone of the query should match the tone of the book (give a glimpse of your writing style). It’s more like a standard business letter. Agents read so many queries, that putting all the information into a concise format, hence the template, seems to be appreciated.