Query Letters

 

Here you'll find:

• FAQ
• How to write one  - a template and an example
• Resources: Other places to learn more 
• Advice: Surviving the Query Trenches and Etiquette 
• Agent Responses: What responses will I get?
• ​The Call: Questions to help you prepare

FAQ

What is a query letter? 
A query letter is a specialized letter to a literary agent, meant to interest them in your manuscript so they offer you representation. The process of writing and sending these letters is called 'querying.' 

Along with your query letter, you'll send sample pages of your manuscript. Different agents ask for different things - some might want the first ten pages, the first three chapters, the first fifty pages, etc. Be sure to check their guidelines and send what they ask for. 

How much does it cost to query an agent?
Absolutely nothing. Querying and signing with an agent is free. In fact, you never pay your agent. They deduct a commission of about 15% from the proceeds of your book - meaning, they only get paid when you do, and it's in their best interest to make you both as much money as possible.

When do I send my query letter?
You should only query a complete manuscript that you feel is the best it can be. That means you've shown it to critique partners and revised it a few times. Don't send a rough draft to agents. This is your first step into professional life as a writer. Take it seriously. 

How do I write one?
More on that below. 

Does it even work?
Yes.

You've probably heard someone say it's impossible to get noticed in the query slush pile. It's not impossible, it's just difficult - and you can do difficult things. Don't let the length of the road ahead stop you from beginning. 

You'll hear stories of someone who met their agent at a conference, or an uncle's birthday party, or on the subway, and signed with them in the space of one conversation. Sure, that stuff happens. But it's rare, and it's not how most of us roll. 

Querying is the way most authors get their agents. Really. And to be clear, I'm kind of lumping Twitter pitch contests in with querying, because they're so closely related. 

Now, nobody says that sending a query is a golden ticket. It'll still take a lot of dedication, patience, and time. But it works, and you can do it. 
​
Can I send a query letter to any agent any time? 
No. Agents sometimes need time to get through all the queries in their inboxes, and they'll close to queries for a period of time. They'll usually say this on the agency website, and on social media. Always check to make sure the agent is open to queries before you send one. And don't worry - if the agent you want is closed to queries right now, they'll open again soon. 

This sounds scary. 
You can do this.  

You might've heard this process called "The Query Trenches." That's because this stage can feel like a bit like battle. It's intense, and sometimes wounding. You don't really know how long you'll be there, and everything's uncertain. In the query trenches, you're running on hope.

Writers at this stage feel a lot of pressure to get everything just right, and it can seem like all your dreams hinge on this one little document. You're putting your manuscript in front of publishing professionals for the first  time and, to be honest, getting rejected. A lot. It's not easy. 

Still. How cool is it that you've gotten this far?? Very cool, my friend. Don't back down now.  

Take a deep breath. Exhale.  Listen. It's going to be okay.  Once you learn the basic format, you'll find that it's mostly just common sense and waiting. So don't panic. You've got this. I guarantee you've survived harder things. 

Where do I send this thing?
Got your list of agents who'd be a great fit for your work? Excellent. For each one, go to their agency's website. There, you'll find their submission guidelines and the email they use for queries. You can also check the agent's social media or personal website, if they have one. 

Remember,  agencies have different rules, and agents have specific preferences, so be sure to follow the instructions, and make sure the agent is open to queries!

How to Write a Query Letter

A query letter isn't like a normal letter. It's a skill - a tricky, frustrating, necessary skill - with certain expectations. It's normal to feel like knocking your forehead against a wall the first few times you try it. Here's a template, and a rough outline based on my book.  Change the details as they apply to you!

TEMPLATE 

Dear [Addressed to the agent's name, spelled correctly, not assuming their marital status or gender],

[Personalized statement about why you're querying them specifically; did you hear them speak at a conference, have a meeting with them, read an interview about their interests?]

[Introduce your book, TITLE IN ALL CAPS, with its wordcount, genre, and comp titles. The comp titles should be recent books in your genre (within the last three years, give or take) or such strikingly good fits that they get immediate attention. Don't choose them just because they're massively popular titles or claim you've written the next GOT, HP, LOTR, etc.]

[Highlight the major events of your story in the most exciting and concise way possible - about a paragraph long. Focus on who your protagonist is, what they want, what stands in the way, and what's at stake if they lose. This is meant to grab attention, not tell the whole story.]

[Now add a brief biography of yourself listing any publication credits, awards, or relevant facts. It's okay if you haven't ever published anything before! It's okay if you don't have a degree!]
​
[Sign off by thanking the agent for their time and consideration.]

EXAMPLE (Yes, it's silly.)

Dear ____,

Because you love stories with folkloric roots and narratives about children in grave peril, I hope you'll enjoy my Middle Grade Fantasy, 'Little Red Riding Hood.' Complete at ______ words, it'll appeal to fans of the atmospheric horror of Hansel and Gretel, and the helpful morals of Germanic Fairytales. 

Trusting and innocent Ten year old Little Red Riding Hood just wants to be helpful, so when she hears that her grandmother is sick, she volunteers to bring her some much needed food and medicine. But, despite her mother's warnings not  to speak to strangers, she's sidetracked by a charming wolf along the way. Unbeknownst to Little Red, the treacherous wolf has already hurried to Grandmother's house and devoured the old woman by the time Little Red arrives. Now, faced with a suspicious figure in Grandmother's bed, Little Red must overcome her naivety and outsmart the wolf if she hopes to escape the house alive. 

An MFA graduate of The Black Forest, I am a devoted collector of folklore and fairytales. I live with my brother Jacob in Germany.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Wilhelm Grimm 

Helpful Resources

A lot of people have written better guides than I ever could on how to write a good query letter. In the resources below, you'll find examples of query letters and advice on how to write them well. The basic idea of how to write a query letter is standard across all agencies, but look for advice from more than one source, because lots of agents have different pet peeves and quirks. 

Query Tracker
Here you can research agents and get an idea of their various response times.
Publisher's Marketplace
This site costs about $20/month. Here you can research the sales patterns of specific agents, search for publishing jobs, and generally learn what's happening. Some writers share a subscription to help with the cost. 
​​Query Shark
Here, you can study feedback on other people's query's or submit your own for review.  The queries are critiqued by Janet Reid, the agent who runs the blog. 
​Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
A resource dedicated to empowering genre writers. Their resource page covers just about anything you'd want to know about anything. 
Pitch Wars
A contest-based mentoring program that pairs new writers with authors, editors, and agents, to help new writers break into the field. They have tons of great resources on their page! 
DVPit
A Twitter-based pitch contest created to boost the voices of self-identifying, historically marginalized authors & illustrators.
Literaticast and Ask the Agent 
Both by agent Jennifer Laughran. Literaticast is a  podcast about publishing, where she interviews industry professionals. Ask the Agent is her Tumblr page,  where you can write in with your questions. 
The Manuscript Academy Podcast
The Manuscript Academy is kind of like attending a conference, without having to go to the conference. That part, of course, costs money - but the podcast is free, and features agents, editors, and authors sharing helpful info about everything from query letters to working in the publishing industry. 
Shipping and Handling
Another podcast! Run by agents Bridget Smith and Jennifer Udden, this podcast covers everything you never realized you wondered about publishing. They also take time to answer questions from listeners. 
Jane Friedman's Blog 
She has a ton of info for writers here, from query letters, to cover letters, to blogging. 

Query Letter Advice 

Ok, so now you know what a query letter should look like and how it works. Here's  my two cents. 
 Surviving the Query Trenches

• ​Writing query letters, and querying agents, is very hard emotional work. Be kind to yourself. It's a long, slow process, full of some wild ups and downs. Take breaks. Work on something low-pressure while you query. Just don't give up. Keep knocking on the door, and somebody'll answer one day. 
• Research your agents like you're choosing the godparent of your firstborn. Know who you're dealing with. If you can afford a subscription, check their past deals on Publisher's Marketplace. Read their interviews. See which authors they represent. See if they've sold any books recently. 
• Still don't give up. 
• Keep a good record of who you've queried and when. You think you'll remember, but you won't. 
• Rejection is painful. That's okay! Don't give yourself a hard time. Lean on your support group. Do something kind for yourself. 
• Do. Not. Give. Up. Not even a little. I see you thinking about it. Keep going. 

Stuff to Remember:

• Follow the Agent's Guidelines. This is the big one. Every agent has their own specific instructions for how to query them. How many sample pages should you attach, and how should you attach them? What are the agent's pronouns? Do they require a synopsis? Do they represent your genre? Read those thoroughly, and follow the  instructions. 
• Don't Sell Yourself Short. You wrote a whole book. A whole book! Beginning, middle, end!  Be proud of this awesome thing you created! It’s okay! And hey, remember this: somewhere out there, some dude with the worst novel ever written is querying with all the gleeful confidence of a tornado in a trailer park. If he has the right to be in this space, you definitely do.
• Don't Be Your Own Worst Enemy. Agents partially use the query letter to scan for red flags: Is this person professional? Do they write well? Can they follow directions? Agents are ridiculously busy. They get a ton of these letters every day, and can’t afford to give each one the benefit of the doubt. If you give them a reason to set your letter aside, they will. 
• This is like a job interview. The query letter is your first step into the office of your potential business partner – someone who needs to know you’re a solid, reasonable, professional person, who’s taking this seriously. So, don't try to be cute. That means: 
  • No strange fonts or distracting colors. 
  • Don't try to rhyme, even if your book rhymes. 
  • Don't write in the voice of your character. The agent needs to hear your voice.

I know you'll find examples to the contrary if you look. Ignore them. They're sinister kelpies luring you into the murky depths. Think of it this way: a kindergarten teacher doesn't interview for the position by treating the principal like a kindergartner; they speak as one professional to another. That's what you're doing here. Your sample pages will speak for themselves.

Manners

• Be polite. Rudeness, arrogance, and inappropriateness will. not. help. It’s not funny. No one will be impressed that you yelled at them, or tried to make them feel sorry for rejecting you. It doesn’t show confidence, it shows immaturity, and you can't bully someone into wanting to represent you. 
• Respect Boundaries. Just stay professional. Be a good person. You know what that means and how to do it. Use common sense, and common decency. 
  • It's easy for these lines to blur over social media. Just remember that no matter how well you feel you know this person, you're still a stranger to them. Act accordingly. 
  • Unless expressly permitted otherwise, don't reach out in their personal email, DMs, social media, phone, etc. to query an agent or check in on a query. 
  • Should go without saying, but nobody wants your critique of their appearance, attractiveness, or personal life, no matter your intentions. 
  • Consider how you'd react if a stranger said to you what you're about to say to this person. Would you feel weird about it? Then there's your answer. 
  • Don't try to stalk, badger, 'wear down,' or beg an agent into being your partner. A no is a no. 
• Beware Exaggeration: There’s a difference between healthy confidence and false bravado. “This is the next big thing, and you’re an idiot to reject it” is childish, and nobody believes it. They’ve heard it before.
• Beware Self-Deprecation: On the other hand, beating yourself up or wallowing in defeat isn't a good look either. You're not bothering anyone. You're not wasting anyone's time, and this isn't hopeless. First of all, you deserve to be here, and you've done an incredible thing by finishing your manuscript. Second, if you're thinking of guilting the agent into signing with you, stop it.  Go forward with healthy confidence, and see what happens. 
• Check Your Tone: Things like humor and sarcasm don't travel well via email. Maybe you think you’re joking. Maybe you know the tone of voice in which you’re supposed to read this email, to make it charming. The agent won’t know that, and chances are, it won’t come across the way you intended. It's safer to stay professional. ​
• Retreat Gracefully. So you got a rejection. It hurts, and that's okay. Don't take it out on the agent - just move on to a new  query letter. 

Agent Responses

These are the basic responses your query letter will get. 

• No response: Check to see what the agent's response time is (probably a few weeks). They'll usually say in their query guidelines. If you haven't heard from them after the given time, feel free to send a polite nudge, in the same email thread as your original query, so they know you really did query them once. Stay professional and brief. Something like: 

[subject line]Follow-up on MG Fantasy Query: 
Dear (Agent's name) 
I just wanted to follow up on the query I sent on (Date). 
Thank you for your time, 
(Your Signature) 

If you still don't get a response, it's probably safe to consider it a rejection and move on. 

• A form rejection:

"Dear Author, Thanks for submitting, but your work isn't right for us at this time." A pretty standard, impersonal rejection, with no feedback. Don't worry, we all get them. It's not the end. 

• A rejection with feedback: Now you're getting somewhere!

Dear (Your actual name!), 
Thank you for sending me (Title). While the characters and voice were strong, the story didn't quite grab me. Best of luck as you continue querying other agents! 
Sincerely, (Agent).

This still hurts, but it's a great sign. It means the agent saw merit in your work. Maybe it wasn't right for them, but it's right for someone else!

• Full Request: YES AWESOME WOW YEAH! This means they liked your sample pages enough to read the WHOLE BOOK. Or at least, farther into it.  It's not an acceptance yet, and they could still reject it - but it's a great achievement, and you should be super proud. 
• Revise and Resubmit (R&R) 

This, too, is awesome!! It usually means an agent has requested your full manuscript, read it - and thinks it could use some work. This is great! If you consider the feedback they give and feel it's worth trying, definitely revise that thing and send it back!

Lastly

I know you can do this. You're capable, you're good at what you do, and somebody out there needs your story. Good luck!