Literary agent query letter example below will help you improve your pitch to book agents. Below is a sample cover letter otherwise known as a query letter sent by an aspiring writer to a literary agent. Format with your address at the top of the page, right justified. The query package, but now lets get more specific and discuss how to actually write a cover letter and fyi, writing a novel cover letter is different than a short story cover letter, in fact there are some publications that dont even require a cover letter for short story submissions the following post is an accumulation of what i learned from. If creating a great novel is the door that leads to getting a book on the bestseller list then writing an excellent query letter is one of the critical keys to opening that door. Query letters for childrens book fiction musings archive for april 2003. Example of a good query letter nathan bransford writing. Maybe keep it on the one topic of fiction short story pieces for magazine, collection of 10 short stories for the agent and for the publisher, so the query letters are targeting something specific and you wont have to guess what the reader might be doing if you are writing a proposal, write this query letter, or if you wrote a novel, write. Here are the things that writers relief recommends you keep in mind when pitching a book to literary agents. How to write a query letter that gets manuscript requests jane. Tips for writing a query letter for your romance novel and what to do. How not to write a darn good query letter dont go beyond one page. This is one of the most powerful novel synopsis examples i could find, particularly because it comes from a once firsttime authors attempt at gaining attention from an agent. May 04, 2011 my query letter for jacob wonderbar may 4, 2011 by nathan bransford 82 comments before i get to my query letter, let me answer two questions im asked often.
Do not include sample chapters of your novel with your query unless an agents submission guidelines specifically say to include sample pages with your snail mail query. It should outline your plot in neutral nonsalesy language and demonstrate a clear story arc. Example of a good query letter writing, book editing. Every agent will have different pet peeves, different priorities, and different interests, but most likely every single agent who received this query was compelled to move on to at least read gia cribbss first chapters, which, by the way you can do right now in any book store or online to see why gia had so much immediate. This article is part of a 17part series called the best way to get a literary agent. If you really feel compelled to show an agent your writing style along with your query letter, include only the first 5 pages of your novel. Which means every agent and editor i sent it to asked for at least a partial on the manuscript. Aug 24, 2008 writing a pitchperfect query letter once youve completed your manuscript, gone out to a celebratory dinner, told all your writing friends, and bought a new handbag oops, sorry, that was me its time to get down to the serious business of finding a home for your work.
Today, for the first time in any venue ever, i will be sharing that query letter, along with commentary in italics. If youre going the traditional publishing route, meaning that you want to land a literary agent and want your novel pitched to bignyc publishing houses, then you have to learn how to write a query letter. The first few times i wrote query letters my stomachache did a fandango. But i wanted to give you a simple, straightforward set of instructions. Set in a small seaside town north of byron bay, yellow is a murder mystery with supernatural elements, but at heart its a coming.
Sample query letter the query letter sample below will help you create a successful query letter of your own, so you can get a top literary agent, publisher, and book deal. The query letter follows an accepted standard format no there is no actual rule that says it has to be done this way, and an agent wont throw your letter out if it is not in this format, but it is the accepted format. Whether its for literary or book club fiction, young adult or middle grade, romance, fantasy, thriller or cozy, the queries all share one thing in commonthey leave me intrigued. Dear agentpublisher, please find attached a synopsis and three chapters of my genre novel, ms title, which is approximately 80,000 words in length.
How to write a query for a mystery or thriller novel. Heres how to write a query letter for a romance novelthese are the essential tips and strategies that will appeal to literary agents who. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear. Cover letter example for fiction writers to send to agents. Melanie was an unpublished author when she submitted.
Its always helpful to see an example of a successful and wellwritten query. The novel i describe will be published in october 2015. The agent knows the characters are gonna get together in the end. Successful query letters for literary agents galleycat. This post focuses on query letters for novels, although the same advice applies. Writing a pitchperfect query letter romance writers on the. Something id always been told about query letters is to never include an excerpt of your book in your query. Comps need to be recent, within two or three years. I was a finalist in the toronto original golden opportunity contest, semifinalist in the heart of denver contest and winner of the rwac query letter contest. Actually, its rude to go over one page in a query letter, not to mention unprofessional. Writing a pitchperfect query letter romance writers on the journey. The query letter is so much of a sales piece that its quite possible to write one without having written a word of the manuscript. If youre looking at traditional publishing, then that means writing a query letter. If you want even more examples or suggestions, you can always check.
At carina we are looking for books to acquire, not books to reject. You want to know what a great query letter to literary agents should look like. How to write a query letter for short stories hubpages. As much as i like your blog, i write pb, early chapter books, and mg historical fiction non of which i think are your thing. The secret to writing a successful query letter the.
A query letter is a one page letter with three concise paragraphs. Query letter sample literary agents and literary agencies. Writing a query letter can determine whether a literary agent asks to see more or sends you a cordial form letter intended to let you down easy. Publishing agents have to write query letters, too. Examples of query letters for novels that sold go teen. Between books, youll find me playing the piano or celtic harp, watching movies, or making period costumes like my heroine in book three a regency ball gown in amethyst silk is up on my worktable next. Im available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching. Something about the book enough to make the agent want more something. All it requires is a firm grasp of your story premise. In fact, some literary agents accept only query letters and request sample pages only from writers who present a strong query letter.
Theres a very specific standard for query letters that you should not deviate from, when possible. Successful query letters and winning examples writing. Today im going to break the query down into three sections to create an easy templateformat you can use to write your own query. Kole, 1 according to your agencys website youre actively seeking middlegrade fiction, so im pleased to introduce my novel, a smidgen of sky. The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only. Without further ado, here is emilys very strong query letter. Most literary agents will not even consider a query letter with more than one page or front and back. It made me request the complete manuscript to read.
It and the manuscript that went along with it generated five offers. Writing a cover letter the manuscript appraisal agency. A query letter is meant to elicit an invitation to send sample chapters or even the whole manuscript to the agent. As a freelancer and writing instructor, ive written hundreds of magazine article queries and edited hundreds of others over the past seven years. Sep 28, 2017 writing a query letter for your mystery or thriller novel. The key components to a romance query letter all the kissing. After all, a query letter is a way to make connections with agents and editors and garner interest in your work. Learn how to write a query letter for your fiction novel, and read a sample. How to write a query letter for a mystery novel global. Aug 01, 2011 the definitive guide query letters are a recurring theme here since every writer needs one, and there are hundreds of posts online full of query advice. The tone of the query letter should be similar to the tone of your writing. Writing a query letter for a romance novel arrow publications. This section is usually the hardest to write because most authors are much more knowledgeable about their own book than about books. Most do not accept unsolicited manuscript submissions, so a wouldbe romance author must go to the effort of creating a winning query letter and often a synopsis to accompany it.
The cinderella deal jennifer crusie pubbed in 2011 which makes it too old for an effective comp. One sample pitches a historical romance, one pitches a science fiction novel, and one pitches a psychological thriller, so you can see how query. Query letters for fiction are worth a bit of angst and extra polishing. This is probably even more important of a task than actually writing your novel. First is the query from melanie dickersons the woodcutters daughter, which became the novel, the healers apprentice.
Your query letter should evoke the same tone as your novel. Not a fullscale plot summary, thats for the synopsis. It was also awarded honorable mention in the smart. By the way, be sure to subscribe for a darn good query letter template to go along with this post. The query letter that literary agents love to read godly. Make sure you organize your letter in the right manner, and its easy to skim through. Jul 29, 2014 i wrote another letter, which was agent catnip. Give a very brief 1sentence summary of the book and your purpose in writing it. I write books about fun and faithwith a side of glamour. Every time an agent comes across a query featuring a ya. Your letter will include an introduction that provides the agent with your hook, the next paragraph will be the synopsis of your novel, and then finally, your third paragraph will be your autobiographical paragraph where you tell herhim a bit about yourself. But our job in the query is to pretend like its not gonna. How to write the perfect query letter query letter.
How to write a query letter with examples of real successful. Tips for writing a query letter for your romance novel and what to do while you wait webcorrectly query letter is a short look into your novel somewhere between the 250 and 350word mark that entices february 5, 2018 at 11. Tips for writing a query letter for your romance novel. Please find enclosed the synopsis and first three chapters of my 67 000 word young adult novel yellow. As an author you might wonder how important your query letter is. This query resulted in a full request from my agent, which later turned into an offer of representation. But over the years ive noticed that there is a certain type of query letter that really grabs my attention.
Query letter sample below reveals how you can double your chances of getting the attention of book agents and publishers. The definitive guide query letters are a recurring theme here since every writer needs one, and there are hundreds of posts online full of query advice. Considering our mutual love of magic, harry potter, and kristen. Writing a pitchperfect query letter romance writers on. Just before we look at it, i should say that i am a real author describing a real book this letter pretends that this book is a first novel and i have no track record in the industry. A somewhat longer, 12 paragraph, introduction to the book. To help inspire you, weve collected 116 examples of successful query letters from famous authors spanning various genres, from crime fiction, to fantasy, to young adult. My query letter for jacob wonderbar nathan bransford. Successful query letters and winning examples the goal of query letter is to elicit an invitation from an agent or editor to send in sample chapters or the whole manuscript.
For other samples of good query letters, also check out. This article is part of a series called get a literary agent. Before i share the ideal structure for book queries with you, i need to make sure you understand something. How to write a query letter in 7 steps reedsy blog. Writing a query letter for your romance novel is no small task. How to write the perfect query letter writers digest. Read a sample literary agent query letter with hints.
A total of 349 words, not including the salutation or sign off. Writing a query letter for your mystery or thriller novel. Queries should include the following three elements. Take a look at the letter, which appears below, for an example of format and length. Ms title is the story of josie, an eccentric child, growing up on a remote cattle farm in outback queensland at the turn of the century, from her humble beginnings to her rise to become one of the most wellrespected.
How to write a query letter that gets manuscript requests. Welcome to the third and final installment of our romance writer series. Let us guide you through the query letter writing process. With a novel query, you want to capture the editors attention, give a brief overview of the major characters and theme of the book, and include a brief plot synopsis. In this case, the firsttime author had a connection to the agent. Most do not accept unsolicited manuscript submissions, so a wouldbe romance author must go to the effort of creating a winning query letter and often a. Magazine freelancers use query letters to pitch ideas to editors, and the importance of an attentiongetting query cannot be. The sample query below resulted in a hardcoverpaperback book deal for carol plumucci. Learn more about query letter writing in the online course how to query letter in 14 days, from writers digest university. Reading a novel requires a larger investment of time on the editors part, so the query letter must be targeted very carefully.
Jan 04, 2017 okay i promised to show the sample of the query letter which landed me my agent. In such cases, the query really ends up being a cover letter and doesnt have to be labored over that much. Sad to say, many excellent novels end up on the slush pile because the query letter didnt open the first door. With that in mind, you should treat your query letter as if it is the only evidence you have of the quality of your manuscriptwith many agents that will be the case. Now that youve got a grip on the basics and spent time drafting and editing your novel, its time to talk next steps. The sample query letter below by a previously unpublished author didnt just get my attention when i was an agent. How to write a novel synopsis with an example jericho. The second section of my query letter template is where you should give literary agents context. Yes, i needed an agent even though i was working as an agent at the time, and yes, i had to send out query letters the oldfashioned way. Jan 17, 2020 the query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only. Thinks of those great teasers you read on the back of romance books. Tips for writing a query letter for your romance novel and.
How to write a query letter that grabs a literary agents. Consider the query letter as a summary of your book novel. The query letter that literary agents love to read if youve written a book, are currently writing a book, or are even remotely interested in writing a book, then one of the things youll soon need to consider is how to tackle a query letter. Publishers and agents are constantly deluged with manuscript submissions. Jan 05, 2016 a query letter for a nonfiction book isnt all that different from a fiction query.
In a bestcase scenario, a writer approaching a literary agent with a romance novel query letter will have a few publication credits, some formal study, and be affiliated with the romance writers of americawhich has become the unofficial trade organization of the genre. On the road to traditional publication, your query letter plays a central role in getting literary agents and publishers to notice your book. A good query letter can be an extremely effective way to rocket your book to the top of our tbr pile. Klems is the editor of this blog, online editor of writers digest and author of the popular gift book oh boy, youre having a girl. Because of this, and because agents are very busy people, the writer kept the letter brief and to the point. Im hoping to interest you in my ya contemporary fantasy, keeper. Set in a small seaside town north of byron bay, yellow is a murder mystery with supernatural elements, but at heart its a coming of age tale about the redemptive powers of kindness. There are two things youre showcasing in a query letter. Dont send a serious issue book to a house that does only series romances. So yes, writing a query letter for your romance novel totally is possible.
I cut off the names and addresses here for privacy, but make sure to include those in your own letters. In other words, show how your book is similar to, and different from, other titles that have already been published. Here are some more query letter resources that might help. And since several of you have asked so nicely, here is my query letter that i sent to caitlenthe one that ultimately led me to representation. Im one draft and a lineedit away from sending my first novel out to agents and query letters have been on my mind. A synopsis is a 500800 word summary of your book that forms part of your agent submission pack. Whether youre writing a fiction novel or nonfiction book, youre going to need to know how to write a query letter.
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