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. I read over 100,000 query letters in my time in new york publishing. Wow children book publishers with perfect query letters. If it is a snail mail query, then use standard business letter formatting. All it requires is a firm grasp of your story premise. The themes of the book should be readily apparent from the synopsisif its written properly. Comp titles in a query and other questions about book comps. 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 query letter for a nonfiction book isnt all that different from a fiction query. Then, open your letter with a greeting, and include a brief paragraph that introduces your book. The following guidelines will help you compose a letter that will keep agents attention long enough to give your manuscript a fighting chance. Nonfiction is often sold on the basis of a proposal. Just present the main characters, the main problem, and the resolution, then work in a hook great friendship hook, above, and sign off like you normally would with a novel query. An atrophied manuscript is far, far worse than a rejection.
Garth stein this query letter example comes from a new york times. If the query letter stands alone, its your only chance to sell the editor on your book. Query letter basics for the childrens book market book editing. All of your query letter for picture book questions, answered here. I have a query letter for picture book question about the slush piles.
Queries defined lead model query letter body closing style types and uses. The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only. How not to write a darn good query letterdont go beyond one page. Use the information on this website to write your query letter so literary agents will read your book. To write a query letter, start by including your name, address, and contact information at the top of the page, followed by the same information for the agent youre submitting your letter to. Agentquery connect is our coolest way to help aspiring writers. A query letter is a onepage letter sent to literary agents in an effort to get them excited about your book. To write a killer query, you need a onepage letter with three basic sections or paragraphs. 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. A query letter is part business letter, part creative writing exercise, part introduction, part death defying leap through a flaming hoop.
The sample query below resulted in a hardcoverpaperback book deal for carol plumucci, author of the body of christopher creed harcourt. Agentquery find the agent who will find you a publisher. How to write a picture book query the basics the layout of a picture book query. In order to have a book published by a traditional publisher, you will likely need to know how to write a query letter to find a literary agent. Today im going to break the query down into three sections to create an easy templateformat you can use to write your own query. Near the bottom of each query youll find a link to the authors website and a link to buy the book the query is for. Strategies to help capture agents attention through your. 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. Consult a written or online guide to childrens book publishers. How to write a query letter for literary agents books. Agent nathan bransford says the sweet spot for query letter is between 250 and 350 words, so.
Once you find an agent you would like to represent your book, the pitch letter is the next step in the traditional. The magical lemon tree recipe book is a middle grade contemporary fantasy novel, complete at 56,000 words with series potential, and will appeal to fans of the truth about twinkie pie and the peculiar incident on shady street. How to draft proposals to childrens book publishers dummies. One of the easiest ways to learn what makes a good, standard query letter is simply to see an example of one that does its job well. Many authors hate the task of writing a query, but its a necessity in todays publishing industry. When writing a query letter for a picture book you will basically have three main paragraphs, plus your. Successful query letters and winning examples writing and.
Choosing the right point of view in your query letter. Because childrens books particularly picture books are much shorter than novels, its all the more crucial to make every single word matter. As a freelance manuscript editor, i not only work on your book, but i help every client with their pitch, query letter, and book comps, too. Keep it professional, keep it courteous, and above all, dont be afraid to send it.
In may of 2006, a writer named olugbemisola rhudayperkovich sent me a query letter for a novel then called long time no me. It is either sent without an accompanying manuscript, or with two or three sample chapters the publishers guidelines will state which form the query should take. Simple rules for writing an effective query letter, and a basic blueprint. An experienced book editor specializing in editing picture books, middle grade, young adult novels, memoir, fantasy, and literary fiction. How to write a query letter this section of our website about query letters includes a free 15part guide on writing a query letter. This article is part of a 17part series called the best way to get a literary agent. Queries should include the following three elements. There are few things in writing more dreaded than the query letter, but its an effective tool for both writing and selling your novel. Chapter six defines the query and offers stepbystep instructions for writing one. If you write fiction or narrative nonfiction, a query letter is your first and. I hope these samples take some of the fear and doubt away so you can get that letter finished and put your best foot forward. Whether youre writing a fiction novel or nonfiction book, youre going to need to know how to write a query letter.
You want to know what a great query letter to literary agents should look like. How to write a query letter that gets manuscript requests. Jan 10, 2010 in may of 2006, a writer named olugbemisola rhudayperkovich sent me a query letter for a novel then called long time no me. Once you find an agent you would like to represent your book, the pitch letter is the next step in the traditional publishing process. How to write a query letter get a literary agent agent. If you dont get to the meat of the book right away, your query might end up in the recycling bin. But i wanted to give you a simple, straightforward set of instructions. How to draft proposals to childrens book publishers. Query samples the complete nobodys guide to query letters science fiction and fantasy writers of america query letter examples by carolyn jewel.
All of your picture book query questions answered here, so you can write great childrens books for these kiddos. Successful query letters and winning examples writing. How to write a darn good query letter ny book editors. Query letters that worked a childrens book editors site. Writing a query letter that sells query letters for childrens book fiction. Mar 21, 2016 one of the easiest ways to learn what makes a good, standard query letter is simply to see an example of one that does its job well. The best inside information and resources for writers of any genre and readers of young adult fiction, including secrets from popular authors, tips, howto advice, and indepth articles, plus giveaways, contests, literary agent and editor insight and much more. You should put just as much care and attention into crafting and polishing your query as you did into your manuscript. How to write a picture book query letter in 6 simple steps.
Five strategies for a more evocative query letter blurb. Sep 27, 2010 theres a picture book query question that comes up a lot. Its a free social networking site that allows our aqc members to meet and greet onlineabove and beyond the traditional message boards and writers forums. If you write fiction or narrative nonfiction, a query letter is your first and often, your only chance to get an agent interested in reading and, with hope, signing your work. Literary agent query letter example below will help you improve your pitch to book agents. I read and recommended to my agent boss queries for fiction, non fiction, childrens, ya, howto, investigative journalism, category fiction, literary fiction, etc. Remember, agentseditors can differ in what they expectwant from a query letter or cover letter, so please always check submission guidelines. Nov 20, 20 this series is called successful queries and im posting actual query letter examples that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. A literary agent shares a reallife novel pitch that ultimately led to a book. Chapter seven provides 15 examples of actual letters. After all, a query letter is a way to make connections with agents and editors and garner interest in your work.
How to write a query letter for a literary agent nathan. Publishers require prospective authors to submit either a proposal a longer document providing additional editorial and marketing information about your book or a query letter a onepage letter of introduction inviting the publisher to ask for more details about your project. Dec 10, 2018 reading is a delightful way to get to know the publishing landscape, discover new voices, add fresh ideas to your own writing toolbox and, yes, discover book comps that you can use in your pitch. 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. Most literary agents will not even consider a query letter with more than one page or front and back.
The book was recommended to me by a colleague for the very reason that it contains numerous sample fiction queries. 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. Query letters for childrens book fiction musings archive for april 2003. Are you struggling to write a query letter to literary agents. In nonfiction queries to childrens book publishers, begin by stating an. Writing a query letter advice from young adult author kat cho. Jan 15, 20 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. In fact, some literary agents accept only query letters and request sample pages only from writers who present a strong query letter. Samples of query letters that work writers residence blog. You also have your why im querying you portion and the all about me portion, and those three elements make up your letter. This is a query letter example that features mindy mcginniss 20 young adult novel not a drop to drink, critiqued by agent adriann ranta of wolf literary.
Something about the book enough to make the agent want more something. Query tips from authorartistzoologist jess keating. How to write a query letter with examples of real successful. Query letter basics a query letter is a single page cover letter, introducing you and your book. Jan 17, 2020 the query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only. How to write the perfect query letter query letter example. Successful query letters for literary agents galleycat. In an equery, you dont need to start with your address, the recipients nametitle address, or date as you would in a traditional snailmail business letter to editorspublishers. With loads of hints and tips on how to get your letter right you want to know what a great query letter to literary agents should look like. Actually, its rude to go over one page in a query letter, not to mention unprofessional. For your convenience weve posted short summaries for each section in our guidelines about how to write agent. From that perspective, a query letter is a marketing pieceits a 30second written commercial for your book, reaching out and grabbing the editor by the collar to explain why they need your book in their life.
As others have said, if the letter is this good, the book must be great. Your first paragraph two paragraphs if youve written a longer novel conveys to the. A query is a business letter asking permission to send the project described. How to write a query letter in 7 steps the reedsy blog. The basic narrativecharacter arc is your storys skeleton.
So write a professional, intelligent, concise, intriguing query and not only will you entice an agent to ask for more, but youll move yourself one step closer to a book sale. The ultimate guide to crafting fiction for young adult and middle grade readers kole, mary on. Query tips no one tells writers from literary agent carly watters. Read a sample literary agent query letter with hints. I wanted examples and they are hard to find for ya or mg fiction. The pov in your book blurb is a very subtle but important element, and the best query letter book summary will always take point of view into consideration. Let us guide you through the query letter writing process. Having gone through the exercise, i figured id share the few paltry samples of good or successful query letters i managed to scrounge up. This is the perfect query letter for picture book formula. The first few times i wrote query letters my stomachache did a fandango. You have one page and 300 words or less to woo a literary agent into falling in love with your story and then requesting your manuscript. Mar 05, 2016 remember, agentseditors can differ in what they expectwant from a query letter or cover letter, so please always check submission guidelines. Simple query letter for picture book tips and a sample so you can publish a.
Jan 05, 2016 a query letter for a nonfiction book isnt all that different from a fiction query. Query letter how to write an irresistible agent query. Comp titles in a query and other questions about book. On the road to traditional publication, your query letter plays a central role in getting literary agents and publishers to notice your book. Thus, tackle writing your query letter in three steps. No need to write an elaborate picture book query letter.
Theres a picture book query question that comes up a lot. In addition to posting these query letter samples, we will also get to hear thoughts from the writers literary agent as to why the letter worked. Learn how to write a query letter for your fiction novel, and read a sample. 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. Reading is a delightful way to get to know the publishing landscape, discover new voices, add fresh ideas to your own writing toolbox and, yes, discover book comps that you can use in your pitch. There are lots of query howtos out there, but im hard to educate.
Just before we look at it, i should say that i am a real author describing a real book this letter pretends th. Marlo garner writes, illustrates, and edits childrens books and teaches writing and revision workshops. When youre pitching fiction to an agent or publisher through a query letter, your ultimate goal is to get your manuscript read. Query letter basics for the childrens book market book. Book editing services and developmental editing from manuscript editor and former literary agent mary kole. After several reads and a noncontractual revision, i acquired the book in december of 2007. Home page more useful articles search for more information. When writing a query letter for a picture book you will basically have three main paragraphs, plus your signoff. Editors, overwhelmed by the sheer number of submissions they receive, need a quick way to weed out the good from the notsogood. Nonfiction books jane friedman for years, ive offered a lengthy guide on how to write a query letter for a novel.
Post your query letter and receive indepth feedback and critiques. If youre hoping to secure a traditional publisher for your next great american. Aug 22, 2019 to write a query letter, start by including your name, address, and contact information at the top of the page, followed by the same information for the agent youre submitting your letter to. I have also had stories published in childrens magazines. A query letter is a one page letter with three concise paragraphs. Query letters that worked sub it club features the letter of author margaret chiu greanias as a successful example of a query. After all, thats the only thing any talented author needsthe right person at a literary agency and publishing house to actually read their work.