Writing a query letter, a great query letter, has been a trial and error experience for me. But, along the way I found some amazing blogs and websites filled with must have information.
My top five Do’s in a query letter:
1. Do sleep on it. Take a day and revisit a query letter before sending it out.
2. Do have someone read it. Always have a trusted friend give feedback on your query letter.
3. Do pay close attention. Never send out a query letter before giving it a thorough spelling and grammar check.
4. Do get to the heart. Queries are not a place to leave the agent asking questions. They want to know how you tie up the story at the end.
5. Do put your genre and word count in the letter.
My top five Blogs/Websites for researching how to write query letters:
1. http://www.write-and-publish-fiction.com/
2. http://agentquery.com/
3. http://pubrants.blogspot.com/
4. http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/
5. http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label queries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label queries. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Hope in Rejection
Today I received my first official rejection from an agent. It will certainly be the first of many; Just part of the process. I’ve had many rejections in response to query letters, but this is the first from an agent who requested additional material. The agent’s website advised to allow up to twelve weeks for a response. It took almost nine weeks to the day. So, for nine weeks I had hope. Now, I just have this letter.
There was encouragement embedded in the ‘no thanks,’ though! The agent said, “[my] writing is good, and the imagination behind it is great, but [she] just was not passionate enough about this project to ask to see more. [She] found that [my] dialogue, characters, and plot were fine and well-crafted.” I was grateful she added the positives she saw in my work. It definitely helped to soften the blow!
I am energized by this rejection for a few reasons: I feel legitimate now that I’ve officially been rejected. It’s fantastic to know that someone who is completely immersed in the field found some merit to my work. And finally, most importantly, even though it stung a little, this did not at all make me doubt myself as a writer. It did not make me want to slow down at all, rather it made me all the more determined to go out and get rejected again and again until I find that one agent who is equally as passionate about my story as I am. Because, that’s what’s important. This agent rejected me for the right reasons! She could love my writing, but if she’s not ‘feeling’ my work then she’s not the best person to represent it. It’s important to remember agents have to be true to their own passions just as writers do.
There was encouragement embedded in the ‘no thanks,’ though! The agent said, “[my] writing is good, and the imagination behind it is great, but [she] just was not passionate enough about this project to ask to see more. [She] found that [my] dialogue, characters, and plot were fine and well-crafted.” I was grateful she added the positives she saw in my work. It definitely helped to soften the blow!
I am energized by this rejection for a few reasons: I feel legitimate now that I’ve officially been rejected. It’s fantastic to know that someone who is completely immersed in the field found some merit to my work. And finally, most importantly, even though it stung a little, this did not at all make me doubt myself as a writer. It did not make me want to slow down at all, rather it made me all the more determined to go out and get rejected again and again until I find that one agent who is equally as passionate about my story as I am. Because, that’s what’s important. This agent rejected me for the right reasons! She could love my writing, but if she’s not ‘feeling’ my work then she’s not the best person to represent it. It’s important to remember agents have to be true to their own passions just as writers do.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Dreaded Query
It starts with hours of research. Which, as long as you’re a writer, you’re probably good at anyway. So, that’s a breeze. My go to website is http://agentquery.com/default.aspx . Most agencies have websites now, and you can find links to them directly from this site. Agents generally prefer your submissions by email, and a growing number will not accept snail mail queries at all. Find out which agents enjoy the same literary leanings as you, and then find out their submission requirements.
Query letters are clearly the work of the devil. They may be evil, but they are the necessary kind. They are your literary foot in the door. Stop by Publix and purchase a large supply of your favorite chocolate, or whatever happens to be your personal stress reliever, then research some more. This time focus on how to write the perfect a query letter. This one page summary of what you and your novel are about is almost as important as the manuscript itself. Do not ever take this lightly, and never send it without sleeping on it and revising, sleeping, revising.
This is a great list of some Do’s and Don’s to get started with: http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/844651-How-to-Write-a-Query-Letter
Pick your query letter apart by word, sentence, paragraph. Make it the best, most persuasive, morsel you’ve ever written. When the agent finishes reading the first paragraph they should be salivating to read your book. Above all make the letter grammatically flawless and give it a reason to shine above the rest. This is the agent’s first taste of your writing. Make it a delicious one!
Happy writing!
Query letters are clearly the work of the devil. They may be evil, but they are the necessary kind. They are your literary foot in the door. Stop by Publix and purchase a large supply of your favorite chocolate, or whatever happens to be your personal stress reliever, then research some more. This time focus on how to write the perfect a query letter. This one page summary of what you and your novel are about is almost as important as the manuscript itself. Do not ever take this lightly, and never send it without sleeping on it and revising, sleeping, revising.
This is a great list of some Do’s and Don’s to get started with: http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/844651-How-to-Write-a-Query-Letter
Pick your query letter apart by word, sentence, paragraph. Make it the best, most persuasive, morsel you’ve ever written. When the agent finishes reading the first paragraph they should be salivating to read your book. Above all make the letter grammatically flawless and give it a reason to shine above the rest. This is the agent’s first taste of your writing. Make it a delicious one!
Happy writing!
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