Literary agents and potential publishers generally want a query letter. They want a one page document that will introduce yourself and your work. Slogging through hundreds of submissions is hard enough, so they want some way to filter through all of these materials. This then begs the question of what goes into a query letter. As you start your query letter, think of it as your introduction to your book. Ask yourself, what does the publisher need to know?
Most queries are sent via website contact forms or emails. If you’re writing an email, make sure your subject line is clear. You don’t want your email to get deleted because it looks like spam. When I submit a query, I’ll usually write the subject line as, “Query Submission: Midfire”. I make it clear what this is, and I include the title of my work.
Once you get to the body of your query, remember to include your contact information. This generally includes your name, address, phone number, and the email address where the publisher can contact you.
After your contact information, write a one sentence description of your work. This hook should include a very brief synopsis, the title of your book, and its length. For example, I might write, “Amber fights a horde of monsters in Mindfire (approximately 60,000 words)”.
From there, you can include a one paragraph summary of your novel. This is difficult, but you might think of the summary as an elevator pitch. You should be able to tell your prospective publisher (or agent) what a novel is about in a hundred words. If you can’t, it’ll probably be too convoluted for anyone else to get excited.
Finally, you want to list your publishing history, credits, or reasons why your potential publisher should accept your work based on who you are. Getting a publishing history is a lot easier now. All you have to do is start your own blog. If you do this, be sure to include a link. That makes it a lot easier for your reader to track you down.
This format is formulaic, but it gives your audience a very easy template to follow: hook, summary, credits. Keep in mind, your potential publisher is probably sifting through hundreds of queries and story ideas every week. Make it as easy as possible for your reader and your chances of publication go up. When I worked as an editor for a literary journal, I remember scanning across the first paragraph for a single typo. I wanted to throw those prospective stories away. The stack of submissions was just too big to give each piece a lot of individual attention.
By Jeremy Trimble
Most queries are sent via website contact forms or emails. If you’re writing an email, make sure your subject line is clear. You don’t want your email to get deleted because it looks like spam. When I submit a query, I’ll usually write the subject line as, “Query Submission: Midfire”. I make it clear what this is, and I include the title of my work.
Once you get to the body of your query, remember to include your contact information. This generally includes your name, address, phone number, and the email address where the publisher can contact you.
After your contact information, write a one sentence description of your work. This hook should include a very brief synopsis, the title of your book, and its length. For example, I might write, “Amber fights a horde of monsters in Mindfire (approximately 60,000 words)”.
From there, you can include a one paragraph summary of your novel. This is difficult, but you might think of the summary as an elevator pitch. You should be able to tell your prospective publisher (or agent) what a novel is about in a hundred words. If you can’t, it’ll probably be too convoluted for anyone else to get excited.
Finally, you want to list your publishing history, credits, or reasons why your potential publisher should accept your work based on who you are. Getting a publishing history is a lot easier now. All you have to do is start your own blog. If you do this, be sure to include a link. That makes it a lot easier for your reader to track you down.
This format is formulaic, but it gives your audience a very easy template to follow: hook, summary, credits. Keep in mind, your potential publisher is probably sifting through hundreds of queries and story ideas every week. Make it as easy as possible for your reader and your chances of publication go up. When I worked as an editor for a literary journal, I remember scanning across the first paragraph for a single typo. I wanted to throw those prospective stories away. The stack of submissions was just too big to give each piece a lot of individual attention.
By Jeremy Trimble