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Query Letter Definition: A query letter is the letter you send in lieu of your manuscript to catch the curiosity of a publisher or agent. You can find out what they want by looking. They'll tell you what to submit.Note: My sample query letter is a fake. It's not real. It hasn't been used to get published, and it isn't as good as some of the other examples out there. But it has the essentials. I'm sure you can use it as a template and make it better. Sample Query Dear Ms. White: Dogs and Pygmies In the deep African jungle, adventurer Jack Johnson finds out that a dog is a better friend than the two gorgeous sisters who love him. This novel is 90,000 words. Mary and Susan are cosmopolitan sisters and both in love with Jack, which strains their relationship as they trek through deep Africa looking for their brother. Jack likes his dog more than he likes either of these girls, and is therefore devastated when his dog dies saving all of them from pygmies. His dog's sacrifice teaches him to love again, and he goes back to Canada to find his long-lost wife. The sisters are crushed. I've published three other books: EA Blevins Rocks, Nyah Nyah Nyah, and I Like EA Blevins. Nyah Nyah Nyah received a Pulitzer. I have published several articles with literary magazines (Literary Monthly, etc), and I write for a free online magazine called Women Wear the Pants. An SASE is enclosed, and the full manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration. With Appreciation,
Jane Doe
Generic Query Dear Editor's Name (find out who the letter will actually be going to, as well as their gender -- if gender is in doubt, just put the full name without a Ms or Mr):
Title of the Book
Give a short but compelling description of your book. This is the most important part. The whole letter cannot be more than a page long, and the editor has to look through bunches of query letters a day. Be as succinct and as captivating as possible. Editors are not interested in stealing your ideas. They are interested in whether your book is worth publishing. Be passionate in your description. If your description is dull, they'll think your story is as well. (The site Agent Query admits "We don't envy you. We really don't. Summing up your entire book in an intriguing single paragraph is worse than a root canal.") If you've published anything else, won any writing awards, or have any special writing-related information about yourself, say so here. Thank them for their time and consideration. Mention that your full manuscript is available on request. (If it's not finished, you should NOT be sending out query letters!) Something OTHER than "Sincerely,"
Typed Name
Checklist
* What if you can't find what they represent, or they don't represent exactly what you have (i.e., they represent "fiction" instead of something more specific)? Miss Snark, literary agent, says to send it anyway. "If you waste some stamps, so what. You'll benefit from the broader search if you catch someone looking for just what you've got." |
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