I’m so thrilled to be writing this blog today as part of Fuse Literary, our explosive, exciting new name. We are all focused on igniting author careers, and we also love puns and wordplay, because we are book-loving nerds. We’re so excited to be Fuse Literary that we’re giving YOU gifts. But I can’t share fireworks with you, or cats escaping explosions, or even a cupcake with a candle on it, except virtually. What I can do is share an excerpt from my Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters. It’s full of ProTips to help you create a letter with impact, and contains Dos and Don’ts to connect you with the right agent for you and your work.
What Not To Do
This is your first chance to make a first impression. Remember that agents are looking for something and someone great, but we have dozens of queries—or hundreds—at any given moment and are also looking for an easy reason to say no and move on to the next query. You don’t want to make it easy, do you? Of course not! You want an agent to actually read and take in what you send.
Don’t send to an agent who you know doesn’t represent what you’ve written, hoping that they’ll read it anyway. “I know you’re not representing memoir, but my life story reads like fiction.” So, that’s memoir. Thank you for trying me, but no thank you.
Don’t be hostile. This is a query to an agent, ostensibly seeking representation. It doesn’t make sense to state that you don’t need or want one, don’t believe that agents do work, don’t deserve compensation for their work on your behalf, etc. By the same token, if you’re querying an editor, insulting New York, the big publishers, traditional publishing, etc. is not a good way to win them over. Don’t disparage other agents or publishing models or this process either, please. We understand that you may be feeling discouraged or may have had a bad experience elsewhere, and we sympathize. But no one likes a complainer, do they?
Don’t be negative. We all know that querying is difficult. You don’t need to tell us that. Really, don’t tell us that.
Don’t send requests to connect on social media including LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ when you query. It’s a bit of a tone deaf move and won’t create a bond with the agent—a stranger you’ve asked to befriend you. It will likely put them off, and will certainly not lead to a friendship. It may lead to a faster rejection. Of course you don’t want that.
Now that I’ve given you a lot of don’ts, it’s time for a pep talk. Because I know you’ve got this. You will write a killer query. Do your preparation before you hit send. Be professional. Be positive. Be passionate. Be confident. After all, you’ve written a book. You’re telling a story or assembling information that needs to be shared with the world. And that’s something special.
Want to read more? You can download the entire guide at Smashwords for free! Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/483697. Or if you prefer, the Kindle version is just 99 cents at http://www.amazon.com/Short-Fuse-Guide-Query-Letters-ebook/dp/B00OCA31BO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413407744&sr=8-1&keywords=short+fuse+guide+to+query.
