I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months since I joined the wonderful folks here! As with any move it’s been hectic, a little stressful, and a lot exciting. Now that things are starting to settle down I’m able to give more attention to the rush of queries that came in with the announcement of my move. I’m so thrilled and honored by the number of authors that choose to share their work with me! With queries on the brain, I thought I’d take a moment to share some insight into my own query review process and offer some tips on polishing up your own query letter (in four easy steps!) to catch that agent’s eye.
The query letter is our first introduction to you and your writing. We all want a client who’s somewhat savvy about the publishing business–show us that you’re knowledgable and professional and serious about your craft–and this all comes across in your query letter. Keep it straightforward and professional and follow agency guidelines. You’ll want to be sure to check out each agent’s guidelines/Twitter/blog/interviews/etc to make sure they would be a good fit for (and represent!) your type of work. Obvious, yes, but very important, so it bears mentioning.
Researching agents also puts you in prime position for conquering step 1 in the query writing process: A personalized greeting. Personalization lets the agent know that you took the time to research him or her, as well as the agency, and how your project fits our interests.
Step 2: A brief description of your project.The most common mistake here is making the description too long. This isn’t the place for a plot synopsis. Include genre, target audience, word count, and a brief description of the project. You can also list comparable books here that you see your book on the shelf next to, but be realistic–don’t just name the two bestsellers in your genre.
Step 3: A brief bio with your publishing history (if applicable). Include the names of any established literary magazines, anthologies, etc., that your work has appeared in. If you have no publishing history, no big deal, it doesn’t count against you; just include a line or two about your career, education, or any relevant awards or recognitions you’ve received—a little something to give us a feel for you.
Step 4: Sample pages (whether to include and how long varies among agencies–do your research). If agency guidelines say to include sample pages, be sure to include them! At this point there’s not much you can do right or wrong–it’s a matter of whether or not the agent connects with your writing. Of course this is subjective, and agents will feel differently.
I hope you’ll find these general guidelines helpful as you query your next project. Though of course querying isn’t an exact science and neither myself, nor any other agent, will be going through a mental checklist for the above items as they review your query. In the end, it’s all about the writing!
If you’re interested in querying me, please take a moment to review my guidelines to see if I could be a fit for your work and to view submission instructions. My usual response times (i.e. when I’m not working through an influx of queries following an agency move) for queries are 2-4 weeks, and 6-8 weeks for requested materials. I hope to get back to my usual response schedule over the next month. Thanks to everyone who’s already queried me for your patience!
Note: If you’ve already queried me at my previous agency, there’s no need to re-query me with the same project. I’ve gotten this question a lot, so I wanted to clarify!
If you have any specific questions on querying, or any other industry topic, feel free to tweet me or ask me on tumblr.
Happy querying!
Sara
