First of all, i should say that theres a difference between the standard cover letter uk format, and the usstandard query letter examples and. Thus, tackle writing your query letter in three steps. Dont assume that your work is going to sell itself. Youre about to make a virtual sales call, and your query letter makes the first impression.
So let me dissect this really good query letter and extoll its virtues. The query letter is so much of a sales piece that its quite possible to write one without having written a word of the manuscript. In this case, the firsttime author had a connection to the agent. This letter should do more than pique an editors interest. How to write a darn good query letter ny book editors. A cover letter accompanies your proposal and briefly describes your proposal. A query letter is a type of cover letter that is geared specifically toward literary agents.
This series is called successful queries and im posting actual query letter examples that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. The book will be well aligned with the presss current and future publishing goals. Below is a sample cover letter otherwise known as a query letter sent by an aspiring writer to a literary agent. Crafting a convincing book proposal chroniclevitae. Remember, agentseditors can differ in what they expectwant from a query letter or cover letter, so please always check submission guidelines. To write a killer query, you need a onepage letter with three basic sections or paragraphs. These querycover letters accompany sample pages of a book submission. A query letter is a way of introducing your writing to editors or literary agents and publishers.
Just be sure that the author bio in your query or cover letter is professional, succinct. When you do come across a great novel hook, it feels so natural and easylike it was effortless to write. How to write a query letter that gets manuscript requests. Writers use these letters to pitch their ideas to editors and publishers. Most literary agents will not even consider a query letter with more than one page or front and back. Sample query letter the query letter sample below will help you create a successful query letter of your own, so you can get a top literary agent, publisher, and book deal. How to write a perfect coverquery letter freelancewriting. I read a lot of articles on how to write a query and a cover letter. For some of the samples, i made up book titles for imaginary manuscripts. A cover letter is what you write after an editor has read your query letter, sample chapters and synopsis.
A query letter is an appeal to publishers or agents in an effort to get them interested in something youve written, usually a book. Hints for a great cover letter the steve laube agency. I discovered channeling the voice of the book was a good first step. In such cases, the query really ends up being a cover letter and doesnt have to be labored over that much. A query letter is a single page cover letter, introducing you and your. You can take this time to go grab a cup of coffee and reread your favorite book. Let us guide you through the query letter writing process. A great query should not only tell an agent what your book is about, but it should also match your books tone. On the road to traditional publication, your query letter plays a central role in getting your book noticed. It is what you attach to your complete book proposal when submitting it to agents or publishers. When writing a query letter for a picture book you will basically have three main paragraphs, plus your signoff. A query letter accompanies a books submission material.
He or she might just as easily toss it onto the no pile. So, your book is finished and you need to get the word out. But in the book publishing industry, query letter describes letters that are sent to pitch books to literary agents. I recently read a query with six book comps mentioned. So you can see how making a good first impression in your query is crucial. Heres an example of a good nonfiction query letter. How to write a query letter that grabs a literary agents. How to write a query letter that gets manuscript requests jane. The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only. Unlike a cover letter, a query letter does not assume that the agent who receives it will read your work. Picture book submissions the great cover letter almost. If youre hoping to secure a traditional publisher for your next great american. In a single page, the writer aims to make the editorpublisher get interested in reading or publishing the entire. Agents and editors want to know that you sent them the kind of work they specialize in.
Think about this as if youre writing the back cover of your book for future. Heres some advice from joanne hall, who is submissions editor for grimbold books and sees a lot of cover letters. If you have nothing to say, then say nothing and dont worry about it. Theres a very specific standard for query letters that you should not deviate from, when possible. In addition to posting these query letter samples, we will also get to hear thoughts from the writers literary agent as to why the letter worked. So the main goal of a query letter is to convince the agent to read your manuscript. Cover letter example for fiction writers to send to agents. Here are three common questions, answered for writers looking to pave a successful path into the world of publishing. As an editor, i did find submissions that lacked a cover letter a bit rude, like a phone caller who doesnt bother saying hello or identifying themselves before launching into the conversation. To help inspire you, weve collected 116 query letter examples from famous authors spanning various genres. How to write the perfect query letter query letter example. Two strong comps are better than four lukewarm comps and way better than six comps that just all happen to be in the same category.
I originally posted this example of a good query letter back when i was a literary agent, and the lessons still apply today. Query letters are trickier, because they are the proverbial foot in the door. And that doesnt matter, of course what matters is the quality of the book. Actually, its rude to go over one page in a query letter, not to mention unprofessional. Twice now ive written my cover letter after i finished the full proposal. Im available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching. But that can be nigh on impossible, especially if your book doesnt lend itself to the constraints of the format. Read a sample literary agent query letter with hints. Agent query letters that actually worked for nonfiction. A cover letter introduces you and your novel to potential publishers. How to write a query letter in 7 steps reedsy blog. In fact, when it comes to landing literary agents and publishers, a compelling and properly formatted query letter is just as important as a good manuscript.
Write your query letter before you write your next book. The first online group i joined was childrens book insiders. Firsttime picture book author cover letters, exposed. Once you find an agent you would like to represent your book, the pitch letter is the next step in the traditional. Stick to these 10 specific dos and donts of writing a query letter to land an agent.
Writing a query letter can determine whether a literary agent asks to see more or sends you a cordial form letter intended to let you down easy. The body of any cover letter will be laid out in the same fashion. How not to write a darn good query letterdont go beyond one page. It is included as a teaser only, introducing the title. Comp titles in a query and other questions about book. For my best advice, check out my guide to writing a novel now available in audio and my guide to publishing a book. Whats the difference between a cover letter and a query letter. A query letter is a single letter asking for permission to submit your full proposal. You dont need to be as salesy as a cover blurb, and you dont need to be as dry as a synopsis. My report does not offer precious, pretentious nonsense. Do i guarantee that your book will be accepted, published, become a bestseller, and made into a movie.
Let us all learn from emily conrad, who was both gracious enough to send me a good query letter and generous enough to let me use her as a guinea pig. I wrote out my query with a better idea on how i could approach. Basically, you need to prepare a letter that provides what the editoragent requires and then gets out of the way so your writing as illustrated by your work stands on its own. The 66th installment in this series is with agent sara megibow nelson literary for stefanie gaither. Learn how to write a query letter that will get an agent to request your.
Every aspiring writer needs to master the art of the query letter, and know the difference between it and the easiertowrite cover letter cover letters are a breeze. It needs to convey the essence of what your book is about and make the agent yearn to read more. This letter is your first point of contact between you and a publisher, therefore, it is crucial that aspiring authors know how to write a decent cover letter. Because of this, and because agents are very busy people, the writer. Whether youre writing a fiction novel or nonfiction book, youre going to need to know how to write a query letter. We tell you exactly how to write a great query letter for literary agents. If you write fiction or narrative nonfiction, a query letter is your first and often, your only chance to get an agent interested in. If its as good as you say it is, ill be buying a copy. Yes, a query should be a professional business letter, but honestly, writing a query in the same manner as a regular cover letter is a recipe for snoozeville.
A query letter is supposed to be a gripping and brief teaser. How to write a cover letter andor a query letter for. I think a lot of writers get caught in the big publisher trap instead of researching who would actually be a good fit for their book. It should reflect your great writing skills and make them. The ideal number of comp titles in a query is two or three. As an editor, i did find submissions that lacked a. The author bio in your cover or query letter should be goodand while this article stresses the importance of having strong publication credits, its not unheard of that a writer with no experience and a weak author bio will gain national attention. Format with your address at the top of the page, right justified. In fact, its a good idea to write the cover letter before you write the full manuscript. A terrific cover letter never sold a bad manuscript, and many lovely books have sold in spite of their cover letters. After all, a query letter is a way to make connections with agents and editors and garner interest in your work. How to write a picture book query the basics the layout of a picture book query.
Its my impression that since whole manuscripts are sent for picture book queries the letter is more of a cover letter, rather than trying to hook interest with a bit of the plot because the entire thing is there with the letter. For one of these samples, i used one of my favorite books. That writer had clearly done their research, but they need to tone it down. How to write a successful query letter example and template. One of the easiest ways to learn what makes a good, standard query letter is simply to see an example of one that does its job well. Sometimes my queries get good results, and sometimes. A query letter is a single page cover letter, introducing you and your book.
Hints for a great cover letter how to write a query letter for your bookbyline december 1, 2017 hints for a great cover letter tips on getting published rae rambles march 27, 2018 attention somehow. What i do guarantee is that after reading my report, you will know the truth about what a good query letter is, and that will solidly enhance your chances of getting noticed. How to write a cover letter andor a query letter for submission. If you can send the book proposal along with the query, you should.