Lately I’ve seen a lot of writers on social media asking about queries. What do you put in a query and what do you leave out? How professional should it be? Should you add some humor or personality to spice it up? These are certainly important things to consider, and I want to break down a query step by step to help you create the quintessential query. Once you have the framework down, you can easily save it as a template for future ones you send out. The queries I will be focusing on are queries that pitch book projects to agents. Step 1: The Address What agent are you pitching to? Make sure you do your research beforehand to make sure you’ve found the person who is #1: accepting submissions and #2: looking for the genre you write. It’s important to check both because sometimes agents will close their submissions for a time, or they may be inundated with a certain genre and state they are looking for other genres/topics. Things are always subject to change in the industry, so keep tabs on what agents are seeking. An agency as a whole may accept many genres, but sometimes their site will list individual team members who specialize in certain areas. Honestly, this part of your query might take the longest, but that’s okay. Sending one query to the right agent is better than sending hundreds of queries to the wrong agents. Step 2: The Hook The opening of your query should be attention grabbing. It may be a line from your book, a thought-provoking question, or some other piece of information that will make the agent (or intern) want to read more. Here’s two examples: Example #1: I am sending my manuscript, One More Dance, a romance which follows a man and a woman as they learn what it means to love coming from different backgrounds and experiences. Ugh boring!!! Nothing jumps out to me at all here. What makes this romance different from any other romance out there? Example #2: What if one more dance could save his life? One More Dance is a romance novel of 60,000 words that tells the story of a Russian immigrant dancer who is just getting by in New York when a wealthy, ill man offers her an unusual job: dance for him every day until he dies. Now this is interesting! I’m given specific details about the characters and the main conflict of the story. I also like that it opens with an intriguing question that serves as a tagline for the book. Be specific and show an agent in the first sentence what makes your book different or stand out. Or sometimes, what makes your book stand out is who you are. If you have a high level of authority on your topic or have large platform numbers, that can also be the opening of your query. It depends on your project, but don’t be afraid to get creative with it. Step 3: The Synopsis After you’ve briefly introduced your book, it’s time to give a paragraph or two description of the entire plot hitting on key plot points/conflict, main characters, and the ending of the story. Be careful not to drag this part out. Keep the synopsis tight (no more than a couple of paragraphs unless an agent specifically asks for a longer synopsis). Think of this as what would go on the back cover of a print book, but the agent does want to see how the story will end to make sure you can carry the plot to the finish line. Step 4: The Bio Your bio should include any info relevant to your writing career/platform. Lead with your best numbers whether that’s social media, email subscribers, or borrowed platform from other people. This industry is all about who you know, so if you can name drop someone big or a connection the agent may know, do it. If you’re involved in any writing societies or have previous publications/awards, mention those for sure. While your bio should be professional, this is also the place for you to have a little fun. Many people include fun tidbits at the end of their bios like, “In her free time, so-and-so watches Netflix with her cats and enjoys the occasional Shakespearean insult.” You can make the bio fit with your genre, so a fantasy writer might say, “(Insert name) is a writer by day and dragon slayer by night. He also has a pretty cool dagger collection.” Of course, always balance the professional with the personal. You can have fun with it, but make sure you hit all the necessary info. Step 5: The Closing & Signature Woohoo! You’ve made it this far, and the end is in sight. At this point, all you need to do is tie the fancy bow on the present. The closing is very simple and usually includes something along the lines of, “Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing back from you.” Then, sign your name with some contact info, and you should be good to go. But don’t forget to proofread!!!! Side Note: It’s always a good idea to mention why your book would be a fit for this particular agent or agency. This can come at the end of the opening/hook or in the closing. Just show that you did your basic research and explain why you chose them specifically for your project. A simple sentence like this would work, “I read in one of the blog posts on your site that you’re looking for diversity in children’s picture books, and my book hits on this trend in the market.” I’ll attach a template you can use for your queries but know that each one will be a little different depending on the agent you send to. This is just a general guide for querying, and I know many agencies specify what they want to see in a query. Hopefully this clears a few things up and helps you on your writing journey. If you’re interested in learning more about what Cyle Young Literary Elite is looking for check out the website here! Anything I missed? Have more specific questions? Let me know in the comments—I’m happy to help! Until next time, |
agent_query_template.docx | |
File Size: | 12 kb |
File Type: | docx |
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