7 Rules of Writing a Great Query LetterHow to Open a Query Letter 1) Never ever send a query letter which opens with one of the following phrases: Dear Agent, Dear Editor, Dear Sir or Madam, Etc. If you do not know the name of the person that you'd like to represent you or purchase your writing, it means you do not yet know the most basic thing about that person. How are you then going to build a relationship on such a vacuous foundation? Always research and find the name of agent or editor to whom you are sending your query letter and open the letter with his or her name. For example: Dear Mr. Linkletter, Dear Ms. Sontag, Never address the other person with his or her first name unless you know him/her very well. It's always safest to use "Ms." to address a female since it's impossible to know a woman's marital status by just looking at her name. For both males and females it is safe to start the letter just by their first and last names since sometimes for names like "Pat" or "Sam" you can err about the gender. Here are a few resources to research for and find an agent or editor that is appropriate for your work and who expresses a desire to receive query letters from new writers. The Writers Digest Guide To Query Letters How to Write Attention-Grabbing Query and Cover Letters 2) Read the agent's or editor's requirements carefully and send them exactly what they want. Don’t try to reinterpret the requirements and cut corners. Agents and editors are very busy people. Their time is precious. If they receive a query letter that does not satisfy all their conditions the letter ends up in the trash can, real quick. For example, if an agent asks for a printed letter sent by regular mail, do not send her an email letter. If they do not specifically ask for a writing sample with the query letter, do not send them a zipped file of the first five chapters of your 900-page novel. If they make it very clear that they do not want poetry submissions, do not send them a letter singing the praises of your poems. 3) Format your letter in as traditional, classic and "boring" a way as possible. Do not try to be "creative" with the paper, ink, etc. of your query letter if you are sending it by regular "snail" mail. I suggest you print your query letter on a 8.5" x 11" white traditional (20 lb.) printing paper by using black ink. I'm assuming it's not necessary to remind you that you should compose your letter in a word editor on your computer, and not by hand or by using a typewriter (are they left around?), and print it by using a high-quality printer. Avoid any other kind of paper or combination of paper/ink colors for your query letter. Use a traditional Times or Times Roman font and a 12-point font size. Don’t use anything else. Stay away from all fancy fonts, especially the "script" fonts or "funky" and "artsy" fonts with unusual lines. When it comes to fonts, less is always more. Use single spacing and left-justify your paragraphs. Indent the first line of your paragraphs. There is no need for any extra space between the paragraphs. Don’t use any drop-caps. These provisions (except the font and spacing) of course do not apply if the agent or editor says you can send an email query. Type your name, address and contact information either in the beginning (top) or the end (bottom, after your signature) of your letter. There is no need to repeat your contact information again within the body of your letter. 4) Use all UPPER CASE LETTERS for the name of your book. Use italics for other book titles. Most professional agents and editors expect you to use ALL CAPS when referring to your own work. For example: 101 WAYS TO POWER-UP YOUR WRITING is a unique compilation of every good writing tip and technique I've come across in my 20 years as a professional writer…" 5) Provide a synopsis, summary of your work. This is also called an "elevator pitch": imagine you’re riding in an elevator with someone and this other person asked you to summarize what your book is all about. Can you do that before the elevator stops and your friend steps out? That's how short and to the point your synopsis needs to be. For fiction, you need a one-sentence LOGLINE that summarizes the what the "protagonist" does and why. You can add a "how," "When" and the presence of an "antagonist" as well. You need to be specific. But you don't need to mention the actual names of the characters at this early stage of querying. For example "HUNTING FOR THE WHITE BEAR is a classic story of adventure" is not specific enough and tells us nothing about the protagonist. Try: This is a lot more specific and immediately tells us pretty much all we need to know both about the genre, the main good character (protagonist), the main bad character (antagonist), the place/setting, and the plot line. For non-fiction, your title itself can suffice to summarize the book or the article. Here are some examples: 10 Ways to Cut Your Taxes; 101 Ways to Improve Your English; 7 Worst Dog Behavior Problems and How to Treat Them; etc. Every fiction work is unique but non-fiction is not and should be compared with other non-fiction works in the same category. You need to acknowledge the competition and explain why yours is different and better. For example: 6) Sell yourself. Your credentials, background, and the means at your proposal to market this work (i.e., your "platform") is all important, especially when you are selling a book to an agent. For article editors the "platform" is obviously not that important since the magazine itself is the platform. Mention your track record and bibliographical details that are relevant to the work you are proposing. Establish your credentials by mentioning any relevant educational or work experience. For example, if you are sending a query letter about a book on basketball, do not mention the fact that you've worked for 30 years in Broadway shows since that has nothing to do with basketball. But even if you sold tickets at a sports arena mention that because it shows your affinity with and interest in professional sports. If, on the other hand, you've worked as a professional basketball coach that'd of course be perfect to establish your credentials as someone who is well positioned write a book on basketball. "Platform" is important too in capturing an agent's interest. You may not have much experience in the subject you are proposing but what if you have a TV show watched by 5 million viewers a month? That may suddenly tip the balance in your favor if you can promise to pitch your book on your TV show. That explains why so many TV and radio show hosts write and pitch best-seller books in different genres. 7) Keep your query letter to a SINGLE PAGE only. If you cannot express your idea within 300-350 words and on one page you should go back and do some more thinking since it means it's not a fully-cooked idea yet. Eliminate all unnecessary and trite words and expressions. A query letter is not the transcription of an informal talk. Here are some unnecessary phrases that have no place in a query letter: "The long and short of it is ..." "So just as I was saying ..." "You know what -- ..." "The truth of the matter is ..." "Obviously ..." "Needless to say ..." "Between you and I, ..." "According to my brother-in-law who is long in the tooth in matters relating to the subject matter of this very book that I'm pitching you now (wink-wink!), yes this book should indeed sell like hot-cakes!" "... - you know what I'm saying?" "OK, where was I?" Also, eliminate all personal details from your letter that have no immediate relevancy to the book query at hand. For example: "I was born and raised in Nebraska." (Does your book or article have anything to do with being born and raised in Nebraska?) Recommended: To read more about the fine points of writing a perfect query letter, I'd strong recommend the following free PDF download by a New York literary agent: Noah Lukeman, How to Write a Great Query Letter: Insider Tips & Techniques for Success Also recommended: Write Winning Query Letters
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