Yes, i needed an agent even though i was working as an agent at the time, and yes, i had to send out query letters. My query letter for jacob wonderbar nathan bransford. Query letters for childrens book fiction musings archive for april 2003. Friends of mine, old hands at the writing game, admit to still feeling a twinge of anxiety when they have to write a query. Jun 24, 20 below was the query letter that grabbed her attention. Before i share the ideal structure for book queries with you, i need to make sure you understand something. Tips for writing a query letter for your romance novel. Occult jenga is a ya urban fantasy novel, complete at 90,000. Hopefully you get some inspiration from these examples of query letters that actually landed agents. I am seeking representation for my completed 62,000 word young adult novel, in memory of.
Heres the query letter that sold several agents on luck and ultimately led to a two book contract with bantam specific person agency address address. Writing a query letter that sells how to write a query master the art of the query letter how to write a dynamite query letter how to write a query letter for articles writing effective queries how to write a query letter writing a good query letter sample query pdf query letter workshop pdf demystifying the query letter sample novel. How to write a darn good query letter ny book editors. The secret to writing a successful query letter the official. How to write a query letter that gets manuscript requests. How to write a query letter for your young adult manuscript how. Query letters for fiction are worth a bit of angst and extra polishing. This post focuses on query letters for novels, although the same advice. Cover letter example for fiction writers to send to agents. Tips for writing a query letter for your romance novel and. Reading a novel requires a larger investment of time on the editors part, so the query letter must be targeted very carefully. So let me dissect this really good query letter and extoll its virtues. If youre not getting agent responses to your current query letter, try this approach. After all, if you dont send out a query, that story is never going to see the light of day.
When youre pitching fiction to an agent or publisher through a query letter, your ultimate goal is to get your manuscript read. The query letter sample structure im about to show you isnt like anything youve seen. Literary agent query letter example below will help you improve your pitch to book agents. Scroll below to learn more about the query letter sample structure that you can use to get literary agencies fighting over the chance to represent you and your book. How to write a query letter that grabs a literary agents. In this case, the firsttime author had a connection to the agent. General practice is to submit like above, with a query letter. When you approach literary agents, you will need to present them with a submission package that includes a query letter, a sample of your manuscript and, of course, a synopsis.
Format with your address at the top of the page, right justified. A query letter is a onepage letter sent to literary agents in an effort to get them excited about your book. If you really feel compelled to show an agent your writing style along with your query letter, include only the first 5 pages of your novel. The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only. 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. Whether its for literary or book club fiction, young adult or middle grade, romance, fantasy, thriller or cozy, the queries all share one thing in commonthey leave. Query letter sample literary agents and literary agencies. Its okay if its not a movie or book they are personally interested in. How to write a query letter in 7 steps the reedsy blog. A query letter is a one page letter with three concise paragraphs. A query letter is a way of introducing your writing to editors or literary agents and publishers. Query letter sample below reveals how you can double your chances of getting the attention of book agents and publishers. If you arent sure your query letter is the best it can be, send it to our query letter editors for their revisions. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your manuscript.
How to write a novel synopsis with an example jericho. Now, we provide a query letter sample to help make the letter writing process easier. It and the manuscript that went along with it generated five offers. Query letter sample how to write an agent query 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 query for a mystery or thriller novel. A total of 349 words, not including the salutation or sign off. This letter is short, sweet, and definitely to the point. Is your book a thriller with sf elements, or an sf novel with thriller elements. I hope these samples take some of the fear and doubt away so you can get that letter finished and put your best foot forward.
But this entry is really about megans debuta ya with a really different. Your query letter should evoke the same tone as your novel. Because of this, and because agents are very busy people, the writer kept the letter brief and to the point. Maybe it will shed a little light on how you can tackle your own query letter as you jump into your agent search. There are a lot of subgenres in the worlds of scifi and fantasy. How to write the perfect query letter query letter example. The sample query below resulted in a hardcoverpaperback book deal for carol plumucci. This bears little to no relation to a typical nonfiction book proposal.
Science fiction and fantasy novels are often stocked together on the same shelves both online and in brickandmortar bookstoreseven though the genres can be literally worlds apart. I am seeking representation for my fantasy adventure novel, luck in the shadows, complete at 170,000 words. Now that youve got a grip on the basics and spent time drafting and editing your novel, its time to talk next steps. 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. Ah, this query spoke to me in a way the other sample queries did not. Near the bottom of each query youll find a link to the authors website and a link to buy the book the query is for. C h griffin aka me young adult urban fantasy after the amazon breakthrough novel award contest, i began to query agents and. Aug 01, 2011 first, carve out a couple hours to spend on rachelle gardners blog. Comp titles in a query and other questions about book. After all, a query letter is a way to make connections with agents and editors and garner interest in your work.
This article is part of a series called get a literary agent. There are courses for picture book, chapter book, mg and ya, selfpublishing, marketing, and more. Writing a pitchperfect query letter romance writers on the. The novel i describe will be published in october 2015. Lainey must leave behind her life of books and studying to prepare for the biggest test. Ive also assumed here the agent has allowed to me to send a synopsis and opening chapters along with the query letter. Having gone through the exercise, i figured id share the few paltry samples of good or successful query letters i managed to scrounge up. If you write fiction or narrative nonfiction, a query letter is your first and often, your only chance to get an agent interested in. I have included sample chapters and a synopsis below my query.
I am sending you my query for the weight of our sky, a young adult novel complete at about 60,000 words and set against the. What happens when that query letter works and an agent requests your novel. How to format a query letter nathan bransford writing. We met most recently at your seminar, pitches and queries at the ccwc in hyannis, which was instrumental in helping to craft this query letter. This query resulted in a full request from my agent, which later turned into an offer of representation. Mar 18, 2010 your blog entry on how to format a query letter reflects a nitpicking mentality. My query letter for jacob wonderbar may 4, 2011 by nathan bransford 82 comments before i get to my query letter, let me answer two questions im asked often. Start with her post how to write a query letter and then spend the rest of the time in her queries, proposals, and pitches. Jan 15, 2017 and since several of you have asked so nicely, here is my query letter that i sent to caitlenthe one that ultimately led me to representation. Jan 17, 2020 the query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only. Whether youre giving your current query letter a final onceover or are preparing to write a killer book pitch from scratch, youll want to bookmark this practical and simple query letter. Technically a novel is fiction, but generally graphic novel applies to both memoir and nonfiction works as well. The secret to writing a successful query letter the.
Between books, youll find me playing the piano or celtic harp, watching movies, or making period costumes like my heroine in book three a regency ball gown in amethyst silk is up on my worktable next. This is a query letter example that features mindy mcginniss 20 young adult novel not a drop to drink, critiqued by agent adriann ranta of wolf literary. Magazine freelancers use query letters to pitch ideas to editors, and the importance of an attentiongetting query cannot be. Theres a very specific standard for query letters that you should not deviate from, when possible. With that in mind, you should treat your query letter as if it is the only evidence you have of the quality of your manuscriptwith many agents that will be the case. Whether its for literary or book club fiction, young adult or middle grade, romance, fantasy, thriller or cozy, the queries all share one thing in commonthey leave me intrigued.
This edition includes author gia cribbs successful query letter for the disappearance of sloane sullivan, submitted to steven salpeter, an associate literary agent at curtis brown, ltd. Youre about to make a virtual sales call, and your query letter makes the first impression. As a freelancer and writing instructor, ive written hundreds of magazine article queries and edited hundreds of others over the past seven years. But over the years ive noticed that there is a certain type of query letter that really grabs my attention. Here are the things that writers relief recommends you keep in mind when pitching a book to literary agents. Welcome to the third and final installment of our romance writer series.
Im hoping to interest you in my ya contemporary fantasy, keeper. Today, were doing something a bit different for our discussion. Nov 30, 2006 i originally posted this example of a good query letter back when i was a literary agent, and the lessons still apply today. Just before we look at it, i should say that i am a real author describing a real book this letter pretends th. I wanted examples and they are hard to find for ya or mg fiction. How to write a query letter that gets manuscript requests jane. All it requires is a firm grasp of your story premise.
The 62nd installment in this series is with agent melissa jeglinski the knight literary for amanda suns debut young adult novel, the urban fantasy ink harlequin teen, june 20. Im one draft and a lineedit away from sending my first novel out to agents and query letters have been on my mind. Read a sample literary agent query letter with hints. So yes, writing a query letter for your romance novel totally is possible. May 31, 2018 how to write a query letter for a science fiction or fantasy novel. My novel, saving grace 105,000 words, is a multifaceted story of love, turmoil, and perseverance in which two people give up everything, including each other, for their love and for their child. If you read the sample query below, and check out the information sources offered in this article, you will realize there are many different ways to write a successful query letter. We have already discussed how to write a query letter and offered tips about what you should include in one and how you should format it. Writing a pitchperfect query letter romance writers on. And since several of you have asked so nicely, here is my query letter that i sent to caitlenthe one that ultimately led me to representation. You have one page and 300 words or less to woo a literary agent into falling in love with your story and then requesting your manuscript. Writing a query letter for your mystery or thriller novel.
Below is a sample cover letter otherwise known as a query letter sent by an aspiring writer to a literary agent. Successful query letters and winning examples the goal of query letter is to elicit an invitation from an agent or editor to send in sample chapters or the whole manuscript. Let us guide you through the query letter writing process and find out what a query letter is, why it is important, basic formatting tips, and much more. I disagree that a correctly formatted query conveys an indispensable aura of professionalism. How to write a novel synopsis with an example jericho writers.
Example of a good query letter nathan bransford writing. Ive seen a lot of query letters that worked this way. So i scavenged up some more examples of query letters to post here today. We tell you, in detail, what a synopsis is and how to write a very good one.
My bone of contention with much young adult fiction is that many stories are all. Youve done your research and know the basics of writing an excellent query letter, but what comes next. Now i finally see how to reveal the emotion and the characters in. Dont send a serious issue book to a house that does only series romances. Once youve completed your manuscript, gone out to a celebratory dinner, told all your writing friends, and bought a new handbag oops, sorry, that was me its time to get down to the serious business of finding a home for your work. All it conveys is an ability to robotically format a query. Sample query letter this query letter sample from a former literary agency. Query letter examples where can you find the best sample query or query letter template to help you write your pitch. Query letters that worked a childrens book editors.
I write books about fun and faithwith a side of glamour. If you write fiction or narrative nonfiction, a query letter is your first and often, your only chance to get an agent interested in reading and, with hope, signing your work. There are lots of query howtos out there, but im hard to educate. 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. Try reading the acknowledgment pages in young adult books that youve. On the road to traditional publication, your query letter plays a central role in getting literary agents and publishers to notice your book. Writers use query letters to pitch article ideas to magazine editors or book ideas to agents and publishers. In fact, some literary agents accept only query letters and request sample pages only from writers who present a strong query letter.
Remember the old saying, there is more than one way to skin a cat. The example of a successful query letter i linked to above is nonfiction. Examples of query letters for novels that sold go teen. If youre looking at traditional publishing, then that means writing a query letter. Wouldnt it be helpful to see some reallife examples of query letters, letters.
Jan 15, 20 successful query letters and winning examples the goal of query letter is to elicit an invitation from an agent or editor to send in sample chapters or the whole manuscript. Jul 29, 2014 i wrote another letter, which was agent catnip. By the way, be sure to subscribe for a darn good query letter template to go along with this post. The first few times i wrote query letters my stomachache did a fandango. 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. Of course the letter will sound clunky and artificial at first, but youll be able to smooth it out.
I cut off the names and addresses here for privacy, but make sure to include those in your own letters. Heres the query letter that sold several agents on luck and ultimately led to a twobook contract with bantam. If you write fiction or narrative nonfiction, a query letter is your first and often, your only chance to get an agent. And since the literary agents who represent scifi often represent fantasy as well, writers relief is tackling both genres together in our ongoing series of query letter genre. How to write a query letter for your young adult manuscript. Successful kid lit query letter examples adventures in ya. Nonfiction books jane friedman for years, ive offered a lengthy guide on how to write a query letter for a novel. To help inspire you, weve collected 116 examples of successful query letters from famous authors spanning various genres, from crime fiction, to fantasy, to young adult. If youve successfully picked up an agent andor a book deal. Dear pooja menon, dreamcatchers, a young adult urban fantasy completed at 67,000 words, was one of the three finalists for this years amazon breakthrough novel award contest in the young adult category. Its your letter of introduction, your sales pitch, and your initial and most important writing sample.
I should say that i am a real author describing a real book this letter pretends that this book is a first novel and i have no track record in the industry. Successful query letters and winning examples writing. Do not include sample chapters of your novel with your query unless an agents submission guidelines specifically say to include sample pages with your snail mail query. How to format and submit graphic novels lara willard. Writers may not realize this, but to those of us who read queries, its obvious. In addition to the successful query letter, youll also see the thoughts from the writers literary agent about why the letter worked. In a single page, the writer aims to make the editorpublisher get interested in reading or publishing the entire story. The content of a literary project is what should be the basis for further interest. Mar 21, 2016 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. Today, for the first time in any venue ever, i will be sharing that query letter, along with commentary in italics. Successful query letters and winning examples writing and. Writers use these letters to pitch their ideas to editors and publishers. Sep 16, 2015 you may occasionally hear someone refer to novel proposals, which includes a query or cover letter, a synopsis andor outline, and a partial or complete manuscriptalong with any other information the editor or agent requests. Since the novel is called give up the ghost, its obvious that holt childrens.
Other times, theyll request sample pages often pasted into the body of an email. With loads of hints and tips on how to get your letter right you want to know what a great query letter to literary agents should look like. Search for more information query letters that worked musings for march 2007 part two back to part one by margot finke sponsored links the three queries below show what a huge difference there can be in successful query letters. 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. 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.
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