By: J.T. Evans
Query letters are a vital piece of the publishing world.
It's rare to land an agent without a solid query, and once you get that agent,
he or she has to query publishers on your behalf. Query letters are the
introduction to a piece of work, you the author, and any comparable titles
already on the marketplace.
Source: Pixabay |
Query letters are so important. Pikes Peak Writers
has shifted some of its focus to representing this fact. Our fiction writing
contest, The Zebulon, has a query letter round. We've also replaced the typical
pitch session with a Query One-on-One session where you can get feedback on
your query letter, and, hopefully, make the initial contact with an agent or
editor that will lead to the path of publication.
There are numerous approaches to query letters that are
taught in classes, workshops, and seminars. No single approach is "the one
true way" to composing a query letter. There are a variety of designs to
presenting your work, but my favorite structure was taught to me a few years
back by Pam Howell while we
hung out at Pikes Peak WritersConference.
Her favorite style of query letters involves three parts,
with an optional introductory paragraph if you've personally interacted with the
agent somewhere. The three parts are: hook, book, cook. Let's dive into those
sections in more detail.
Hook
What will hook the reader, agent, or editor into your story?
Do your best to avoid questions, especially hypothetical ones. Stick to
interesting statements and facts about your story. Be concise and hit the high
points here because all you have is three to five sentences. I also make sure
to lead this paragraph with the genre, word count, and target market (young
adult, middle grade, adult, etc.). This lead-in information sets the stage and
allows the agent to know what to expect out of the rest of the query letter. I
conclude this paragraph with comparisons between my novel and one or two other
titles already on the market. Aim high, but don't claim to be "the next
[insert famous author here]."
Book
This is where you talk about the core plot and characters. Stick
to your main protagonist (or two if there is a split point of view). Don't
delve into the details in this area. That's what your synopsis is for. Keep
this paragraph (again, three to five sentences) focused on the tale you're
telling. This is probably the most difficult portion to write because
condensing your 100,000 word novel into a paragraph is rough. It can be done,
though. If you need help, look at the back cover copy of several of your
favorite novels. Practice writing some back cover copy for your own story. This
will naturally lead to content you can use here.
Cook
This is where you get to talk about yourself! Make all
content here pertinent to your writing and the novel. Don't include winning the
third-grade spelling bee or any non-critical details. You also want to list up
to your last three publication credits. If you're not published yet, just leave
that out. There's no need to state, "I currently have no publication
credits."
Miscellaneous Bits
I include the first and last name of the agent I'm querying
in the salutation. This prevents me from using "Ms." with the name
"Pat" and it turns out "Pat" is a man. It's the safe road
to go. I also go to their web site and use copy/paste to snag their name from
their own content. This keeps me from misspelling a name, and there are some
tricky last names out there.
I always include, "I look forward to your reply, and
thank you for your time in reading the submission," as a closing
statement.
Just below that I put something along the lines of "The
synopsis and first XXX chapters of the novel are below my contact information."
This reiterates the fact that I am able to follow instructions, and that I have
checked their submission guidelines on their web site.
The next thing is my contact information. I make sure they have
every available means of contacting me listed. This includes my physical
address, phone number, email address, and my Facebook and Twitter accounts. If
they want to get back in touch with a "yes," I don't want a
communication failure to turn it into a "no."
Once that's done, I copy/paste the requested materials into
the body of the email and send it off! Please make sure to read the agent's
query letter guidelines and only include material they want with the query
letter. If they don't specify additional content, only send the query letter.
Query Letter for Griffin's Feather
Here's my query letter for my novel that will be coming out
later in 2017:
Dear [AGENT NAME HERE]:
GRIFFIN'S FEATHER is an adult urban fantasy novel standing at
62,200 words. This is the first novel in what I plan to be a series. It is
about an immortal Roman Centurion working as a bounty hunter for the Ancients.
The deities and powerful entities of the distant past use the protagonist,
Marcus, as an agent to do their bidding. When bartering for payment, he asks
for copies of his missing father's journals. Marcus Barber, as he is known
today, uses his abilities of dogged determination, two millennia of experience,
and a few close friends to finish his jobs. While working for a pack of
egotistical Ancients who treat Marcus more like shared property than a person,
he searches for his still-living father. Griffin's
Feather would appeal to people who enjoyed Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid Chronicles or the
invocation of mythology found in Neil Gaiman's American Gods.
Marcus must rescue Freyja's Daughter from a cult of
Ereshkigal in San Antonio, Texas as he recovers Nemesis's lost Griffin, frees a
captured Pixie on behalf of Cailleach, handles a "mundane" private
investigation for a mortal client, and chases down clues as to where his
father's next steps might lead. During the course of his adventures, bullets
fly, Barghests attack, a demi-goddess invades his mind, and he assaults a drug
dealer's stronghold at the Griffon's side. His immortal soul will be lost to
the Ancients if he fails in any of these tasks.
I am the current president of the Pikes Peak Writers and
received the 2014 Pikes Peak Writers Volunteer of the Year award. I was the
president of the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group from 2009 until 2013
and have been active in the Colorado Springs writing community since 2006. My
publication credits include stories in "An Uncommon Collection,"
"Phobias: A Collection of True Stories," and "Carnival of the
Damned."
I look forward to your reply and thank you for your time in
reading the submission.
The synopsis and first [XXX PAGES/CHAPTERS] of the novel are
below my contact information.
Sincerely,
J.T. Evans
Contact Information:
Cell Phone: 719-REDACTED
Email: REDACTED
Website: http://jtevans.net/
Twitter: @jtevans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jtevans.writer
Address: REDACTED
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[ADDITIONAL MATERIAL GOES HERE]
J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the president of Pikes Peak Writers. When not writing, he secures computers at the Day Job, homebrews great beers, spends time with his family, and plays way too many card/board/role-playing games.
J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the president of Pikes Peak Writers. When not writing, he secures computers at the Day Job, homebrews great beers, spends time with his family, and plays way too many card/board/role-playing games.
Excellent article, J.T. Loved the Hook/Book/Cook idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Most of the credit goes to Pamela Howell for the great idea. My former way of teaching query letters was very close to her take, but I certainly refined my approach to mirror what she taught. It just makes so much sense!
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