MY QUERY UPDATE: 32 agents on my list, 26 agents queried, 10 rejections. The other six are waiting to be reviewed. (Some agencies allow you to submit to more than one agent, but not all at once. If one agent declines, you can send it to another. Some agencies don’t allow multiple queries. How will you know? Read their website)
Ready to query? Lesson #2: Be prepared – writing a killer query I am not an expert on query letters. I am learning as I go and I thought someone might want to learn along with me. So far, I have needed a combination of the following:
Things to consider: When I worked in human resources, I screened all the resumes before my boss even looked at them. Sometimes I knew from the very first line if a resume was worth passing on. Same goes for query letters.
What is a query letter? Have you ever created a resume? In a way, a query letter is like a resume. It is usually a three-tiered letter explaining: Your elevator pitch, a summary of your story, and a little about yourself. FIRST TIER: Your Elevator Pitch
SECOND TIER: Brief Description of Your Story
THIRD TIER: Marketability, Credentials, and Author’s bio
There are plenty of resources online. Type in: How to write a query letter and start practicing! FINISH STRONG: Don’t forget the 3 golden rules of writing:
Last but not least, have someone else read it. In fact, have more than one someone else read it. If you are in a critique group, fantastic! Let your group hack away until there is nothing left but a killer query letter. If you are not in a critique group, I would encourage you to find one. They aren’t easy to come by, but so worth the effort. Local writing groups (google writing groups in your area), libraries, and Facebook are just a few places to start. IMPORTANT NOTICE: I just learned something new today (2/15/17). I have seen other people do this, and I'm sure it is included in any online search, but since I have learned it, I'm passing it along. Always type the title of your book in ALL CAPS. Example: THE QUEEN AND THE FIDDLER.
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I am not an expert on query letters, although I am getting a lot of practice. I thought someone might want to learn along with me. Lesson #1: Finish your manuscript This may seem obvious, but it is the first step. At least for fiction. Non-fiction projects have their own set of rules, and if I ever travel down that path, I will include them in my lessons learned. For now, I am focusing on fiction queries. What do I mean by “finish your manuscript?” Have a complete story: beginning, middle, and end—but that’s not all. Do not start sending out queries after your first draft. There is a reason we call them first drafts. They need to be polished. So, once you have your beginning, middle, and end, then go back and edit. Edit as many times as it takes to get it right. Give it to someone else to read. Someone you trust to be honest, even if they don’t like it. Join a critique group. A good group is hard to find, but oh so valuable. It takes a village to write a good book. I’ve worked as a legal secretary for 20+ years. I was lucky enough to have a mentor who taught me 3 basic steps in the editing process of any document.
Again, seems simple enough, but everyone—EVERYONE—will misspell a word somewhere, sometime. You can have 10 different people read your work, and misspelled words will still slip through the cracks. The goal is to send out the most professional looking work possible. Polish until you can see your face in the reflection. |
AuthorMy dad has a copy of a story I wrote when I was 9 or 10 years old called My Life as a Clothes Hanger. I thought if I ever wrote a memoir, that would be my title.Then it hit me, I have a blog I never use... Archives
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