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.
2 Comments
11/7/2018 08:35:35 pm
Please don't be offended. It jumped right out at me. You wrote: I learned something knew today. In this case, spell check would not have caught it. I've made similar mistakes so many times. Please don't be discourage. Keep up the good work!
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Shelley Pagach
11/18/2018 12:15:49 pm
Sheila, Thank you for taking the time to read my post! I appreciate your consideration very much. This is how hard it is for me to pick up on sound alike words, I was looking at your suggestion, and focused in on "learned" not "knew". I kept thinking, is it supposed to be "learnt?" I got there in the end! :)
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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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