How to Write a Query Letter: Top 10 Questions Answered
In the competitive literary market where tens of thousands of authors are seeking to traditionally publish their books, having a killer query letter is the single most important tool you have for standing out. You could have written the most exemplary piece of writing in your genre, but without an effective query letter, that manuscript will most likely never get read by potential agents and editors.
Query letters are your first, and potentially only, chance to make a lasting impression. It’s your opportunity to show them why your book is the one they should publish. If you want to write a successful query letter that will get your manuscript requested by an agent or editor, keep reading. I’m sharing everything you need to know about writing a well-crafted query to impress a literary agent and get your book closer to being in readers’ hands.
What is a query letter and why is it important?
A query is essentially a formal letter that you will send to literary agents to convince them to represent you and your book in the literary market. Think of it as a short sales pitch where you introduce yourself and your book, grabbing their attention and intriguing them to want to read more of the work.
The goal for engaging a literary agent is to have someone represent you and your written work to acquisition editors and publishers, supporting you in securing a book deal, negotiating contracts, and advocating for your best interest.
What should I include in my query letter?
A query letter should include the following information:
Main book details: the title, word count, and genre of your book
Synopsis: the description of your story that reels in the agent
Competitive titles: published works similar to the one you’re pitching
Bio: your author credentials and relevant information about you
Closing: a polite push for consideration and thank you to the agent
Though these are the primary elements that agents will look for in a query letter, you’ll need to put your creative spin on it. An effective query letter will captivate the agent by summarizing your pitch in a compelling and creative way. In just a few sentences, you need to intrigue the agent about you, your book, and why it is a perfect fit for their client list.
If you can sell the agent on your story, they’ll feel confident in helping you sell it to readers. This means you want to think outside the box, drawing from the best of your craft to help you stand out from the crowd. Agents get flooded with query letters daily. What makes yours the one they should read?
How long should a query letter be?
A query letter should be no more than one page long. This means you have approximately 200-400 words to get your point across, though 250-350 words are generally where you should target your goals. Agents will not read long query letters, and there are no exceptions to this.
It might seem a bit overwhelming to condense your manuscript pitch into those little words, but that’s why these letters are so important to craft with intention. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “If I had more time, I’d have written a shorter letter.” It takes careful precision and intricate use of your craft to get your query letter down to a concise, marketable pitch.
Take your time and rework your query letter multiple times. Consider a query letter critique from other writers and experts like us to help point out weaknesses you may have missed.
Get Help to Write Your Query Letter
With our query letter critique services, you’ll receive a detailed evaluation of your query letter with recommendations to improve its content and increase your chances of hearing back from agents. We’ll work with you to personalize your query letter to your most desired literary agent and provide you with ways to enhance the structure, tone, and creativity of your pitch.
How do I format a query letter?
Think of this as a business letter. Stick to a standard Times New Roman font in size 12. It should be single-spaced, with a space between paragraphs. Include the date, your name, region, phone number, and email at the top. Try to keep your query letter to three main paragraphs, potentially a brief fourth one for your salutations.
Pay attention to sentence structure, and proofread your work multiple times to avoid typos and errors that could potentially cost you a follow-up with an agent. Anything that makes your letter less professional can cost you in the long run.
How do I send a query letter?
Query letters are most often sent via email, but literary agents all have distinct instructions for how they want to receive your work. You’ll have to check their guidelines for more information.
It’s important to note that many sources will also suggest not including your query letter as an attachment, but writing it directly in the email. I’ll be honest, I’m on the fence about this and have seen it work both ways. What I do know is that agents can receive dozens of queries a day, and it’s best to keep it simple and direct unless otherwise instructed.
When do I start sending query letters?
Query letters are most often sent after the completion of a manuscript when you’re ready to get your book in print. It generally takes about six months (sometimes longer/shorter) to hear back from an agent about the acceptance or rejection of your query. If they accept, they will most likely ask for more information from you, like pages of the manuscript itself and/or a book proposal.
However, some writers will query agents before the completion of their manuscripts, hoping to gain representation in the market for a traditional publisher who will take on the financial obligations of the book’s completion. To break this down a bit better, most traditional publishers offer advances; a signing bonus offered to authors upon signing a publishing contract and before the book is brought to print. Sometimes, authors may hope to gain representation to help offset the financial cost of completing the book.
Go from Query to Contract
Through our workshop, From Query to Contract, we’ll work with you while seeking representation in the literary market. With our mentorship and guidance, you’ll gain the knowledge to organize, prepare, and manage the query process, and better understand the traditional publishing landscape.
What should I do before I send a query letter?
There is a strategy for sending query letters, and without getting organized ahead of time, the process is bound to become a bit daunting. Here are some suggestions I have for what you should do before sending your query letters:
Do your research about the literary agent or publisher
You must know about the literary agent you’re going to be querying. You should only send your query letter to literary agents who represent books similar to the one you are submitting. These concise and to-the-point pitches should be tailored specifically to the agent and the type of books they represent while still reflecting your unique writing style.
Do the necessary research about them, and the authors they’ve worked with, and familiarize yourself with their journey to see if it aligns with your aspirations. Without feeling confident that the literary agent is a mutual fit, it’s pointless to reach out.
Check agent/publisher submission guidelines
Literary agents all have unique submission guidelines. If those guidelines are not followed exactly, you can expect to receive a rejection or not hear back from them at all. Each query letter should be customized according to their requirements and crafted to meet their standard of value in publishing.
Start a spreadsheet to keep track of potential agents or publishers
Begin a spreadsheet where you can keep a running list of all the agents you want to reach out to. Include things like their name, the agency (if any) that they work for, their email address and contact information, their website/media links, and the type of work they publish.
From there, make columns to include the date you reached out to the agent, a date for when you’d follow up with them if you don’t hear back, and (if you do hear back) a bit about their feedback.
Send query letters in batches
Sending query letters in batches of around 4-8 at a time will allow you to reach a wider market while also being able to keep up with the process. You don’t want to query too many at a time, as that could confuse things and overload your workflow. However, because the process can take as long as it does, you don’t want to send just one at a time. That could take years.
How do I personalize my query letter for different agents?
The most effective way to approach this is to find common ground. Identify similarities between your work and the agent’s interests, career, or previous publications. Whether it’s their genre preferences, thematic elements, writing style, or target audience, you’ll want to uncover ways you can resonate with the agent on a deeper level. Express your genuine interest and enthusiasm about potentially working with them because of these commonalities.
It could also be helpful to mention previous works the agent has represented—if it’s comparable to yours in some way. You can explain to them why you think your manuscript is a good fit based on those comparisons.
When tailoring your pitch, be sure to highlight aspects of your manuscript you think will impress the agent based on their interests. You’ll want to focus on elements that will most likely capture their attention based on your research.
Should I include sample chapters or a manuscript with my query letter?
No, unless otherwise instructed.
Query letters are meant to be short, sweet, and to the point because agents don’t have the time to go through a lot of writing before they decide if they’re interested in the work. Generally, they will request sample chapters or a certain number of pages after they’ve read your query letter.
Review the submission guidelines carefully to see if they specify what they want to receive. Follow those instructions precisely. If they say they don’t want sample chapters or don’t specify, do not send them. Just send the query letter.
What should I do if I don't hear back from a literary agent after sending a query letter?
First, check their submission guidelines to see if they’ve specified a response time frame. Some agents have a “no means no” policy, meaning if you don’t hear from them, well…
If they do have a specified time response, send a brief email once that time has passed to remind them of your query, expressing your continued interest in their representation. But remember, literary agents get lots of query letters in their inboxes, so patience will be your bestie throughout this entire process.
Get Your Query Letter Writing Questions Answered
Our goal is to ensure aspiring authors walk their publishing path of choice armed with resources and awareness about how to navigate each phase of the journey. If you have questions about the query letter writing or submission process, or about traditional publishing, reach out for an Ask All, Tell All consultation with our editor-in-chief and lead publishing advisor, Christine Weimer.
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