The Art of a Great Query Letter

You’ve spent countless hours drafting, refining, and polishing your manuscript. If you’d like to connect with a literary agent, the next step is to write a great query letter.

STEP ONE: RESEARCH

Before you begin, I recommend walking away from your desk. Go to the bookstore. An online bookseller will work, too. Just steer clear of Word. You’ll find everything you need to write a great query letter in other people’s books.

Find Your Comp Titles

Comp, or comparative, titles are books that align with your manuscript. Walk (or click) through the sections of the bookstore where your book would be shelved. Identify at least five books that are similar to yours. Ideally, these books will have been published within the last few years.

Study the Anatomy of the Comp Book Jackets

Look for the following elements on the book jackets of your comp titles:

  • Title

  • Headline (a line above the plot summary designed to entice you to read more)

  • Plot summary

  • Author bio

  • Blurbs (praise from authors)

    Tip: Look for books by the authors who’ve offered blurbs. You’ll probably find some more terrific comps.

Write Jacket Copy for Your Manuscript

After you’ve studied the anatomy of comp titles, you’ll notice some patterns. Publishers tailor jacket copy to appeal to readers in each genre. Your query letter should read just like jacket copy (with a few differences that I’ll outline in the next step).

Now it’s time to write (not the query letter just yet). Draft jacket copy for your book (title, headline, plot summary, and author bio).

STEP TWO: WRITE THE QUERY LETTER

Adapt the Copy for a Query Letter

Now that you’ve written your jacket copy, you can adapt it into a great query letter. (Brackets indicate where you’ll drop in information specific to your manuscript and outreach.)

First, the salutation:

Dear [agent],

I’m writing because you represent [comp title] and I thought [title of my book] might appeal to you, too.

Here’s where your comp titles come in handy. Find out which agents represent those books (authors often thank them in the acknowledgments). Visit the agents’ websites. If they’re considering new clients, reach out.

You don’t have to limit yourself to your comp titles. Look around online for agent interviews. Some agents will Tweet about what they’d like to represent. Agency websites often have detailed bios, outlining an agent’s interests. Agents appreciate it when authors have done their research (you’ll get nowhere writing Dear Sir, Please consider my manuscript…). Be personal and professional (For example: Dear [agent], I read a recent interview in Poets & Writers, where you mentioned that you’re interested in [X type of book] and thought my manuscript might appeal to you).

Next, the headline:

Insert a paragraph break after the salutation and then drop in your headline. This is an attention-grabbing line that’ll entice agents to read the plot summary. For example, you might ask a question: What if the fate of the world rested on the shoulders of a ten-year-old master spelunker? Or What if we really could live forever? You might offer a statement to position your book in the marketplace: Romeo & Juliet meets The Thursday Murder Club, as two octogenarians navigate love and murder in an upscale retirement village. There are all sorts of approaches you can take! Your comp titles can serve as a guide.

If you find that you’re stuck on the headline, you can leave it out; it isn’t an essential element of a great query letter.

On to the plot summary:

This is arguably the most important part of your query letter. If you’ve studied your comp titles closely, you’ll notice that there’s a specific style and approach that’s particular to your genre. Follow that style and approach and you’ll exponentially increase your chances of capturing an agent’s attention.

Your plot summary should read just like jacket copy on the back of a book, with one exception: don’t praise your own work. Stick to the plot. The comp titles will give you a sense of ideal length (usually two or three brief paragraphs). 

Next, a note about yourself:

Include a few lines about you after the plot summary. This can be a daunting task. Take a look at your comp titles. What information did publishers include for those authors?

Generally, author bios include a few relevant professional details (publication history, what makes the author an expert in a particular field, etc.), where the author is based, and perhaps one or two interesting personal facts.

Don’t worry if your author bio feels slim compared to published authors. Agents understand that emerging writers are just getting started. Also, consider what makes you stand out in relation to your book. For example, if you’ve written a mystery set in the dog show world and you’re a professional dog trainer, it’s worth mentioning.

Finally, a simple thank you and goodbye:

To end the query letter, simply thank the agent for their time and consideration and mention that you look forward to hearing from them.

A few tips

  • Make sure you visit an agent’s website and follow the submission guidelines.

  • Paste your query letter in the body of an email (unless an agent requests otherwise).

  • Take a simple approach when it comes to the subject line when sending a query letter via email. Don’t try to be overly creative here. Agent inboxes are often unwieldy and so they tend to prefer straightforward subject lines. Something like: Submission: [Title]. You might include the genre or your name.

  • Be prepared to wait. Some agents take months to respond, others don’t respond at all. If an agent mentions typical response time on their website, wait until that time has passed to check in.

  • Rejection is part of the process, even after a writer has published several books. Use rejection to strategize next steps. For example, if you are only receiving form rejections, consider revamping your query letter or target a new set of agents.

  • Don’t reach out to more than one agent at a literary agency at a time. If you receive a rejection from an agent, you can circle back to consider other agents at their literary agency.

 

Celia Johnson is an editor and a co-founder of the Pub Pros.