If you write a query that is attention grabbing, you are well on your way to securing that agent/editor.  A query first and foremost, tells the editor/agent that you can write, believe it or not. If you submit a query that is riddled with errors, full of embellishments using adjectives to describe how your characters look, you are basically sabotaging yourself.  The agent/editor is more concerned with what your story is about, what moves the story (conflict) and how the story ends(resolution of conflict).  Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT the time to leave the agent/editor wondering how the story will end. Many believe that inserting a cliff-hanger will peak the reader’s interest and cause them to ask for more. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

YES your goal with writing your query is to get the reader to ask to read more of your manuscript and possibly even ask for the entire manuscript. If you can accomplish this, you have just raised your manuscript from unsolicited to  solicited status.   (Solicited means requested, and of course unsolicited means not requested by anyone) This means your manuscript, or at least a few chapters of your manuscript will be read by the agent/editor or one of thier assitants. Don’t diss the assistant! In my case the assitant to the editor loved my manuscript so much, she was in the editor’s office every single day raving about how great it was and telling her all the juicy details. The assistant actually helped me get picked up by the publishing company.

The crucial elements of a query?  Introduce yourself in the first paragraph. This is where you include your PUBLISHED writing credits.  For example, have you been published in a local newspaper or magazine. This is not where you tell about writing for the high school or college newsletter.  You are basically telling the reader here what qualifies you to be a writer. If you don’t have any previous writing credit, that’s okay. That doesn’t count your query out. Just wow them in the next paragraph with the brief synopsis of your story.

Use strong adjectives/adverbs to move the synopsis and keep them reading. Paint a picture with your words about the story, but avoid using descriptors like, ” this is a mind blowing, fantastic read”. These types of statements are a turn-off for the professional, because it read likes you are trying to Tell them what to think about your manuscript instead of allowing them to form their own opinion. Instead use words like  “this is the story of a woman’s unforgettable battle with an addiction that threatens to destroy her life, and the lives of her children…” I have just told them in my opening sentence what my story is about. Now I can use the ramaining sentences to build drama to make them want more. Remember give them the beginning middle and ending of your story in a couple of paragraphs. This is your opportunity to sell your story, so pour all of the passion that you feel into this portion of the query. If you feel what you are writing, so will the reader!

Next you want to compare your work, to works that are already on the market. This advises the reader that you know your target market and you have thought about the competition. You should tell the reader how your work is similar, but also how it is different and what will cause the prospective buyers of your finished novel pick up your new book instead of the competition. For example, I compared my work to a famous writer’s by using the comparison of both of us using religous threads and backdrops in our writing, but pointed out that my writing differed from hers because my writing was grittier, and gave a different point of view than her stories.

Finally, in concluding your query, thank the reader for taking the time to read your query. Include your contact information,  phone number(s), email address, etc.

One final note: Don’t send any part of your manuscript with the query! Agents/editors don’t like getting stuff they haven’t asked you for. This is the quickest way for your submission to end up in the dreaded slush pile, or even worse the trash bin!

Until next time!

Mari

NEXT: KEY Number Five: Make Rejections Work FOR you!

Mari Walker’s Blog

Question number 2.

Are you saavy enough about publishing contracts to negotiate your deal? Do you know which rights to “give” to the publisher and which ones you should hold on to? Do you know how many different rights come with a book that you have written on your own? How about which territories your publisher should have to sell your book in? Which territories, if any should you keep?  Should you have the right to look at the cover of your book before it goes to press or should your publisher be allowed to make these decisions with no input from you? These are just a tiny fraction of the items to be negotiated in a standard “boilerplate” publishing contract.  Are your negotiation skills good enough to make sure your best interest has been represented?

Chances are if you’re anything like I was, by the time you receive  your contract from one of the big publishers, whether they live in New York or Elsewhere, you will be so excited you will want to sign on the dotted line and send that contract back as soon as possible without even reading it!  (I didn’t do that, but I had an agent to make sure I didn’t do anything that dumb!) Can you begin to see why having a good agent is very beneficial?  Even those who manage to land a contract without getting an agent first, end up getting one when they receive thier contract for all the reasons I’ve mentioned here. And like my mom always told me: When you’re trying to sell something (in this case your manuscript!) 85 -90% of something is better than 100% of nothing!  Take Care and I’ll write more soon! Mari