Writing a Query Letter

Ok, so now you are finished writing your book. What do you do with it? Of course, you'd like to publish it. You need to start trying to land a publisher. Most publishers will not let you directly solicit your materials to them. You have to find an agent to market your story for you. How do you land an agent? You can't just pick one out of a phone book and hire them. Agents are swamped with writers wanting to be published, so how do you get their attention and convince them that they want to sell your work to a publisher? You send them a query letter.

A query letter is generally a one page letter that tells the agent about you and you work. Remember, you are selling yourself and your story. You need to start by "hooking" them. Develop a fantastic hook line to draw their attention. Once you have them, deliver your sales pitch. Tell the agent all about your story from start to finish in one paragraph. The next paragraph should deliver your credentials and tell the agent about you. Be sure to list your accomplishments, prior publications, articles about you, etc. Finally in closing, thank them for their time and invite them to contact you.

Be sure you research your possible agents. Many of them have different submission guidelines. Some of them will not take unsolicited queries while some expect the first few chapters to be included with the letter. Make sure you know what your agents require before you query them and I wish you the best of luck. This is a tough business and you will most likely be rejected over and over again. Stick to it. There's one out there for you

Copyright 2008 Lynn Tincher