What is a Query Letter and Why Do You Need One?

This is something that I had no idea about until I started researching how to become published. If you are like me and want to become traditionally published, you are going to need a query letter! So, what is a query letter? This is a letter that you will be sending out to agents to try to get them to want to help you find a publisher for your book!

Basics of a Query Letter

To start, you are going to want to introduce yourself. Start the letter by selling yourself. I see this question all the time when querying: “Why are you the best person to be telling this story?” So, you want to make sure you are convincing these agents that you have what it takes to write a great book and you are the authority on this story!

Then, after you sell yourself, you need to sell your book! You need to prepare a great one liner to describe your book. This is one of the hardest parts. How to wrap up a whole book into one sentence? Don’t just give a description of the main character, while important, they want to know what the meat of the story is. What is the main problem and who is going to be solving it?

After you have those two pieces figured out, you can create a skeleton for a query letter that you can keep reusing. Of course, if the letter isn’t working to hook any agents, make sure you change it up and try different tactics.

Querying Rules

Every agency has different rules for querying. MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THEM. Most agents won’t even look at a query letter if it does not follow all of the guidelines. If you find an agency you want to send a query letter to, go to their website first. Check out the agents and pick the one most aligned with your genre. They always have a blip written about what they expect in a query letter, and sometimes there is a form you fill out instead of sending an email.

Some places ask for a synopsis of your book, so make sure you have one ready. This should be 1–2 pages. Sometimes they let you know how many pages of synopsis they want, and then you can alter your writing to fit that bill, but otherwise, have 1–2 pages ready to go. Also make sure you have a file for the first ten pages of your book — a lot of places ask for that as well. I have also seen people ask for the first chapter, first three chapters, first 50 pages, etc. So really, make sure you read those guidelines for each agency!

Be Prepared

Be prepared to receive a lot of “nos” but don’t let them get you down. Every time you receive a rejection, send out a new query letter to another agent. Don’t let the rejections keep you from trying. There are so many different kinds of agents out there, no one is looking for the same type of book. If you get a “yes” then celebrate! Make sure you have a manuscript of your book ready to send out.

This is a great time to remember to write with confidence! If you need some help in that department — check out my post here!

You can do this! Have fun and good luck!