Query Letter | Query Letter
Apr.07.2013
I've been working on a query letter and thought I'd post it for some feedback. I struggle with the opening as I've read it should reference a book or an author the agent has worked with. That's great if you can find out that info but if all you know is an agent is looking for new...
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Nov.17.2012
You can read tons of articles or blog posts about how to write a query letter or book proposal that makes a literary agent want to take you on as a client. And it’s all well and good to know how to pitch. But what really makes an agent want to take you on as a client? Today, literary agent Jeff...
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Nov.16.2012
When you hone you subject into a great pitch, you know what you’re book is about—and you can communicate that in a query letter or aloud. Pitchcraft™ is an invaluable tool—not just for landing an agent but for selling books. In this guest post, agent Katharine Sands, who coined the term,...
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Apr.24.2012
Sometimes, its important for everyone to take their jobs less seriously. People feel very serious about publishing, but as my first boss said, “it’s not life or death, Lucy.” (Until that moment of relief, I thought it was.) And so with this post, I’m poking a little fun, while hopefully...
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Mar.27.2012
Lately I've been spending a lot of time on planning. Like a lot of writers, I set out to simply write. My degree in magazine journalism turned me into an editor as well as a writer. And when I was asked to edit a book for someone, I became a book editor as well as magazine editor. I later...
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Dec.22.2011
You've got a great idea for a nonfiction book. You've written a killer book proposal. Now you need a fabulous query letter to grab an agent or a publisher so they ask you to send your proposal for review.
To write a killer query, you need a one-page letter with three basic sections or...
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Jul.09.2011
[Following is the content of my first agent query, going out this Monday]
Matthew Hauser is nine years old when he and his older sister are taken by the authorities from their neglectful mother and placed in an orphanage run by a sadist. Matt is a sensitive, intelligent boy with an indomitable...
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Mar.02.2011
I've looked at two book proposals recently for aspiring authors with agents eagerly awaiting their submissions. The writers came to me for what they considered a "cursory review" because they felt their proposals just needed a "finishing touch," another set of eyes to...
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Feb.24.2011
I had a novel manuscript I was particularly proud of and when my writing pal, Lyn, mentioned the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, I said what the hell, and I entered. Mine went into the general fiction category, and Lyn, who has written a bang-up young adult novel, entered the YA category.
The...
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Oct.04.2010
How long does it take to write the perfect query? Correction: How long can it take to write the perfect query?
I’ve been writing query letters since the 1980’s—longer than most of the agents I’m querying have been writing in cursive. I’ve been revising the query for my current book for three...
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