Query letters: THE single most common question I get from unpublished writers.
And they're right to be worrying about them. Very few good-sized publishers will even read from the slush pile anymore.
You've got to have an agent. That means, absent a direct referral, you need a query letter.
So here's your plan for success:
- Check out the WSJ articles on why you need an agent HERE.
- Read my original query letter from years ago, the one that got me my first agent. Still works exactly like that.
- Need a template: here you go. One page, no more, but the toughest one page you'll ever write.
- Finally, look at this great collection of honest-to-God query letters that made agents bite. I really like this list because the agents themselves tell you exactly what captivated them in each query letter. http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/successful-queries
Got a query letter that's not working that you'd let me use in a blog post? Drop me a note at mail@greyhoundbooks.com.
