The Dreaded Query Letter: What Is it and How Do You Write It?

Here are the key components of a query letter that I’ve learned (and some stupid mistakes I’ve made along the way)

So, you’ve written your story, revised it a million times, had beta readers critique it, and found an editor who marked it up until you got it just right. And now it’s time to get it in front of literary agents, in hopes of signing with a publisher, which means writing something that could determine the next level in your publishing career — a query letter.

Actually, I like to call it the “dreaded query letter.” Here’s why.

For me, writing a query letter is like writing a cover letter for a job (which I also dread). You have to entice literary agents to want to learn more about you and your story — and hopefully get them to see that there’s potential in your story enough for it to be published. Basically, it is a pitch letter to an agent or publisher.

By all means, I am no salesperson. Yet this journey challenges my creativity (and copywriting skills) and strengthens my ability to write tightly and concisely while bringing out the best features of my manuscript. This is easier said than done, but knowing the basics of a query letter can help any writer catch the attention of an agent during their writing journey.

Let’s just cut to the chase. Here are the five simple elements of a query letter that I’m learning (and some mistakes I’ve made along the way):

Opening

The opening of a query letter, also known as the “salutation”, is how you address the agent or publisher.

Example:

Dear Mary Beth Anderson,

Make sure the following steps are completed:

• Ensure you have the correct spelling of their name. (Fun fact: I triple-checked the spelling of an agent’s name, added it to the query letter, emailed it to her, then realized I spelled her name wrong. And I haven’t heard from her.)

• Make sure they are currently accepting manuscripts at the time the query is sent

• “Study” the agent. Use Query Tracker and Manuscript Wishlist to find out what a specific literary agent is looking for.

Hook

The hook is probably the most important area of the query letter — and the hardest thing to write (well, for me, it’s hard). But this is where you have to really catch an agent’s attention. It should include the following:

• Book title

• Word count

• Age range (I write children’s picture books, so this part is kind of a big deal)

• Main theme of the story and the most interesting thing about it
  

At the end of the day, the hook should make your possible future agent want to read the rest of the query letter and eventually your manuscript.

Body

The body is the place to introduce the character, the conflict or goal the character is facing, and the actions illustrating how the character defeats the conflict (or meets the goal). Don’t include every detail of your story. Instead, highlight the most intriguing actions of the main character(s) that bring the story to life. For one of my query letters, I revised this section a million times; then I ended up re-writing the entire query letter because I realized the original version was too long, boring, and told almost the entire story.

Comp Titles

Agents want to know if your book is marketable, and one of the ways they do this is by seeing if your book is similar to other books on the market. These are called comp titles (also known as comparative titles or competitive titles). Mentioning comp titles in your query letter isn’t required, yet it is definitely a bonus if there are books that are just like yours. For me, I already had several picture books at home that were similar to the book I’m pitching. So, I add them to my query letters. Plus, I use those books as guides to write me write my manuscripts. So, it was a win for me.

Bio

Agents want to get to know you, too! Give some background on yourself, your writing experience, the inspiration behind writing, your family, etc. But keep it brief! As an author and editor of children’s picture books, I make sure to include my experience in my bio. The biggest struggle I have with this section is making sure I don’t include too much.

Closing

The closing is pretty straightforward. Mention how an agent can access your manuscript. You can also state if you have sent your manuscript to other agents:

Example:

Below is the text of Scary, Scary Sasha.

Please note that this is a simultaneous submission.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jane C. Witherspoon

Other Things To Consider

Word Count: For children’s picture book query letters, it is recommended that the query letter should be between 250 and 400 words.

Page count: Keep the query letter to one page.

Synopsis: Some agents also want a synopsis. A synopsis provides the entire plot of the story, compared to the query letter, which pitches the story to an agent or publisher. Make sure to perform some research on writing a proper synopsis before submitting it.

Submission Instructions: Follow ALL instructions for submitting your query letter!