QUERY LETTERS TO LITERARY AGENTS ABOUT BOOK PROPOSALS

Query letters from first-time writers to literary agents usually contain numerous mistakes, mistakes that are easy to avoid. This tip sheet can save you the embarrassment of making these blunders, especially in a query letter, which is the most important letter you’ll ever write.

In case you’re not sure why it’s the most important letter you’ll ever write, just stop and think about it. If you don’t send a query letter, how will you ever get a literary agent? And without an agent you’ll almost never get a book into print with a good publisher.

Before we get to the blunders, you have to understand that we’re talking about query letters to literary agents about book proposals. We’re not talking about query letters to editors or publishers. And we’re not talking about query letters to literary agents about completed manuscripts. Although in fiction you’ll need a completed manuscript, the fiction query letter is so different we’ll talk about that another day. Right now we’re only addressing query letters to literary agents about book proposals for nonfiction. This is the number one type of query letter agents receive, it is the most important query letter in a writer’s career, and it is the query letter that you will probably want to send first in your publishing career.

It’s also the query letter that contains the most mistakes.

QUERY LETTERS MUST HAVE FOUR PARTS

The number one error is failing to include all four required parts of the query letter. These are standard, and leaving one out will end the story right there -- the agent will not read further. The four parts of the query letter are the opening paragraph in which you state why you are writing to that particular literary agent, the second paragraph in which you describe your book, the third paragraph in which you describe your credentials, and the closing paragraph in which you ask the agent to request your book proposal.

The first mistake you’ll probably make is failing to tell the agent why you are addressing him or her. It is a mistake because it puts you in the amateur category right away. The agent is thinking, “This writer just picked my name out of a book. Maybe this writer has struck out with fifteen other agents and I’m on the tail end of the list.”

Avoid this blunder. The first sentence of your query letter should be a very simple statement indicating why you are writing to that agent. For example: “I’m writing to you because you represented The Da Vinci Code.” End of paragraph. Enough said.

With this opening paragraph you’ve established that you know who this agent is, you know this agent’s work, you respect this agent’s work, and you are not just picking this agent out of a hat. Hopefully, your book will also be somewhat like The Da Vinci Code. But you get the point, right? You’re sending queries only to literary agents who represent books similar to yours. That makes sense, doesn’t it? An agent who only handles mystery fiction isn’t going to care about your cookbook.

Select the right agent, and start with my suggested opening one-sentence paragraph, and you are getting an A+ grade so far. I guarantee the agent will continue reading, and that’s more than I can say for most query letters they receive.

QUERY LETTERS MUST DESCRIBE YOUR BOOK SUCCINCTLY

Succinctly means concisely. It means you don’t ramble on. It means you don’t say, “This book will be a best seller.” It means you don’t list all your chapters. It means you get right to the heart of the matter and, in as few words as possible, tell the title, genre, and subject of your book.

What does this paragraph look like? I’ll give you an example. Say you’re writing a cookbook about New Orleans. Your paragraph might look like this:

“Informative and topical, like a cross between Julia Child and Martha Stewart, NEW ORLEANS COOKING is the first post-Katrina recipe book to cover the entire spectrum of New Orleans cooking. Filled with Creole and Cajun recipes, it explains how these cooking styles have changed after Katrina. More complete than other books about New Orleans cooking, and more timely, it is the only book to investigate what has changed in New Orleans cooking after the hurricane, and because of this it will appeal to millions of people who are interested in contemporary Creole and Cajun cooking.”

The first sentence of this example paragraph contains the all-important phrase “the first...” It’s important to include this phrase in the first sentence of paragraph two, if you can, because it signals to the literary agent that this book might have a real chance of selling. Anything that is “the first” or new and unique in some way will be of interest to people in publishing.

The second point to note is that the book is described succinctly in the first sentence. You must make this sentence concise and also comprehensive. That means this sentence should be able to stand alone. Imagine the agent sees nothing more than that one sentence. To get an idea how to do this, look at the back covers of similar books. You could get great ideas from the advertising copy you’ll read there. Notice also that this short paragraph compares your book with its competition, suggesting that yours will be better in some way. If you can fit that in, it goes a long way toward selling your book to an agent.

QUERY LETTERS MUST LIST YOUR CREDENTIALS OBJECTIVELY

Your third paragraph is all about you and your credentials. This is the place to list previous publications, if you have them. If you have work experience, that goes into this paragraph, provided it is relevant. For example, you could say:

“I have been cooking New Orleans style food for the past twenty years in a Louisiana restaurant that was partially destroyed by Katrina. After the hurricane, our food supply changed, and as a consequence our cooking style changed. I also work as a restaurant reviewer for the magazine New Orleans Food, and in that capacity I have seen how the restaurants in this area have modified their menus after the hurricane. My work has been syndicated in four newspapers. I have also appeared before the local Supper Club, giving lectures about cooking.”

In this paragraph, the writer establishes the credentials that will convince a literary agent that she can write the book. While this writer did not have many prior publications, the fact that she worked as a reviewer is in her favor. Put anything that is relevant into the paragraph, but also leave out what is irrelevant. For example, if you’re an expert in scuba diving, omit that as it’s not going to help sell this cookbook.

YOUR QUERY LETTER MUST CLOSE CORRECTLY

The final paragraph simply asks the agent to request your proposal. It can be as simple as: “Please let me know whether I can email my book proposal to you. I’ll look forward to your response. Thank you for your consideration.”

By avoiding the three biggest blunders of beginning writers, you can be sure your query will get serious attention. Remember to state why you’re writing to this particular agent, describe your book succinctly, and give your relevant credentials. Your professionalism will be evident from your query letter, and if the agent is looking for new clients, you’ll get a call or email asking for the book proposal.

Then you can go out and celebrate.