If almost nobody agrees on query letter formats, then which way should a writer go? The right answer is to do what the specific literary agent requests. What if the literary agent is vague? Perhaps it is best to go with the old school approach? Um, what is that?
See literary Janet Reid's Query Shark blog for one choice.
Also, read on below.
To complicate things further, a query letter is supposed to fit on one page. However, most literary agents accept queries via email. There are no pages in email. Some consider an email page to be 240 words. Others say 300. There is no definitive answer which everyone accepts. So, play it safe and be concise.
Whatever a writer does, do NOT do the following:
See literary Janet Reid's Query Shark blog for one choice.
Also, read on below.
To complicate things further, a query letter is supposed to fit on one page. However, most literary agents accept queries via email. There are no pages in email. Some consider an email page to be 240 words. Others say 300. There is no definitive answer which everyone accepts. So, play it safe and be concise.
Whatever a writer does, do NOT do the following:
- Send unsolicited attachments. Everyone is afraid of "bugs" in attachments.
- Send a requested attachment as a PDF. Sure, PDFs are supposed to be readable by anyone, but a literary agent may want to reformat the text to their preferred reading device. Unfortunately, PDFs can get mangled when trying to reformat them to a different file format.
- Call the literary agent to ask anything.
- Query through social media. That is a serious etiquette faux pas.
- Whine openly about the query process. Avoid words like "gatekeeper" or "greedy traditional publishers." Literary agents sometimes check a querier's online presence. Don't give them another reason to lose interest.
Particularly ignorant or egregious behavior can not only get a query rejected, but also get a querier's email or other accounts blocked by a literary agent.
So, study the query process, think about how a new person can best understand the story, rewrite, share with a writing friend, rewrite, and then query in a professional manner.
So, study the query process, think about how a new person can best understand the story, rewrite, share with a writing friend, rewrite, and then query in a professional manner.
JANET REID'S TWEET AND BLOG ARTICLE
For advice on the query process, you can follow literary agent blogs about the query process. One of the more well-known ones is Janet Reid's Query Shark blog. Make sure to read the archive.
She also is on Twitter: @Janet_Reid
One Tweet about the query process aspect of "streamlined versus old school" query letter formats is:
@Janet_Reid: Seriously, this query question has to be a joke, right? Right??
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2014/04/query-question-except-not.html
MY LONG-WINDED COMMENT
Alec Breton said...
It is no wonder the query process is stress-inducing. There is no industry-wide universal query format … yet. Sure, the "Query Shark Method Of Blunt, Get To The Point, Don't Waste My Neural Cognition Cycles" is heroically fighting the dross and accretions of "old school" query preferences. However, your mileage may vary.
Some literary agents specifically ask for the salutation to be followed with an explanation of why the writer is querying them. Comments, such as "I've read your blog since before the Internet was invented and you mentioned you want more paranormal dystopian YA steampunk vampire romance," seems to be an all-too-common explanation.
[BTW, "Dear Sir or Madam," "To Whom It May Concern," or "Dear (fill-in-the-blank) Literary Agent, CC every other agent at the agency" are strictly in no-go territory.]
On rare occasions, some agents "hint" at a desire for ego stroking: "Oh, I just adore all your clients's work, order all their books before they are printed, write glowing reviews before I've read them, and think you are the greatest literary agent ever."
Up front is where some agents also want to know if the writer met them at a conference and were invited to send the query. [Attempts at deception will get the con man reported to the literary agency secret police.]
Some sly dogs try at this point to say "Agent X, and Client Z, both of which are recently deceased, referred me to you." [Nice try, but it won't pass the smell test.]
Other wimpy writers may try begging up front: "I'm down to my last can of cat food and will be sleeping under the abandoned railroad trestle, if you don't love my query letter."
Some "psycho queriers" go for the jugular and hurl insults about gatekeepers or other negativity — almost as a dare. [This may be reported to the regular police.]
Some want to guarantee their query will be rejected, by pointing out they regularly blog against greedy traditional publishers and have already self-published. [Don't go there.]
After the above "touchy-feely niceties," many old school literary agents ask for:
- Title/wordcount/genre/whether it is part of a series.
- The dreaded logline (only sometimes). [Some call this a "hook in a single sentence."]
- Synopsis/pitch.
- Any comps (optional in most cases).
- Thanks verbage.
- Author name.
- Contact info (Duh! Some do forget contact info.)
- A few sample pages (only sometimes requested, but must be in the body of the message, not as an attachment).
I am wondering why the "Thank you for your time and consideration" is the stock "thanks verbiage." Who started that? Of course, it pays to be courteous, but isn't this rote statement kind of stale by now?
Still, where would we be without the Query Shark? [End not-so-subtle pandering. Over and out.]
4/30/14, 1:49 PM
