Top “Truth” Number Two: The Query Letter Is Everything
Back to our regularly programmed discussion. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day. I did. Our weather is finally gorgeous again. We even set off our last summer sparkler last night in the dark depths of the back yard.
Okay, so “everyone” knows that the query letter can make or break your attempt to get an agent, right?
Right…if your query reveals to an agent that you write something he or she doesn’t represent (which would mean you didn’t do your research and wasted effort querying an agent who is not right for you).
Otherwise, you can always try, try, again if you really want the agent. [NOTE: I'm not advocating cyberstalking, I'm advocating sending an agent you feel will be right for you a new query for each new book you write, or following up a wretched query letter with an improved pitch in person (at a conference, a workshop, or a pitch fest)].
So — basic truth — aim to write a fabulous query letter no agent (who accepts books in your genre) can resist. If you realize after the fact you fell a little short, and you really want that agent, try again in another venue [NOTE: Do not bother to mention the previous failed query. If you're lucky, it has been long forgotten in the welter of failed queries the agent has waded through. If your particular fail was spectacularly memorable, then make sure your new pitch is spectacularly memorable -- in a good way.]
Which brings us to the question of how to determine if your query is strong enough to be sent out. Most writers (new and old alike) find the query troublesome in two respects: trying to encapsulate the heart of the story in 1-3 sentences; and, knowing what personal information will demonstrate your authority to tell your tale.
For the first skill, there is only one solution: practice and research how others make the important conflict of the book clear in one or two paragraphs. I recommend Query Shark for those who are working on a query letter. It often helps to see what others have done to help you hone your own, and this site has a few queries that have been improved and resubmitted, as an added bonus.
There is a divided jury on how much personal background to include for fiction (for non-fiction, your personal expertise is crucial information). My personal take is that any fiction publication credits can be mentioned, but won’t matter unless accompanied by awards, or making bestseller lists (IOW, don’t think that just because you’ve been published before that will make you attractive to an agent — it often makes you less attractive, paradoxically). Also, anything relevant to the novel PR is also helpful (for example, I believe the author of The Devil Wears Prada had been an assistant for the real person she lampooned in fiction, which instantly translates to media interest and means marketing will be happy when the agent brings the project to an interested editor. However, this information can also be provided once an agent makes an offer based on requesting and reading the material, so….
In the end, your query (or pitch, or casual mention in the conference bar) needs to make the agent request/read your novel. The novel is what will make the sale. Nothing else really matters.
Next up — Top “Truth” Number Three: Query Only Polished Novels
