Query queasy? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
Date: Wednesday February 24, 2010Posted in: Writer's Toolbox
Well, maybe not easy peasy, but you’ve written a whole novel, right? A super awesome unputdownable, potential to rival the greats novel, right? You’re not going to let a one-page query come between you and getting it published, are you?!
I know, I know…queries are super hard. I know!! I’ve written about a kajillion of them and have had to tinker with them endlessly before coming up with my final copy.
For those wondering what a query actually *is*, it’s a letter from an author to an editor or an agent, querying (or asking) whether they would like to read your novel (and-fall-in-love-with-it-and-help-you-publish-it-and-offer-you-a-trillion-dollars-for-it).
Okay, maybe not the last part…
Basically though, I am here to impart any kind of tenuous wisdom I may have on the subject. So, here goes…
I think it’s helpful to think of the query as the *tease*. You want to give just enough information to entice an agent/editor to read on and request your work, but not too much or you’ll bury your pitch.
Keep it short! If you’re taking more than about 250 words to get your point across, it’s probably too much. Agents and editors are scanning and are probably spending about 20 seconds on your query (if that!), so make it EASY for them to pull out the salient points of what you’re proposing.
THE PITCH: First 125 words or so…
Here are my 4 C’s & a V to a hooky pitch…
* CHARACTER: who is your main character?
* Why should we CARE? What’s at stake?
* CONFLICT: what is your main character up against? what are the obstacles standing in her/his way?
* CONSEQUENCES: Give a hint of the outcome: …but not the ending (keep that for the synopsis)
* VOICE: As much as possible, try to match your pitch’s voice to your manuscript’s voice. This will give an agent a sense of your writing style.
THE MARKET: Next 50 words or so…
* TITLE (in caps so it’s easy to spot on the page), genre, word count, target audience, why this agent might be a good fit
ALL ABOUT YOU: Next 50 words or so…
* writing credits, etc. keep it SHORT, keep it RELEVANT to writing
ADDITIONAL INFO: Last 25 words…
* Mention whether you’ve attached a bio below your signature (I always did) and re: sample pages (add them if you’re allowed)
Just remember, you’re not trying to tell your life story in a query, just enough to hook an editor/agent so they’ll read on to your sample pages and hopefully request your manuscript.
But don’t take my word for it! Check out Pub Rants for great (successful!) query examples in the sidebar about 2/3 down the page:
Plus, you never know, part of your query MIGHT just end up as the quote on the cover of your upcoming novel.
Just saying… 
GOOD LUCK, everyone!
xo H
You might also like: Synopsis writing in 9 easy steps…
18 Comments
Great! You really boiled it down to some easy and helpful guidelines! I especially like, “keep it RELEVANT to writing.” Of course, hopefully one understands that saying “my cousin’s daughter loved it!” doesn’t count. He he.
Comment by Lisa Green on February 24th, 2010 @ 7:37 pmAll great information. Thanks for posting this Helene!
Comment by Laura Best on February 24th, 2010 @ 9:02 pmThanks Helene! I needed a reminder of this as I’ve sort of put querying on a back burner for a few months… but if I don’t send the queries out, how will Austin’s story ever reach an audience? 
Great advice, Helene! I always tell authors to keep it to three paragraphs. The first should be a snappy synopsis (including key info on character and conflict, written in a way that’s indicative of the novel’s voice), the second should include the market stuff you mentioned, and the third should describe your qualifications and end with a nice sign-off. Sometimes I really have to persuade authors that less is more!
Comment by Bev Katz Rosenbaum on February 25th, 2010 @ 9:47 amTx, Amitha! The chicklets say that all the time…
Lisa, LOL, it’s totally okay if “my cousin’s daughter loved it!”, though no… that’s generally not considered a publication credit.
Deniz! Send that baby of yours out into the world if it’s ready! *good luck sparkles*
Bev, great advice! KISS: Keep it SIMPLE, silly (or whatever…)
Thanks for dropping by, everyone.
Good advice, thanks! I’ll be querying again in the future when my WIP is done. BTW, It’s so cool that your query quote ended up on the front of your Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings novel!
Comment by sruble on February 25th, 2010 @ 7:17 pmsruble, when I first saw the quote I pointed and said to DH “That! I WROTE that!” and he looks at me strangely and says “Didn’t you write the whole BOOK?”
Oh, yeah…LOL…it was fun to see, nevertheless!
Good luck with your next round of querying! You can do eet!!
Comment by Hélène on February 25th, 2010 @ 10:50 pm[...] her Web site, kids’ lit author Hélène Boudreau makes writing queries look easy with this [...]
Comment by In the Blogosphere: 2/15-2/26 « Ricki Schultz on February 26th, 2010 @ 12:03 pmThis is great post, Helene. You make writing a grabbing query seem so darn do-able! I will refer people to your wise words–and to your advice about synopsis writing too.
Congrats again on your latest upcoming book, REAL MERMAIDS DON’T WEAR TOE RINGS.
And p.s. I like your blog’s new look.
Comment by Ev Bishop on February 27th, 2010 @ 4:26 pmI just came over from Jane Friedman’s blog. Thank you for the great advice. It’s hard to resist the urge to be wordy, but you reiterate that more doesn’t mean better, but rather that the agent will just gloss over it.
Comment by Theresa Milstein on March 1st, 2010 @ 7:41 pmHi Ev! Thanks for popping by and for your kind words.
Theresa, welcome! It’s so hard to restrain oneself from being wordy in a query, I know. I’ve been guilty of this myself!
More *isn’t* better in this case, as you say. I had to keep reminding myself that going into detail about the plot is best left for the synopsis (another kettle of fish!) and that I didn’t have to list every last writing credit within my query. That’s what bios are for! I usually included both (synopsis and bio) along with my query, citing them in my ADDITIONAL INFO paragraph.
I really appreciate you all popping by. Good luck if you’re in the query trenches! I’m cheering for you!
Comment by Hélène on March 1st, 2010 @ 8:45 pmThanks, Helene. It will be several months before I query, but I will certainly check back. Excellent pointers. – Sarah
Comment by Sarah Aiglen on March 2nd, 2010 @ 10:55 amWelcome e.lee and Sarah! Good luck with your queries if you’re in the trenches.Thanks for popping by
Thanks for the great advice Helene! Although I am still currently a writing student, and have not yet sent a query, I will surely keep your advice close at hand when I do (and I am so looking forward to sending one!)
Comment by Christine on March 4th, 2010 @ 11:38 amHi, Helene. This is an excellent way of expressing what the query letter is. Last year, when I wasn’t clear enough on my novel to write a query letter, but didn’t know it, I could have really benefited from reading this. And even now that I have written my query letter, I will go over it using these tips. Thanks!
Comment by Diane Cox on March 25th, 2010 @ 12:07 pmVersatile Blogger Award…
Thanks to Lydia LeRoy-Williams for giving me The Versatile Blogger Award! Here are the rules: Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. Share 7 things about yourself. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently dis…
Comment by Writezilla on June 19th, 2010 @ 8:33 amLine and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Okay, I just had to comment… I love the title of this post! hilarious!
Comment by Amitha Knight on February 24th, 2010 @ 6:46 pm