Let's talk about queries!

Good Monday morning! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days, I've been sick with I think the flu, but now hopefully it's finally finished and I'll be back to my normal postings, lol ;)

Query letters.. a lot of publishers and agents do ask for a query letter first. Some though do want a query, synopsis and the first chapter, so please be sure to check the guidelines of the publisher or agent you are targeting to see exactly what they want before you send out. We're going to start with just the bare basics by saying a query letter is what they're looking for. So what do you include in it? How long should it be? And several other questions may pop up in your thoughts if you haven't sent many or any out yet.

I like to stick to the safe side of things when I'm not sure..only the most important info gets put into my query. But that doesn't mean that you should stick to this, that's just the way I do them when in doubt. Short and sweet so to speak and if they want more, they'll ask. The point here is getting yourself familiar with writing queries and the more you do the better you'll be at writing them.

The first part should be your information, who you are, your addy's, phone, etc. Sorta like how you start a business letter. Then I skip a few lines and address the query to the person who will be receiving it. I skip a few more lines and then introduce myself, mention if I have any published books and where they are, any awards that I have received, etc.

Then, dropping a few lines down again, this is where I would put the book info. I think of it sorta like a back cover blurb to a book but a tad bit longer. It should be about the most important happenings in the book. The characters, the main reason/s why they aren't together, etc., and finally, why/how they are together by the end of the book.

I always thank them for their time when ending the letter, but that's just me, it's your query and up to you.

So, what we have so far.. who you are, are you published (if not just skip that part), what the main points in your book are, and how they conquer it all and end up together in the end.

I know the above is a condensed version of the post, but this is where you really want to make every word count. I see it as.. this is the first impression type of thing. You know your book inside and out, you are excited about it and want to share it with the world. Take that excitement and try to capture those parts in a couple or few paragraphs. They're getting a sneak peek of your book and your voice.

If you're still having trouble another way to practice writing them..try thinking of it as a trailer of a movie when you're breaking down a query, and then add from there.

I hope this helps :) Happy Writing!