I am a huge fan of Writer's Digest Magazine. For that reason, I follow a lot of what they have to say on several topics (although not all!) -
the primary one being Query Letters. A staff blogger at WD, Chuck Sambuchino, has a blog that posts numerous successful query
letters and the agent responses that you may find useful. He does not always, however, do an analysis of the query letter, or what made it
Thus, the following website is a great resource with paragraph-by-paragraph examples of some bestsellers: http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx
For children's books, I recommend this one: http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/submissions/anatomy-of-a-query-letter/
Another great point to keep in mind with query letters is to RESEARCH THE AGENT OR PUBLISHER YOU ARE QUERYING. If you don't,
you risk including or excluding something the person you are querying demands. Also, if the agent or publisher isn't opposed to it, send a printed
letter and attachments rather than a digital one. It is much easier to file an email than to hide a physical stack of papers. And although it is easy to
simply dump your letter into the trash receptacle, remember that the Agent's job is to find authors that will make her or him money. You may be that
author.
I also highly recommend the following in-print book:
Title | How to Write Irresistible Query Letters |
| Author | Lisa Collier Cool |
| Publisher | Lightning Source Incorporated, 2002 |
| ISBN | 1582971552, 9781582971551 |
| Length | 148 pages |
I am also attaching a copy of one of my own query letters, my bio (always keep your bio up-to-date), and a letter I sent to the Broward
Friends of the Library. Hope this all helps.
Query Letter
Query Letter
Dear Ms. Sample:
I am writing to seek representation for my first major novel, THE WISTFUL HEADS, a mystery of 75,000 words.
The book opens with the kidnapping of a 7-year old child by a mysterious figure, and a new detective - a little person who's lost two partners, but has survived because of his stature named TIM MARROW - has been assigned the case. Marrow soon discovers that there is a link between this boy's disappearance and several other children around the city, and has a serial killer in his hands. The children's bodies are found beaten and bloodied, but their faces and heads intact.
Marrow enlists the help of his friend LEE JACKSON, who works as a party clown named CRIPPY, to help as his eyes and ears on the streets in the investigation. A few dead ends and red-herrings later, as the two friends scurry to prevent another murder and find the ruthless killer, the duo devise a plan to use Marrow's height to penetrate the killer's hideout; a plan that may prove to be their last hope - or their last adventure.
I am writing to seek representation for my first major novel, THE WISTFUL HEADS, a mystery of 75,000 words.
The book opens with the kidnapping of a 7-year old child by a mysterious figure, and a new detective - a little person who's lost two partners, but has survived because of his stature named TIM MARROW - has been assigned the case. Marrow soon discovers that there is a link between this boy's disappearance and several other children around the city, and has a serial killer in his hands. The children's bodies are found beaten and bloodied, but their faces and heads intact.
Marrow enlists the help of his friend LEE JACKSON, who works as a party clown named CRIPPY, to help as his eyes and ears on the streets in the investigation. A few dead ends and red-herrings later, as the two friends scurry to prevent another murder and find the ruthless killer, the duo devise a plan to use Marrow's height to penetrate the killer's hideout; a plan that may prove to be their last hope - or their last adventure.
I
am a 34-year old student, and this is my first major novel. I have worked as a freelance journalist, and
my articles have appeared in Unique Me
Magazine in the U.S. and a few international trade publications.
Following
are the first ten (10) pages as requested on the Writing Now website. I truly hope you like what you read and I look forward to
hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Giovanni V. Crisan
Giovanni V. Crisan is the author of Separation
Anxiety, 8:51 On the Blinking Clock and Other Stories, The Wistful
Heads: A Tim Marrow Mystery, Killer On the Noose: A Tim Marrow
Mystery, and co-author of The Re-Evolution Project with his twin brother Vasilie.
He has also written numerous articles in publications throughout the world,
both in the manufacturing and medical fields, most recently in "Unique Me
Magazine" in the United States. He is currently working on
his next novels, "Separation From Reality", "The Elephant's Eye: A Tim Marrow Novel", "A Boy
Named 'I'", and "The Withering Flowers of Champiñon Manor and Other
Stories".
He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his
wife Colleen and his two dogs, Tobi and Malakai.
Letter
April 26, 2013
Hanna Wilner, Administrative Director
Friends of the Broward County Library
100 S. Andrews Ave
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
Dear Mrs. Wilner:
My
name is Giovanni V. Crisan and I am an author who just self-published a novel
titled, "The Wistful Heads - A Tim Marrow Mystery", which features a
dwarf detective as the main character. It is available on Amazon.com,
Kindle, and Barnes and Noble.com, and I would love to have it featured during
one of your local community events. I am
very involved in the community (a list of references is available upon
request), and would love to join Friends of the Broward County Library in
promoting reading to members of the community.
I would also be happy to do an open discussion or reading with other
local authors.
The web addresses
below will take you to my author page and to the book synopsis:
http://www.amazon.com/author/GiovanniCrisan
I thank you for the
work you do in the community and appreciate your time in reading this letter.
All
the Best,
Giovanni V. Crisan,
Author
Joe_Crisan@yahoo.com
3346 N.W. 68th Ct
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
33309
cc: George J. Bolton
enclosure: TWH:ATMM.
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