The Inspired Query Letter
George Angus
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 George Angus
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This originally appeared in a series of posts at my website, tumblemoose.com. I have edited the content in order to smooth out the flow and make it appropriate for thie Smashwords edition. I do welcome any feedback at george@tumblemoose.com
How successful are you in your query letter responses? Do you even send query letters?
“What? Who needs a query letter? I’ll just send ‘em the manuscript. It’s perfect, I’m sure they’ll love it.”
Well, speaking as your competition, I say go right ahead and keep on the road you’re on. Be sure and let all of us know how that works for ya.
For the rest of you that are interested in obtaining “contender” status, listen up.
The query letter is literally your foot in the door so you better make it right. It has to be perfect. Yes it does, don’t argue with me. This single piece of 8 and a half by 11 is absolutely your best chance to show the publication two things:
You know how to write. THAT’S why you want it to be perfect.
You are a professional. By virtue of just sending the query, you’ve risen above so many of the other writers who are seeking the attention of the editor.
I’ll take this opportunity to tell you that
there are publications that accept manuscripts as initial contact.
So how on earth do you know who does and who doesn’t?
It’s really pretty simple. Pull out your recent copy of
2009
Writer’s Market
Once you’ve decided on the publication that most fits what you want to write, you can start your research. That’s right. The Writer’s Market is just your starting point. Hike your carcass down to the bookstore and buy a copy or two of the magazine. Alternatively go to the magazine’s web site and read through any samples they may have. While there, compare the contact information in their Writer’s Guidelines with the information in Writer’s Market. Hey, jobs change, people fall in and out of favor. Sending your query to the wrong person clearly falls into the “not off to a good start” category.
“Geez, George. That sounds like an awful lot of work.” Welcome to the world of being a writer. If this sounds like too much work then go complete your Great American Novel, make a million bucks and leave the rest of us alone.
You want to read the publication becasue you want a feel for the style and focus of the magazine. Fail to do this and you may as well save the stamp because your query is not going to work. Ok, it might work sometimes, but it’s not how a professional writer operates.
You’ve done your homework, you’ve got a great idea and you think you have found the perfect publication for your pitch.
Congrats. You’re ready to write the query letter. Which we’ll discuss in part two of this post.
Welcome
back. In the first
post
I discussed the importance of writing a good query letter and I
hammered home (I hope) the importance of obtaining the 2009
Writer’s Market
Now that you’ve got your intended target in sight you essentially have one of two paths from which to choose. Which path you take is dependent to some extent on the information you found either in Writer’s Market or by reading the submission guidelines at the publisher’s web site. You can query by email or query/submit the manuscript via regular mail. There are other options but these are probably the most common.
Query by email
This is becoming a more and more popular way for an editor to receive your query. First and foremost, do not be fooled into thinking that just because you’re doing this in an email that the format should be any less formal then a regular letter. This means you start with the date, four hard returns followed by the name, title and complete address. Dear so and so is next, followed by the body, followed by the closing.
Some email pointers:
Make certain you turn off your spam filter or specifically allow email from whoever you are sending your query letter to. See this great post from an editor. You want to read this. I’m serious.
Include your contact information in the email, just as you would on printed letter.
If the submission guidelines say “no attachments”, guess what? DON’T ATTACH ANYTHING! I can’t even believe I had to make that point. Put your stuff in the body of the email.
Do not hound the editor. If the guidelines indicate a 4 – 6 week response time, don’t you dare email that editor until maybe 8 weeks have passed. The convenience of email is no excuse to not follow directions.
Query by regular mail
The first thing you want to do is to go read this post from an editor. While it is specific to submitting a novel, many of the points here are important for any query or submission.
Did you read the post? Good stuff isn’t it? See, stick with the Moose and I’ll get you to where you’re going.
Regular mail pointers:
Every component of your mailed query is advertising for you and who you are. You cannot be too professional, you cannot be too perfect.
The envelope is clean and crisp. Use a standard stamp (save your “Nuke the Gay Whales for Christ” stamps for your Christmas cards.
I know you wouldn’t dare forget to include the SASE. If you’re submitting an entire manuscript and you’d like it back, make sure the envelope is the correct size with the appropriate amount of postage.
If you are including the manuscript, do not bind it in any way. No fancy page protectors, no cute butterfly hole-clasps – nothing!
In the last post of this series, we’ll get into the specifics of the query letter itself. I’ll share the format that has worked for me every time I’ve used it.
In the first two posts of this series, I hounded folks about the importance of getting all the pieces of the puzzle in place for the all important query letter. This third and final chapter of the query letter story will discuss the outline of the letter itself.
Now that you’re ready to go, let’s look at the elements of a successful query letter.
First Line: Today’s date
4 hard returns and then,
Editor Name, Title
Publication Name
Publication Address
Dear: Unless you are certain of gender, use the full name
First Paragraph:
If you’re going to sweat over any of the paragraphs in your query letter, it better be in this paragraph. This is the hook. This is the paragraph where you capture the interest of the editor and demonstrate a little of your writing style. Think of it as an excerpt of your article that contains the essence of the whole piece. It does NOT have to be pulled directly from your article but it should have the flavor. Remember that it is a hook, so make it sticky. Make it so lively and interesting that someone would HAVE to continue reading the rest of the letter. As if that’s not challenging enough, try and keep it down to two – four, short – medium sentences.
Second Paragraph:
Tell the editor what this article is about. Make certain that this is written from an angle that demonstrates you have read the submission guidelines and you are familiar with the publication and the readership. Brevity is important here. Remember you want to give a taste, not set up a buffett.
Third Paragraph:
Describe where and how you believe this article may fit in the publication. If you believe it fits in a particular section, outline why you believe so. This demonstrates again that you have done your home work and are familiar with the publication. Use this paragraph to put forth the anticipated word count and any ideas for possible side-bars. If you have photographs, let the editor know that in this paragraph.
Fourth Paragraph:
Yay me paragraph. Describe previous publications that have accepted your work. If you don’t have any clips then that’s ok. Don’t dwell on it, don’t plead and don’t beg. C’mon. Get off of your knees and stand proud. This query letter speaks for itself and gives the editor a fine feel for your capabilities.
Closing: Short and sweet. Thanks for your time and consideration, I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, Best, Regards – Whatever you like.
Your name
Address
Phone number
email address
That’s all there is to it. I know there are a lot of ways to skin this cat, but this format has garnered a positive response each time I’ve used it.
I hope you enjoyed this series. Query letters are very important and it’s important that you understand the concepts presented here.