Thank you for sharing your experience with such detail and specificity. I found the advice about eliminating the obvious: "I'm seeking representation . . ."; "I'm a debut novelist . . ." to instead focus on providing the most relevant information in the limited space provided to be particularly helpful.
The advice given here is correct, but there is also an element of individualism that is impossible to predict. Agents are all different, and a query letter that works for one will not necessarily work for another, even if both would love the MS if they read it. Case in point: one should not reveal a twist in the query letter as suggested in this article - that's for putting in the synopsis.
I'm not an agent, but if I was an agent I'd like something of about half a page which would fit on my screen. Agents are busy and the last thing they want is a wall of text. I designed my query to do just that. It gives the salutation correctly (always the agent's first name - and double check it before sending!), the blurb (two short paragraphs), the metadata (the comps, length, genre), and the bio (my real name, my pen name, what I've published).
I hate to say it, but isn't there a catch-22 in this article? It's a long list of requirements for how to succeed at a very opaque process where failure is high, and yet it ends with the admonition that following the rules TOO well marks you as insecure and worthy of rejection. What's the purpose of having so many criteria only to reward the people who are able to disregard some of them?
Not really. This is where this article tends to show the article authors' own biases for what they want in a "perfect" query letter. It doesn't mean that all, or even most, agents are looking for this.
Confidence comes from being business-like in the letter. It's a pitch. Follow the general rules for a query letter, i.e.: the standard parts like the blurb, the bio, etc. Any reasonable agent is not going to judge your query letter so long as it is professionally presented, contains no spelling errors or grammatical mistakes, and presents the information they (or more likely the intern or junior agent) require to decide if it is worth reading further.
There's something clarifying about realizing the query letter is its own art form, entirely separate from the novel it represents. You spend three years writing the book and then discover the actual audition is a 300-word email that has to contain a tagline, a one-sentence pitch, two comps, a snappy bio, and confidence — but not too much confidence. Publishing didn't invent this particular obstacle course to be cruel. It just never got around to apologizing for it.
My question is how do agents make way for disabled writers. I am an established poet, but I am in the midst of my first attempt at finding an agent for a memoir. It seems writers are expected to spend hours and hours of submitting, working on the queries, and doing research. Also, your notes imply that there is one kind of "correct" query. Often, the agents don't even answer, and I'm not a new writer. I have published widely and successfully.
Anyway, my question is how do you make space for writers with energy limitations (or time restrictions due finances) and/or different modes of communication???
It seems to be disabled voices are what America needs the most (and the interest is there). But, we are asked to navigate a landscape without accommodations. It's kind of like asking a wheelchair user to take the stairs.
Thanks Jane, but I gave up on the agent game after two years of fruitless effort. I attended workshops and took classes online. I hired and paid the editors. I spent hours and hours on query letters and book summaries.
Basically, I concluded two or three things.
One, starting in my mid-60s, it is too late. The publishing industry is age-ist. One agent, a young woman, listened to my pitch after we met at a writing conference. She said, “We don’t need more books by kooky old people.”
Two, I think the publishing industry is an anachronism that is slowly committing suicide by pursuing and perpetuating a business model that is a century or two old. This business of agents as middle-men is ridiculous.
Three, the book as it once was is a dying medium. Why are publishers still printing black and white books without images in an age when everyone can get mountains of visual content from myriad sources. It’s totally outdated.
Finally, who really believes these agents are infallible judges of talent?
People can now write direct to their readers and publish online in places like Medium and Substack. People who write what readers want succeed. Others do not. There are plenty of people making money now with newsletters and essays.
Again, I appreciate and respect you, but I’m done with all of that crap.
THIS... is Gold! I have gained more from this one article then the million others I've handed over my paycheck over to. You've given me back the zest I was in dire need of. This advice will bring my Query back to a "Hell Yeah" moment. The first post I've read on The Forever Workshop, and I am now a "Forever" fan!
This was wonderful! Thank you for the great advice! I do have one question. I’m a Childrens novelist for kids ages 10-14. Do you think the querying game changes or maybe has different hurdles when considering this age range?
Thank you for sharing your experience with such detail and specificity. I found the advice about eliminating the obvious: "I'm seeking representation . . ."; "I'm a debut novelist . . ." to instead focus on providing the most relevant information in the limited space provided to be particularly helpful.
Very helpful article, thank you.
The advice given here is correct, but there is also an element of individualism that is impossible to predict. Agents are all different, and a query letter that works for one will not necessarily work for another, even if both would love the MS if they read it. Case in point: one should not reveal a twist in the query letter as suggested in this article - that's for putting in the synopsis.
I'm not an agent, but if I was an agent I'd like something of about half a page which would fit on my screen. Agents are busy and the last thing they want is a wall of text. I designed my query to do just that. It gives the salutation correctly (always the agent's first name - and double check it before sending!), the blurb (two short paragraphs), the metadata (the comps, length, genre), and the bio (my real name, my pen name, what I've published).
I hate to say it, but isn't there a catch-22 in this article? It's a long list of requirements for how to succeed at a very opaque process where failure is high, and yet it ends with the admonition that following the rules TOO well marks you as insecure and worthy of rejection. What's the purpose of having so many criteria only to reward the people who are able to disregard some of them?
Not really. This is where this article tends to show the article authors' own biases for what they want in a "perfect" query letter. It doesn't mean that all, or even most, agents are looking for this.
Confidence comes from being business-like in the letter. It's a pitch. Follow the general rules for a query letter, i.e.: the standard parts like the blurb, the bio, etc. Any reasonable agent is not going to judge your query letter so long as it is professionally presented, contains no spelling errors or grammatical mistakes, and presents the information they (or more likely the intern or junior agent) require to decide if it is worth reading further.
There's something clarifying about realizing the query letter is its own art form, entirely separate from the novel it represents. You spend three years writing the book and then discover the actual audition is a 300-word email that has to contain a tagline, a one-sentence pitch, two comps, a snappy bio, and confidence — but not too much confidence. Publishing didn't invent this particular obstacle course to be cruel. It just never got around to apologizing for it.
Co-sign alllll of this.
Great article!
Agents….. hahaha
People call themselves agents but they're not willing to take on new people. I don't understand how that works.
Thank you for such valuable information 💖
My question is how do agents make way for disabled writers. I am an established poet, but I am in the midst of my first attempt at finding an agent for a memoir. It seems writers are expected to spend hours and hours of submitting, working on the queries, and doing research. Also, your notes imply that there is one kind of "correct" query. Often, the agents don't even answer, and I'm not a new writer. I have published widely and successfully.
Anyway, my question is how do you make space for writers with energy limitations (or time restrictions due finances) and/or different modes of communication???
It seems to be disabled voices are what America needs the most (and the interest is there). But, we are asked to navigate a landscape without accommodations. It's kind of like asking a wheelchair user to take the stairs.
Thanks for this practical guidance.
Thanks Jane, but I gave up on the agent game after two years of fruitless effort. I attended workshops and took classes online. I hired and paid the editors. I spent hours and hours on query letters and book summaries.
Basically, I concluded two or three things.
One, starting in my mid-60s, it is too late. The publishing industry is age-ist. One agent, a young woman, listened to my pitch after we met at a writing conference. She said, “We don’t need more books by kooky old people.”
Two, I think the publishing industry is an anachronism that is slowly committing suicide by pursuing and perpetuating a business model that is a century or two old. This business of agents as middle-men is ridiculous.
Three, the book as it once was is a dying medium. Why are publishers still printing black and white books without images in an age when everyone can get mountains of visual content from myriad sources. It’s totally outdated.
Finally, who really believes these agents are infallible judges of talent?
People can now write direct to their readers and publish online in places like Medium and Substack. People who write what readers want succeed. Others do not. There are plenty of people making money now with newsletters and essays.
Again, I appreciate and respect you, but I’m done with all of that crap.
Great info - I'm saving this one!
THIS... is Gold! I have gained more from this one article then the million others I've handed over my paycheck over to. You've given me back the zest I was in dire need of. This advice will bring my Query back to a "Hell Yeah" moment. The first post I've read on The Forever Workshop, and I am now a "Forever" fan!
This was wonderful! Thank you for the great advice! I do have one question. I’m a Childrens novelist for kids ages 10-14. Do you think the querying game changes or maybe has different hurdles when considering this age range?
Great article. Thank you