I Read Hundreds of Queries a Week. Here’s the Most Important Sentence You Need to Write

All about loglines and selling your work

Today’s workshop is brought to you by literary agent Erin Niumata. She’s Senior Vice President over at Folio Literary Management and has been in the publishing world for almost three decades, working on multiple NY Times Bestsellers throughout her career. She’s lectured extensively on this subject for workshops and universities over many years, and we’re excited to bring that experience and expertise into this week’s forever workshop! Welcome, Erin.

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There is a single sentence standing between your manuscript and an agent’s inbox. It is not your synopsis or your bio or even your first page. It is your logline or the ‘elevator pitch.’

If you have been querying without one or pasting in a vague blurb that gestures loosely at your story, or just struggling to figure out the best way to pitch your book, then this post is for you. Below, I’ve broken down exactly how to write a logline that hooks agents and editors, expanded with examples and practical advice to help you put it into practice and master the logline.

The rest of this post is for paywalled because paid subscriptions help us keep going. To learn how to craft an excellent logline (with a detailed 7-step process) with annotated real-world examples, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

What is a Logline?