Andrea Hurst & Associates

QUERY BASICS: Part III

By: Amberly Finarelli

A 3-part series by the agents at Andrea Hurst Literary Management

Closing Your Query

Like a fine wine, a successful query needs to finish well.

Once you’ve told us

1. What your book is
2. Who you are,

It’s important that you close your query by letting the agent know you are ready to send your materials however he/she prefers—without sounding too pushy.

Examples of over-pushiness:

“I know this is going to be an instant bestseller and I want to thank you in advance for deciding to work with me” or “Since I had such a good hunch that you’d want to see my work, I’ve already mailed you the entire manuscript. It should arrive on your doorstep any day!” These cringe worthy assumptions are enough to make even the most seasoned agent shudder.

Things to remember when closing your query:

1. If it’s a non-fiction project, indicate that you have a full book proposal ready to send according to the agent’s specifications
2. If it’s fiction, indicate that the full manuscript is completed and that you can send any portion of it that the agent requests. Nothing is more frustrating to an agent than eagerly combing the query for a fantastic-sounding project, only to hear that the author has only actually completed the first 10 pages.
3. If you have an important point that you weren’t able to work into your query’s beginning or middle, like you were a Fulbright Scholar, or that you won first prize in a prestigious fiction contest, add it to the end of the query.**Note that including a list of accomplishments not particularly pertinent to your written work will not be considered a plus (i.e., “I was a runner up in this year’s Strawberry Beauty Pageant”).
4. Close with a polite, yet confident line, something like

“Please let me know if I may send you a full proposal/partial or full manuscript.

Regards,

Joan Smith”

Your query can be the all-important gatekeeper that transforms your manuscript into your published book. Following these Query Basics could gain you just the edge you need to get your manuscript or project noticed.

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QUERY BASICS: Part II

By: Andrew Perez

A 3-part series by the agents at Andrea Hurst Literary Management

So you’re writing a query letter?  Well, let’s talk about the guts of it, the middle part of a good three-part query.  A good phrase to remember is the three-part rule of any query letter: The Hook, The Book, and The Cook that Michael Larsen talks about.  I’ll be tackling The Book section, as this is where I often see the most mistakes made in letters.

You’ve written your book, and now you have to sum it up.  You’ve already revealed your hook, so now, you got to sell me, and as an agent, my time is fleeting.  Remember, any agent’s inbox is probably full the brim with email queries, if they are accepting open submissions, so you have to stand out, and in a good way.  So what SHOULDN’T you put in?  Well, don’t put the entire synopsis in, nor drop a chapter, because both are demanding the agent read them to figure out what your book is about, and when they have a stack of emails and snail mail sitting on the desk, what do you think they are going to do: read your unsolicited synopsis and chapters, or delete it for the next one.  Assume the second answer for safety.  If we want either, we will ask.  Instead, imagine you are pitching your book to me in person, and you have 30 seconds to sell it, now, what do you say?  What details are important to know, which are better off left out, and what do you need to omit to make me ask, “I have to read this”, and you will be surprised how small this section gets.

A paragraph, maybe a little longer, and that is all the room you get.  Ever read the back flaps of books?  That is a good model, it hits you with the important details of the plot, the primary characters, what the conflict is, but it suggest the bigger questions but doesn’t say them.  There is a struggle; something is going to happen, but what?  You tease, you hint, you suggest, but you don’t spell it out, because you want the agent to say “ok, I want to know” and then the request goes out.  The query is a distilled down version of your book, and is sometimes quite painful to create.  You may think we have to know something, but you must step outside yourself and ask “but do they really? Is this what they have to know or is it what I think they need to know.”  Go with need, and save the “have to know” for the synopsis.

And remember, above all else, this one important rule:  the publishing world is a business, full of professionals, so treat your query letter with professionalism

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QUERY BASICS: Part I

By: Gordon Warnock

A 3-part series by the agents at Andrea Hurst Literary Management

To get your query and therefore your manuscript noticed by an agent, you need to start it off with a bang. Something that gets our attention. Present a problem or a situation in preferably one tight, functional sentence that either grabs us and forces us to care or shows us that others already care about what is sure to follow in your query. Create a gap that needs to be filled by none other than your book.

Then move on to explain how your manuscript fits in with, solves, or turns the aforementioned issue upside down. Have you ever noticed that a really catchy new song will seem both fresh and familiar at the same time? That is what you want to accomplish with the introduction to your work. Don’t be afraid to compare your manuscript to several related bestsellers. It gives us a good idea of where you’re coming from and where you intend to go with this piece.

Though we encourage you to address us by first name, this is a business letter, and you need to properly introduce us to your manuscript. If you show us exactly what it is that we would be working with, then it holds our interest and helps gives context to the rest of the query. These basics include:

•    Full title of the piece, including subtitles
•    Anticipated final word count
•    Genre

State all of these clearly and be specific about things like genre. They don’t have a section at Barnes & Noble for hybrid science fiction thriller self help, so instead, pitch us your “self-help book with a unique twist.” Knowing exactly where it fits on the shelf depicts you as being sure of yourself and your project.

This all needs to be accomplished in no more than a one paragraph of text. I cannot stress enough the importance of each line being highly functional and economical. Don’t let your query meander or eventually get to the point. We read oh so many dull and poorly-constructed queries on a daily basis. If your letter begins at a lackluster pace, it makes it much more difficult to keep our eyes from blurring, our heads from aching and our fingers away from the delete button.

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