|
How to Write a Query
Letter
So
you've written--or are in the middle of writing--a romance novel.
Sooner or later, you'll work up the nerve to query an editor.
But where do you start? How do you write an effective query
letter?
Maybe the best way to
explain this is to show you the query letter that worked for
me. Give it a quick read-through. If you like it, ask
yourself why. If you think I did something wrong, try to put your
finger on it. Then we'll break it into parts and discuss
those.
Okay, ready?
_____________________________________________________________
On my letterhead, which included my name, address,
and e-mail
address.
_____________________________________________________________
August 31,
2001
Ms. [Editor's Name,
Editor's Title]
Steeple Hill Books
Address
Dear Ms.
[Editor's Name]:
Steeple Hill's "Love Inspired" series is a breath of fresh
air in the romance genre. I'd love to partner with you in offering
these wholesome choices to romance readers. I hope you'll agree
that the story I've written is perfect for your line.
In A
REGULAR SWEETHEART, Dr. Charles Hartman is a gifted trauma surgeon with
all the people skills of a wounded grizzly bear. Although he
maintains that he cares nothing for people or for God, he begins to
believe differently after Hope Evans, a softhearted graduate student,
slams into his Mercedes--and his life--putting a completely different
spin on his carefully-ordered world.
Charles has never believed in anything, but he learns to
trust Hope's rock-steady friendship. When she falls for him and he
is unable to return her love, the only honorable course is for him to
walk away. But how can he turn his back on the only true friend he
has ever known? Can he bear to give up Hope?
A
REGULAR SWEETHEART is long on the romantic tension your readers clamor
for. And with its twin themes of trust and loyalty, the story is
spiritually uplifting as well as emotionally satisfying.
The
manuscript is complete, waiting only for me to lick a few stamps and
send it to you. It weighs in at 75,000 words.
I'm
enclosing a synopsis. Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
[My
signature]
Enclosures
_______________________________________________________
After this story was sold,
the title was changed to FINDING HOPE.
If you'd like to read
the first chapter right now, click here.
_______________________________________________________
I knew nothing about how to query an editor, so I just
wrote this up like a normal business letter. In retrospect, I think
it worked pretty well. I had a product to sell, so I began with
a compliment, told her exactly what I had to offer, explained how it would
meet the needs of her customers, and finished by thanking her for her
consideration of my sales pitch. Pretty simple, huh?
Dear Ms. [Editor's Name]:
First off, I knew which editor I was targeting. "Dear
Editor" or "To whom it may concern" would have marked me as
someone who hadn't bothered to do her homework. I'm glad I
didn't shoot myself in the foot.
Steeple Hill's "Love Inspired" series is a breath of fresh
air in the romance genre. I'd love to partner with you in offering these wholesome
choices to romance readers. I hope you'll agree that the story
I've written is perfect for your line.
This wasn't meant as a
smarmy compliment. I wanted the editor to know that I was
very familiar with Love Inspired and had
specifically targeted that line.
In A REGULAR SWEETHEART, Dr. Charles Hartman is a gifted
trauma surgeon with all the people skills of a wounded grizzly
bear. Although he maintains that he cares nothing for people or
for God, he begins to believe differently after Hope Evans, a
softhearted graduate student, slams into his Mercedes--and his
life--putting a completely different spin on his carefully-ordered
world.
Charles has never believed in anything, but he learns to
trust Hope's rock-steady friendship. When she falls for him and he
is unable to return her love, the only honorable course is for him to
walk away. But how can he turn his back on the only true friend he
has ever known? Can he bear to give up Hope?
This
is the most important part of the letter, but there was nothing scary
about writing it. I simply set up my story, explained the
conflict, and then added a little teaser. (This is
similar to the "blurbs" we see on the back covers of
books. Think along those lines and you'll be on the right
track.)
The purpose of these two paragraphs was to get the editor
interested in reading my synopsis. That's it. That's
why I didn't go into any detail, and that's why I didn't give away the
story's ending. If she's intrigued, all she has to do is turn the
page and start reading the synopsis.
There is absolutely no reason to make your query letter more than
one page long.
A REGULAR SWEETHEART is long on the romantic tension your
readers clamor for. And with its twin themes of trust and loyalty,
the story is spiritually uplifting as well as emotionally
satisfying.
Again, I was telling her that I
know her line very well. I know why readers buy Love
Inspired books, and I believed my story would appeal to them.
The manuscript is complete, waiting only for me to lick a
few stamps and send it to you. It weighs in at 75,000
words.
Okay, that sounds a little flippant, but that's me. I write the way
I talk. The salient fact was that the manuscript was
complete. This told the editor two things: that I'm
capable of finishing what I start, and that she could have the
full manuscript right away, should she request it.
Mentioning the length told her that,
again, I had done my homework. (Love Inspired
wants 70-75K.) Also, there
was no need for me to say "about" 75,000 words. Of course
it's a ballpark figure.
I'm enclosing a synopsis. Thank you for your consideration.
Short
and sweet: Here it is, thanks for your time. No
flowery phrases, no "Should you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to...blah, blah, blah."
Sincerely,
[My signature]
Enclosures
The enclosures were, of course, my synopsis and my
self-addressed, stamped envelope. And by the way, I saw no point
in telling her that I was enclosing the
SASE. That's an immutable standard in this business, so it
would have been a little amateurish to point out that I was conforming to
it.
Okay, what was
missing from my letter?
Many people would have advised me to list my writing
credentials. Well, I didn't have any. I had been
writing for less than a year and this was the first manuscript I had ever
completed. Maybe you can say more than that,
but I think in most cases it comes off sounding a little
pathetic. Can't you just imagine an editor rolling her eyes over
this:
I've been an
enthusiastic member of Romance Writers of America for 3-1/4 years. I'm assistant secretary to the second vice president of my
local writer's club. In high school I won an
award for writing the best short story in Mrs. Bartlett's
class. I have been writing since I could hold a pencil and it
has been my lifelong dream to be published. This is the second
manuscript I have completed and I have ideas for many, many more.
Call me a cynic, but I just don't think busy editors
give a hoot about our dreams and our little
accomplishments. So unless you can say you're a Golden Heart finalist or that you've sold
a magazine article, just let your well-written letter stand on its
own.
I sent the above letter with
a five-page (double-spaced) synopsis. A couple of weeks later, my
full manuscript was requested. Several months after that, I
was offered a contract. (To see the juicy details on how
everything unfolded, please visit my "What's it Like to get The Call?" page.)
I hope this real-life
example of a "winning" query letter has helped
you understand the process. I welcome your comments and suggestions, and if you have
a question that wasn't addressed here, please let me know.
e-mail
Brenda
|
Are you new
here?
The
search engines are sending lots of traffic to this page.
I'm delighted about that, but if you have entered through this "side
door", I'd like you to know there's a whole lot more to my
website. Click one of the links below to see more writing tips
or to check out my information-stuffed home page.
Thanks
for visiting BrendaCoulter.com.
Please bookmark this site and come back often!
|
Return to Brenda's Writing Tips
Go back to home page:
Brenda Coulter,
Inspirational Romance Novelist
|