Query Letter [kweer-ee let-er]: an inquiry from a writer to an editor [or agent] of a magazine, newspaper, etc., regarding the acceptability of or interest in an idea for an article, news story, or the like: usually presented in the form of a letter that outlines or describes the projected piece.
Your query letter should do three things:
1. Tell about your project (novel, short story, article, etc.)
2. Tell about you
3. Capture your audience enough to request more (for self-publishing authors: entice readers to click buy!)
How to write a killer query letter that will do these three things is discussed in Section Two: Writing a Killer Query.
A few things to remember:
A query letter is the first impression an agent has of you. And we all know you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
A query letter is correspondence with an industry professional. Treat it as such.
A query letter is not hammered out in a few minutes.
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From the Query to The Call
Non-FictionFROM THE QUERY TO THE CALL outlines what a query letter -- or cover copy -- is, why every author needs to master the art of describing their book in just a few words, and how to successfully navigate the querying process. Authors looking to query pu...
