From the Query to The Call

The Hook

There’s been some debate about whether or not you need a hook. I’m just going to get this out of the way—I believe you do.

And believe it or not, you probably have the beginnings (if not more) of a hook already. You just don’t know it.

Your hook should:

1. Sum up the novel in one sentence

2. Propel the reader to read the whole letter with interest

Notice I didn’t say it has to make me gasp. Nor do it have to be snarky, snappy or in your face (unless, of course, that’s the tone of your novel). All it needs to do is sum up your novel and make me want to read on. That’s it.

Let’s explore some examples.

Examples:

1. “In a world where Thinkers brainwash the population and Rules are not meant to be broken, fifteen-year-old Vivian Schoenfeld does a hell of a job shattering them to pieces.” (29 words - Possession by Elana Johnson)

2. “Sixteen-year-old Annie Jenkins must control the magic to balance the realm—it's too bad her unknown abilities are hidden beneath her inhalant addiction.” (23 words)

3. “Sixteen-year-old Penelopie Baker has died 67 times, and it’s about to happen again.” (13 words)

4. “When a girl looks into a boy's eyes, she hopes to see his soul, but when sixteen year old Emerson Taylor kisses a boy's lips, she also sees his past.” (30 words)

~courtesy of Katie Anderson, author of Kiss & Make-Up

5. “Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails.” (10 words)

~courtesy of Lisa and Laura Roecker, authors of Liar Society

These examples accomplish both items above with ease. You can get a general idea about each novel from the single sentence. I included the word counts of each sentence, just so you can get a general feel for how long they are. There are no hard and fast rules about this, but I recommend a sentence of no longer than 40 words. That’s a pretty long sentence.

Basically, you want your hook to be the answer to the question: “What is your book about?”

You should have seen my panic face the first time I was asked that. I was like, “Well, it’s about this magician guy, and he well, he’s immortal, and he hates it, and there’s this girl and she can turn him back into a mortal. Or something.”

By the end, people were more confused than satisfied. And these were people that liked me, were interested in the book enough to ask about it, and I couldn’t even answer their simple question.

That’s what your hook needs to do. Answer the question: What is your book about?

 

Look at the examples again. Do you want to read more? Depending on the genre you enjoy, perhaps. There is an entire section devoted to researching agents, so if you’ve done your homework, you’ll be sending your query to those who are interested in your genre. You want the reader to need to read on. Not want, need.

In fact, that first sentence should not only sum up the book, it should springboard the reader through the rest of the letter.

Final words on hooks:

Your hook should not be a question

Grab, entice, get out = one sentence

Mimic the tone of your novel