If you’re a fiction editor and your author-clients want to follow the traditional route to publication, you might offer to help them pitch to literary agents. Here’s how to advise them on their query letters.
A query letter (also known as a pitch letter or cover letter) is one of three things an author needs when trying to persuade an agent to sign them. The other two components are their synopsis and a writing sample.
Let’s look at how you can help your authors nail their query letters to make sure they give their best first impressions.
Do authors really need literary agents?
First things first. Does the author actually need a literary agent? If they want to follow the traditional route to publication (i.e. have their manuscript published by an official publishing house) then they do.
Usually.
Most publishers don’t accept submissions directly from writers, which is why authors need an agent to submit their manuscript for them. Some publishers – especially the smaller, independent ones – do accept unsolicited manuscripts. Authors can pitch to publishers directly, as well as to agents.
It’s still a good idea for an author to nab an agent, though, because agents have a wealth of knowledge about the publishing industry and an array of invaluable connections.
Agents usually take a 10-20% commission from the proceeds of sales as payment for their services.
Not all agents are created equal, so encourage authors to submit to the best and most suitable agents who match both their career needs and their personality.
Why is a query letter important?
It’s a good idea to invest time in a query letter. Though the letter isn’t as important as the novel, it’s the first impression the agent will have of an author – and first impressions count.
From a query letter, an agent can get a sense of how serious, professional and hardworking an author is, which indicates what they might be like to work with.
Agents want to work with authors who know their stuff and act in a professional manner, as well as those who can write cracking good books.
Before an author begins the query process, they should make sure they have a finished and polished manuscript ready to go. This means no rough or incomplete drafts, and no more plans for tinkering.
(Every time an author tinkers with a finished novel, a fairy dies.)
The 5 most important things to remember about the query letter
1. Follow the agent’s guidelines. Whatever advice I give here, if the agent’s website states something different, the author should always follow what the agent’s website says. Agents are people too, and people have preferences. Different agents might ask for different things in a submission, which is why authors should tailor their queries to each agent they approach.
2. Put yourself in the agent’s shoes. (Not literally – that’s the kind of creepy shenanigans that won’t land an agent.) Agents receive thousands of submissions a year. They long to discover a fantastic new author – probably almost as much as I long for an endless supply of chocolate digestive biscuits – but they have to wade through a mountain of submissions for every one they take on. A query letter should help them do their work. It should tell them what they need to know – which is not necessarily what the author wants to tell them …
3. It should be focussed, friendly and short. Authors shouldn’t try too hard to impress, otherwise their letter could seem hyperbolic and stilted. Instead, the letter should be written as if to a friend, matching the tone of your book. It doesn’t work to comment on how ‘compelling’ or ‘heart-warming’ the story is; authors should stay clear of imposing judgements on their writing and speaking in abstract terms. The agent should be able to see that the story is heart-warming (or whatever) from the information provided, without it being spelled out. The letter should be closed succinctly and professionally.
4. It should be mentioned if the book is currently being considered by another agency. There are two steps to being signed by an agent. The first is the submission of the letter, synopsis and writing sample. The second is the agent requesting to see the full manuscript. If any agents are currently looking over the full manuscript while the author is quering other agents, they should let the agents know this. Not only does this alert the agent that the book is clearly worth considering and that time might be of the essence, but it’s polite for an author to let them know if they might pull out of the process in order to pursue another opportunity. They needn’t bother mentioning that they’re querying multiple agents – that’s practically a given.
5. Proofread! Obviously, the letter should be written exceedingly well, and that includes making sure it’s written with correct grammar, artful syntax and is free from errors. If the letter is sloppily written, an agent will assume the novel is, too.
Spelling errors or grammatical mistakes … just make me want to stop reading.
Lisa Leshne, LJK Literary Management (source: writersdigest.com)
Structure and content of a query letter
A query letter should:
- Capture the interest of the agent
- Convince them the book will sell
- Tell them a little bit about the author
The letter should be short – between 150-250 words – and it should fit on one side of A4 paper, single-spaced with generous margins. The font should be 12-point and easy to read.
I recommend the following three-paragraph query letter structure because it makes sure everything needed is included and presented nice and clearly.
Paragraph 1a: Best foot forward
The first paragraph should lead with the strongest selling point, so this will vary from writer to writer, book to book. If the author has any connections to the agent, they could start with this – e.g. if one of the agent’s current clients referred them, if they met the agent at a conference or heard them speak at an event, etc.
The author might also want to kick off with any prestigious credentials they have, such as a creative writing MA from a highly regarded university, awards from writing competitions or publication credits from noteworthy publications.
Paragraph 1b: The hook
If the author doesn’t have insider connections or any exciting writing credentials to their name, fear not. Instead, they should start their query letter with their book’s hook, making it the best damn hook possible.
If they can mention some of the things above, the hook will be the second paragraph of a four-paragraph query letter (unless the hook is so awesome you think it should come first – which is totally fine). Don’t forget to mention the title!
If you can’t convey the essence of your book in three sentences, the chances are that I won’t be able to either. Publishing (certainly at the commercial end) is largely centred on elevator pitches.
Adam Gauntlett, Peters Fraser + Dunlop (source: agenthunter.co.uk)
What to include in a hook
The hook should include brief information on the protagonist and their conflict, and a summary of the main choices the protagonist has to make and the stakes of these choices.
If it’s a main component of the book, the setting or time period can also be mentioned.
What should be obvious from this description is that the hook is about the specific details of the story – it’s not a general overview or summary of the main themes.
How to make a hook stand out
As well as everything above, the hook needs to be written with spark.
Spark is the energy and personality injected into the hook.
It’s what makes someone feel something after they’ve read the hook. It’s what sets the story apart from every other story. You could have the most well-written, perfectly-structured hook in the world, but if it lacks spark, the agent will be yawning.
A hook without spark makes the protagonist seem flat and the story premise seem boring.
A hook with spark will make the agent desperate to read more.
It’s the first promising clue that the author is a writer who knows how to tell a good story. And yes, adding spark to a hook is the toughest part of writing a query letter.
Tips on writing a great hook
The hook needs energy and personality, and it needs to make the agent care. You don’t want the agent saying ‘So what?’ once they’ve read the hook – you want them saying ‘Then what?’
You want them chomping at the bit to read the story.
Keep it brief. Literally one or two sentences max. Your synopsis is where you can go into more plot detail.
Hook structure
These formulas may seem, well, formulaic, but when you plug in the unique, sparky details of a story, I guarantee results will vary delightfully.
Here are some options:
[Title] is a [word count][genre] novel about [character name + short description] who [conflict].
Example: The Martian is a 130,000 word science-fiction novel about Mark Watney, a wise-cracking botanist, engineer and astronaut who gets stranded on Mars and must improvise to survive, facing challenges such as dust storms, biochemical explosions, and not going insane from having only a library of seventies disco music to keep him entertained.
[Character name + short description] is faced with [the conflict they’re going through] and so must [the choices they have to make] in order to [desired result].
Example: Frodo Bagins, a young and gentle hobbit, is faced with the task of destroying the One Ring when he inherits it and its dark origin is revealed, and so he must decide to carry the burden and make the long and dangerous journey to Mordor in order to prevent the rise of Sauron, who would send the world into terrible darkness.
[Title] is a [genre] novel in which [character name + short description] must [main conflict], but not by [genre expectation]. Instead, [character name] is/must [genre expectation turned on its head].
Under the Skin is a darkly satirical surrealist novel in which Isserley, a beautiful yet allusive young woman, must take advantage of unsuspecting men to provide her family with food, but not by conning them, as you might expect. Instead, Isserley is an extra-terrestrial on the hunt for human meat.
It can be extremely hard to condense a novel into one or two sentences, so I always recommend authors get as much feedback as possible on their hook. If people seem genuinely interested in reading more, they’re onto a winner.
Paragraph 2: Why the book is worth publishing
The first paragraph of a query letter should grab the agent’s interest. Next, the author should elaborate on why their book is interesting, important and saleable.
The most important points from the following elements should be condensed into a 50-word paragraph.
Genre and word count
If it hasn’t already been mentioned in the hook, stating the genre and word count will help the agent assess how the book might be positioned in the marketplace.
If the book is cross-genre, this should be mentioned – but nailed down to no more than two! (It’s easier to understand and sell a steampunk-romance than it is to understand and sell a literary-historic-adventure-YA-romance with aliens.)
It should be mentioned how the book differs from others in the genre – in other words, how it will stand out on a bookshelf of other steampunk-romances.
Authorial intentions
Why did the author write this book? What questions or concepts were they compelled to explore? For example, they might have set out to subvert the conventions of dystopian fiction or to analyse a society in which the option of choice has been removed.
The hook is not the place for this.
Topical relevance
If the book has topical relevance, make sure it’s mentioned here – but be aware that the topic might be old news by the time the book is published. Think about the longevity of the topic. Is it part of a conversation people will still care about it in a year’s time? If it’s about a specific event, will people still be affected by it eighteen months from now? If not, focus on other aspects.
Potential readership
What are the kind of people who would be interested in reading the book? This description should be as specific as possible – so not ‘middle-aged men’ but ‘men in their forties who feel disenfranchised with their career choice and are frustrated at falling behind with new technologies’.
Influences
The author might also want to mention in their query letter any writers who have influenced them.
They should avoid listing all their favourite authors or stating that they think they’re going to be the next George R. R. Martin or Sally Rooney. Instead, they should make it relevant to their book.
For example, ‘I admire Angela Carter’s rococo style and the way she plays with ambiguity to intrigue the reader, and I have tried to capture a similar tone in my novel.’
Paragraph 3: About the author
This paragraph of the query letter is all about reassuring the agent that the author is a good bet as a client. It demonstrates their professionalism and gives them an idea of the kind of person they are.
Some things to include:
Basic facts
Age, occupation and any interesting details … For example, ‘I’m a stay-at-home dad in my early thirties who paints skateboards for a living.’
Keep in mind that this kind of information might seem boring to the author, but could be interesting to someone else – especially if the subject matter of their book provides a dramatic contrast to a conventional lifestyle.
Relevant qualifications
What makes the author qualified to write about the subject of their book?
Are they an archaeologist writing about a theme park full of real dinosaurs? (Hmm, that one might have already been done.) Perhaps they’re a recent graduate writing about the hardships of the current economic climate? Or perhaps they’re writing about space and have seen every episode of Star Trek – seventeen times.
Published writing
If the author has previously had work published, they should briefly summarise their achievements.
If they have a longer publishing history, it might be better for them to send along a brief CV with their letter. If they’ve previously self-published the book they’re submitting, keep in mind that most agents won’t be interested in taking on a book that’s already hit the market (unless it’s been a raging success).
However, if the author has self-published other works, it’s really up to them whether or not they mention this. If they’ve had huge successes with their self-publishing ventures, I would certainly have them mention that! If not, an agent might discover their self-published novel through a quick Google search, so I recommend authors make sure their self-published works are still something they’re proud of, and that they’re prepared to talk about them.
Is the author completely unpublished? They shouldn’t worry too much – if their writing is good, that’s the main thing. Plus, an agent might be super excited to be discovering a fresh new writer!
They could also mention here if they’re planning to write a series or if they have another novel in the works – agents don’t want to work with one-book writers.
Wear your writing history with pride. Tell me about that short story you had published or that writing course you attended and the fact that you are writing alongside a demanding job or in the evenings and weekends when the kids are asleep. Tell me why you write.
Simon Trewin, WME London (source: writersandartists.co.uk)
Social presence: not necessary
It’s not necessary for the author to include information about their platform or social media presence unless it’s absolutely amazing and they have a following of thousands waiting and eager to read their work. The agent can find an author’s website and social media handles with a quick search if it interests them.
Put all that together, and you have yourself a fantastic query letter.
Where authors can find agents
Once your author has their covering letter, synopsis and sample chapters prepared, they’re ready to start pitching. First, though, they’ll need to decide which agents to submit to. They should ask themselves: ‘Is the agent reputable?’ ‘Are they taking on new clients and books in my genre?’ ‘Do they seem like a good fit?’
You can find agents in the following databases, but authors should always check out their website, too.
- Writers&Artists – https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/listings
- AgentMatch – http://www.jerichowriters.com/agentmatch
- Publishers Marketplace – http://www.publishersmarketplace.com
- Writers Market – http://www.writersmarket.com
- AgentQuery – http://agentquery.com
- Manuscript Wish List – http://manuscriptwishlist.com
A tricky business!
Authors often don’t give enough thought to crafting their query letter, but as you can see, a lot goes into a good one! As an editor, you can help them make the most of this first impression, and I hope this guide has helped you do just that!
