A query letter is that crucial document I’d rather avoid writing at all costs, but I know is necessary to gain the attention of publishing agents.
If you’re interested in going down the traditional publishing path, then a strong query letter is so important! You’ll need this letter to both introduce yourself and your manuscript to the agents who you hope to work with.
If your query letter is boring, weak or doesn’t provide agents with the information they’re seeking, then you’ll be receiving rejection letters or no response at all.
I’m not an expert in query letter writing. I’ve written my fair share, but am always on the hunt for resources to make the process painless.
In this blog post, I’ve gathered 5 resources to guide you through the query letter writing process.
Let’s take a look!
1. Blog Post: The Complete Guide to Query Letters by Jane Friedman
Jane Friedman is an authority within the publishing industry and her blog is a treasure trove of educational resources for writers.
If you’re looking for an overview of what a query letter is and the must-haves, this is a great post to get you started.
Pay special attention to her section on what doesn’t belong in your query letter.
2. Free Course: How to Write a Query Letter that Agents Can’t Resist by Reedsy
Reedsy is an amazing bank of resources for writers which is why the next four resources are all from this site.
This website has blog posts, courses and even access to editors!
Everything is curated to help you throughout all stages of your writing and publishing process.
Reedsy has created a 10-day course with each lesson sent to your inbox.
It’s led by Rachel Stout and covers researching agents, the structure of a query letter and how to follow up with agents.
For busy writers, this course is ideal as each lesson is just 5 minutes!
3. Guide: 5 Agent Approved Query Letter Examples by Reedsy
Even with all the reading and courses in the world, visual examples are necessary to align your query letter with the expectations of literary agents. If you’ve never seen a great example, then you don’t have a reference to strive for.
In this guide, the Reedsy Editorial Team have provided several query letter examples. Plus, their examples were approved and edited by some of the editors available on the Reedsy marketplace.
If you’re a science-fiction, nonfiction, memoir, thriller or romance writer, you’ll find specific letters for each of these genres. There are also 3 additional query letters to peruse in a more general sense.
No matter what your WIP is about, these examples will allow you to identify the key elements of a query letter and apply them to your genre.
4. Free Template: How to Write a Query Letter (+ Free Template) by Reedsy
Similar to Jane Friedman’s article, this post covers the elements of a query letter. It also covers formatting guidelines.
The best part of this article… you can download their free toolkit which includes a query letter template.
Use this template to help you organize the elements of your query letter, ensuring that it is up to industry standards.
5. For Hire: Hire an Editor for Your Query Letter on the Reedsy marketplace
Disclaimer: I have not yet hired an editor through Reedsy. I am simply sharing this information with the assumption that you will do your research before deciding if hiring an editor is right for you.
Reedsy’s marketplace is developed to provide you with the opportunity to review each editor’s profile which includes their certifications, services and genres that they focus on. You can also read the reviews from writers who have hired their service.
Just as you query publishing agents who work in your genre, you’ll want to reach out to editors who have experience in your niche as well.
Finally, Reedsy allows you to request a quote from each agent.
Their marketplace of professional editors is a valuable resource for writers who wish to gain professional feedback and improve their chances of success.
The querying process is not easy! I hope that these resources will help you along the way.
It’s normal to not see instant success. As writers, perseverance is necessary if we’re to remain steadfast along our publishing journey.
I encourage you to invest time in learning about query letters and refining your own. Just as your manuscript has gone through several drafts so too will your letter.
Keep it concise, and professional and always learn what each agent is looking for. A publishing agent will appreciate a letter that is tailored to their specifications.
Good luck on your querying journey!
Over to you!
Share your thoughts on the querying process below. Is it stressful? Exciting?
Do you have any helpful tips for writers?
Talk soon!
Julia
0 Comments