Queries! Queries! Queries?? – Part Two: How to write a query letter

Ummm, yeah, I have no idea . . .

Seriously, though, I’m still working on it. I have one I’m puttering away at, getting ready to post it for critique, but scared to death. I’ve had my confidence ripped out and fed to me on a platter made from my naivety and good intentions. It was a bitter, bitter meal. And I’ve eaten it again, and again, and again! So why do I go back for more? Because I really, really want to be published. And I guess I’m a little bit of a masochist. No I’m not. I just want to be published.

The real question is, what makes me think I’m getting any better? Well, let’s just say I’m an optimist disguised by the sarcasm of a pessimist. And I’ve been studying. Actually, I’ve been studying queries off-and-on for years. This is where I can help you. No, I can’t give you advice on how to write a better query. Well, I could, but so many have done a much better job before me, why should I ride on their shoulders? Instead, I’ll give you links to the blog posts and forums that helped me. After all, you have to earn it, so you can do all the tedious research I did as well. I’m just making it a smidgeon easier for you. 🙂

Where to start? Well let’s go with HOW TO WRITE A QUERY LETTER on AgentQuery.com. If you are new to queries, or not so new but have had little success, this will give you a good overview on query basics. It also highlights the “when” formula. There is no fool-proof formula to write a query, but the pointers given here can help you write even a basic, if not very exciting, query. Sometimes just getting started with the solid basics can help you on the way to polishing and pizzazing it later. AgentQuery.com is a great source in general for queries. You can spend hours on this site gleaning helpful nuggets. There are other posts and information you can search through, but this is the one that I found most helpful.

If you want to take a look at some successful queries you can start with the SUCCESSFUL QUERIES series on Writer’s Digest. The great thing about this series is the queries are current, allowing you to see what is working now, or at least in the past year or so since the query was written and the author represented. My favorite is Mindy McGinnis’s query for NOT A DROP TO DRINK. It’s a book I’ve read, it’s in the age group and genre of my own novel, and I just love how she fills it with voice and the stark reality her character must exist in. I’ve studied this query so many times, I could recite it by heart, trying to figure out what makes it sing. Hopefully you can find a few that speak to you as well.

Having trouble understanding what a “hook” is, well my friend have I got the site for you. Miss Snark, literary agent venting her wrath on the hapless world of writers. Her blog has gone silent. I think she is actually Janet Reid at a new blog, but not sure about that. And though this blog went dark in 2007, the info is still relevant. Especially Miss Snark’s CRAP-O-METER HOOK “CONTEST”. What do you win, you ask? Not much. Just a nod from the hard to please Miss Snark. But I feel like it would have been worth it. A post on Absolute Write that I will share later suggests reading every single one of the hooks sent in to Miss Snark from aspiring writers. Every. Single. One. Seriously. It’s long. It’s tedious. But it’s like a muscle memory. Doing something over and over will help you to understand what works and what doesn’t. And by that I mean what works for you. Yes, Miss Snark gives her opinions, but she is one person. I didn’t always agree with her assessment of a hook, but that’s okay. Every agent is different, so everyone will be intrigued by something different. The key is starting to recognize what is well-written and what is crap. Plus, you can read comments from blog readers, giving even more insight into the hooks. I didn’t do that. I mean, I have a life after all. Reading 100 hooks and Miss Snark’s comments was like a part-time job for a week. I haven’t perused the rest of her site, but I’ve heard there’s a lot of great content, so if you have the time, read on.

Just a few posts on query letter basics:
BASICS OF A SOLID 3-PARAGRAPH QUERY
QUERY LETTERS AND LITERARY AGENTS, THE BASICS
THE 10 DOS AND DON’TS OF WRITING A QUERY LETTER
FORMATTING AN EMAIL QUERY
HOW TO FORMAT AN EMAIL QUERY
And just to make you feel better about that slightly too-long query: ON QUERY LETTER WORD COUNT

Now that you’ve dipped your toes into the gentle creek where one might find the occasional golden nugget of query research, I give you . . . THE MOTHER LODE!

I’ve mentioned ABSOLUTE WRITE on this blog before. It may not be for everyone. Maybe you already have a writer’s forum, or you use blogging as a way to connect with other writers. Maybe you’ve got a critique circle and don’t feel you need any more cooks in the kitchen. That’s fine, but I would encourage anyone interested to check it out. There are countless forums to choose from. If you’re a writer, you will find at least one that appeals to you. I started out in the WRITING FOR KIDS forums, but spend most of my time now in the YOUNG ADULT forum now. But I dabble in several others. I think it is invaluable for newbie writers to get a better handle on the world of publishing and writing by spending time on the boards. But what I really want to talk about is QUERY LETTER HELL.

QLH is a dark, miserable place full of snarky, evil critiquers who just can’t wait to ruin your day. I’m kidding. It isn’t full of them, but there are a few. And they aren’t trying to ruin your day, though they may sound like it. Really, they are there to help. Many critiquers are kind and helpful. Some are snarky and helpful. Others are impatient-with-newbies-who-don’t-read-the-stickies, but still helpful. Do you sense a pattern here. And it isn’t all about posting a query for anonymous people to rip to shreds. The “stickies” are threads stuck to the top of the forums that are a wealth of information. Most of the links I posted above are probably listed in the stickies somewhere. I have spent hours upon hours reading the thread, reading all the links in the thread, then moving on to the next thread. I actually haven’t read every link I found. Most, but not all. There are just so many and it is possible to get research burn-out. Even just reading the posted queries and what critiquers have to say can make a big difference in your understanding of how to better your own query.

Note: You must have a password to enter the SHARE YOUR WORK FORUMS, but don’t panic, it’s listed under the SYW heading. In order to post your work, you must have 50 posts under your belt. You can even use posting critiques of other’s queries as some of your 50 posts. It was a bit nerve-wracking to critique someone else’s query when I had little or no experience and my own queries were so woefully inadequate, but you do learn. Just suggest things that stick out to you, even if it’s something small as changing a word. And read the other critiques. That always helps.

Now for the QLH most helpful links. I would recommend reading all the stickies, start to finish. (Skip the posts that just say thank you over and over again.) But here are the ones I find most helpful:
HOW TO WRITE A QUERY LETTER
THREE QUESTIONS ON QUERIES
THOUGHTS FROM AN INTERN
EASY WAY TO BETTER A QUERY
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

And if all of this isn’t enough for you, just Google “query letter” and prepare for the avalanche of info out there. Keep in mind queries change over time, so some older posts must be taken with a grain of salt.

So that’s all I’ve got. Hopefully it’s enough to get you well on the way to writing that amazing query rattling around inside you. Hopefully I can find the one inside me! Good luck, and maybe I’ll see you around Query Letter Hell. I seem to be a permanent inmate these days!

I’ll throw this open to everyone else. What query writing resources do you have to share with all of us? And what advice do you veteran queriers have for those of us trying to break into the club?

More of my posts on querying:

Queries! Queries! Queries! : Researching Agents

Agent Research: I Forgot to Tell You Something!

Rejection Spike

Silver-Linings in Those Rejection Letters

How I Got My Agent (Or the art of never giving up)

Query Letters: The Bane of my existence!

Courtesy of thewinmedia.com

bane – noun
1. a person or thing that ruins or spoils
2. a deadly poison
3. death; destruction; ruin

DC Comics did a great job naming that character. I’ve never read the comics, but Bane in the movie personifies the definition perfectly. He murders and pillages, spreading violence and mayhem, almost taking Batman’s life. Almost . . .

That’s pretty much how writing query letters makes me feel. I’ve written close to a hundred tries. Yes, literally a hundred. Between my first manuscript and my current one, I’ve tried, and tried again, with very little success. And by success I don’t mean attracting the attention of an agent, though that’s the purpose of a query. No, I’m referring to a positive response from my peers before I send that bad boy out.

I queried exactly three agents on my MG manuscript a few years ago. The best word to describe that is premature. Not only did my contemporaries over at Query Letter Hell* on the Absolute Write forums tell me it needed work, but the MS was far from ready. I chalk it up to a learning experience, and after spending a great deal more time on the MS, I ended up trunking that project. Once again, a learning experience.

For my current WIP, I’ve taken two or three different stints through QLH. Still nothing great. Which is okay. I don’t mind the work. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing, right? I keep telling myself that.

The problem is, besides the obvious fact my queries are junk, there are so many opinions about what makes a good query. And a query that breaks all the rules and is torn apart by your peers could wow the agent of your dreams. Do you trust anonymous people online to critique your work or go with your gut?

There’s no concrete answer, which makes the process all the more difficult. Do you take a chance on a query that’s critique-approved or even something you love yourself and risk losing the agent you really want? It’s a gamble, and a costly one. Sure there are thousands of agents out there. Somebody is going to believe in your work. But the “better” the agent, the better chance you have of getting published.

So here’s my untested solution: I’m going to mix the two. Recently I entered the Like a Virgin Pitch Contest for YA writers. It consisted of a query letter and the first 250 words of your novel. I was a runner up. Not bad for putting myself out there for the first time, but I mostly attribute my limited success to my first 250. Still, if the query were that bad, I wouldn’t have gotten runner up, would I?

And besides that tiny vote of confidence, I came to the conclusion that those critiquing my query letters don’t know my novel like I do. In fact, most of them don’t write YA, so they don’t necessarily know the market. The biggest complaint I heard was that my MC didn’t have a name. “For the purpose of the query, your MC should have a name,” was a common comment.

Ignore a consensus at your own risk, but here is one time I decided to go with my gut. The name of my novel is I Have No Name. The MC not having a name is vitally important. What’s more, it is something that sets it apart from other post-apocalyptic novels out there right now. If I describe my story as “How a teenage girl survives after a plague wipes out the human population,” the reaction might be, “Um, okay, heard that before.” But if I lead with “Mentally broken, a teenage girl tries to forget her past and the pain of losing everyone to a plague, including her own name,” that might sound a little more interesting.

Of course, that example isn’t enough, but I know that I have to use the core conflict of the story to attract the right agent. I might get a good agent if I describe my novel as “a girl falls in love with her kidnapper, but will she choose him or the innocent romance she has at home?” but that’s not the story I want to sell. Yeah, it’s in there, but that’s the spice not the sauce. I want an agent who will recognize the sauce for what it is. Hearty, satisfying and deep. (At least I think so.)

So, I will write the query I want, including what I think sets my story apart from others, and still use the critiquing process to perfect what I have. I’ll listen closely to advice about the language, the structure, and how to present my story in the most interesting non-cliched way possible. In the end, if my peers tell me it’s junk, but I just can’t agree with them on the core purpose of my letter, then I’ll have to go with my own. After all, it’s not their neck on the line. It’s mine. And I have to be happy about my effort above all else.

There will be failure, but I will own it. I won’t fail because I took the advice of others against my own judgment. I’ll fail on my submission and my choices and what I feel in my heart is my best effort and the best representation of my work. But I’ll also succeed on that too. And that, as a writer, is all we can hope to do.

*You must be a member in good standing with at least 50 posts to post your work in this section of AW and have the password. That’s no biggie though. Just ask around and someone will provide. And you’re always welcome to fill your 50 post requirement with critiques of your own.