Fiction 120 [M] [1] [2] - Classroom A - Classroom B

Lesson 1

The Fiction Query Letter & Synopsis

Week 1 Lesson 1: The Dreaded Query

Why query? Well, unless you're lucky enough to know an agent or an editor, it's about your only choice. Writers' Conferences are also great ways to meet editors or agents and with luck, get a foot in the door. But alas, for most of us the query letter is our only way in.

So, like it or not, you've got to use your God-given gift and knock their socks off with your sale's pitch. And believe me, you have one shot at each agency you query and it better be letter perfect. Do not send a query out if your novel still needs work. You might find that your query did the job and now the editor or agent wants to see your ms, and YIKES! It's not finished! So, complete the novel, then query.

So now what? Let's get to work on that query letter. If you haven't finished your novel, then stop here and take the course when it is finished.

There are several schools of thought on how to query. In this course we're going to go with a Query and Synopsis, both sent at the same time. (This method and examples can be found in John Wood's Attention Grabbing Query and Cover Letters.) Our query is our sale's pitch and the first chance our target will have to read our work, so we've got to find an opening hook, something that will pique their interest to continue. We have to have a dynamite query. So, how do we do that? 
A.  Make sure you send your query to the right person. If your novel is a mystery, then make sure you send it to a mystery editor, not someone who edits romance. Your query will also have a better chance this way than by just sending to the agency. Find the name of that person and make sure you spell it correctly, along with the name of the agency and the address. All must be letter perfect.

B.  As with the opening hook in our novel, we must also have a hook in our query. That hook can be the title and subtitle. Get that title right up front and sum it up with one sentence that says it all. Example: Lilian Jackson Braun's, The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare: The local newspaper publisher has perished in an accident -- or is it murder? That is the question . . .

C.  Now that we've grabbed their attention, we have to keep the momentum going. Paint a picture of the main characters, plot and subplots. Wood suggests we don't just state the genre but "immerse them in it." Check out jacket covers and paperback back-covers for good examples, length and style. This is the middle of our query and yes, I know, we have to sell it here in very few words.

D.  If they're still reading, now's the time to show any marketing ideas that might be beneficial. Maybe your book has the elements of something that is splashed all over the news headlines, or maybe you've written a sci-fi on alien life and, lo and behold, scientists have just found life on Mars. If you can use it, do so, if not, leave this part for another novel.

E.  Qualifications in fiction writing are not as important as in non-fiction writing. It's how you tell a story that needs to make its mark. So, keep your qualifications brief. If you had a book published, mention it. If you've written a detective mystery and you were a detective or police officer, by all means, mention that fact; it gives credence. But if you've read romance novels all your life . . .so what? Leave it out.

F.  Now we want to hear from them one way or anther. It may take two or three months. A SASE is the usual form. Enclosed you will find . . .I look forward to hearing from you. However, some, including Mr. Wood, recommend the self-addressed stamped postcard. Hopefully this will cut down the response time. Ask the editor or agent to please check off the back and give them three choices: Please send sample chapters, Please send your complete manuscript, and I'm not interested at this time. However, I caution: check the agency's guidelines; some agents/editors hate this method.


Week 1 Assignment 1: Using the 6 elements to writing a fiction query letter, post your query on the board when ready.

Week 2 Assignment 2: We will use this second week to perfect our query letters using suggestions from peers in this class and other ideas we may have come across in our research.
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