Sending book queries to literary agents is the most important thing an aspiring author can do when trying to secure representation. Most top-level publishers will not accept book queries from authors not already represented by an agency.
While many authors feel their work is unique and interesting, putting that concept into a query letter can often lead to them supplying more information than is needed, damaging their chances of securing an agent.
How Long Should a Book Query Letter Be?
A book query letter should be no longer than one page, but that doesn't mean the entire page should be about your book. Only about 40 percent of the page should be allotted for a short synopsis of the book and a few lines about its goal.
What to Include in a Book Query
In short, a book query should include a synopsis, author bio, any accolades, character elements, and the first three chapters. Each literary agent will have specific needs and preferences, so always check their website to gather as much of that information as possible to make your query shine.
The Query Portion of a Query Letter
A query tells a prospective literary agent a few things, including details about:
- The main character (MC)
- The MC's goals
- The plot obstacles
- The consequences of failure
- Story spoilers
When writing your query letter, the first thing that should be mentioned is who the main character (MC) is and what they want, as this determines the events in the story. This is the introductory portion of your query letter.
The next section of your query letter should include compelling details about what stands in the MC's way, preventing them from quickly achieving their objectives. These are the obstacles you've placed between your main character and their goals.
Additionally, you want to include details about what happens if they fail in their efforts. This includes any stakes, consequences, and repercussions that will occur if your character fails to achieve their goals.
Finally, you will need to supply some spoilers in your query letter to let the agent quickly know how you've roped the ending of the story. Remember, a literary agent is not a fan or reader. They're there to represent a book, not necessarily read it for pleasure. Providing these spoilers helps them navigate the publishing industry's market for a story like yours, including deciding whether or not the story is a good candidate for a sequel, series, or even a prequel.
The Book Synopsis
A book synopsis summarizes the plot of your story in an enticing way. This includes providing the following information:
- The setting
- Main character's names or identifiers
- Important relationships that directly reference the plot's goal
- Short references to the plot's events
- Riveting details about the plot's challenges
A synopsis tells the complete story through its major plot points and also reveals the ending. Yes, spoilers are expected!
The rest of the page should include an introduction of the author, the author's awards, credentials, why they've pitched this book to that particular agent, and technical information about the book and its accolades.
The First Three Chapters
Query letters are often only accepted if the author has also submitted the first three chapters as well. Make your first three chapters your holy trinity. Include drama, backstory information, and appealing content in order to retain the agent's interest. Even if your query letter and overall book are good, if your first chapters aren't, the book will be overlooked.
This is the strategy behind books that develop fairly quickly and slow down towards chapters 4 and 5 to give you more backstories and details. Often, authors reserve these chapters to address the lives of less important characters and such, instead of trying to introduce all characters in the holy trinity, taking up valuable literary retail space.
Book Queries With Too Much Information
Going on about your resume, past experiences in writing, and too much information about the book is messy, and quite frankly, no one has time to read it. Years ago, I used to review books, and whenever I'd get a submission, it was always in the form of a query letter. And that's how I preferred it.
I'd encourage authors, agents, and publishers to structure them neatly with just enough information to get the point across. Is this because we're impatient, mean people? No, it's because there are hundreds of other queries to go through, and we wanted to give everyone a fair chance at being reviewed.
The same thing happens to literary agents. Many of them go through hundreds of queries for both good books and bad books, as well as reading the chapters attached to them. A lot of time and effort goes into this process, so short and sweet is the rule!
Avoid a long synopsis and bio. Many authors also make the mistake of writing elongated book descriptions, thinking that if they include more of the book's innards, it might catch the curiosity of the agent. It only muddies the water. If you can't sum up your book's general content into 2-3 paragraphs, you need to work on that until you can.
Always remember that while you may be nervous about excluding information, the first three chapters of your book will most likely be requested as well, so put more effort into making sure these three chapters are intense and appealing.
Also, avoid sending plights for acceptance based on your current circumstances; this will only take away valuable space from your book's actual information and will make you seem unprofessional.
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