A Few Thoughts
I was recently asked to read someone’s query letter. In all honesty, I was gentler than I would have been with someone I knew well, gentler than I wanted to be. I wasn’t sure how to frame my comments. My husband helped and reminded me of the poop (sh*t) sandwich method. Start with something nice, then give the critical feedback, end with something nice. What did I tell this person? Only the truth.
I told them that from their synopsis, I would read the story (an LGBTQ+ historical romance). I thought the synopsis did a good job of showing off their style. - That’s the good part of the sandwich. - I gave a gentle critique of the synopsis, stating that it should be shorter, one to maybe two paragraphs. I also thought the comps (comparative works) that they provided were great. Assuming they were accurate, I think they help define a market/fanbase for the writer’s novel. Sandwich complete.
I did deviate after. I told this person that from what I’ve learned, the query letter should start with a logline/hook. I also gave a few comments regarding query letter structure, which I have seen repeated in most workshops, posts, videos and podcasts. The title of their novel should be the only one in all caps. The other titles (like for comps) should be italicized. Query letters should be double-spaced and one page. I personally add in personalizations for the agent, so sometimes my query letter slides onto page two.
I’d like to do a deeper dive into what I’ve learned about querying and query letters. I am currently querying an adult epic fantasy novel and I’ve been to more workshops than I can count. I’ve watched multiple panels, participated in one. I listened to The Shit No One Tells You About Writing and found Perfect Pitch from Eric Smith. I’ve changed my query letter between rounds of querying.
I’m still unagented in case anyone is wondering.
The point, I suppose, is that I feel like I have a lot of query letter info stored in my brain and when someone asks to share it, I want to. Even if I’m not getting an agent right now, maybe I can help someone else. Since I told a lot of the above to someone I didn’t know, I’m going to tell anyone and everyone who reads this. I’ll include links too! Resources are important. Any help crafting a query letter is worth it.
