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for the Query Letter Q&A
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Hope you enjoy this month’s seminar. Dee Power and Brian Hill, authors of
The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories From Authors and the
Editors, Agents and Booksellers Behind Them and the novel
Over Time, A Story of Money, Love and Football –
All the important things in life.
Query Letter Questions and Answers
Question: I've heard it's just as much a challenge to get an agent as it is to get published. Do you give preference to a manuscript that is represented by an agent over one directly submitted by a writer? And why?
Daisy D.
Answer from Jessica Alvarez
At Harlequin, many of our authors have agents, but many choose to
represent themselves. I am quite happy to see both unsolicited and
agented submissions, and do my best to treat them the same.
I've bought a number of fantastic projects that were unagented, and
turned down many dreadful ones that were. My point is, if your book is
fabulous and right for us, I'm going to want it regardless of whether
you have an agent.
Also, while I do try to be prompt in my response times, an agented
manuscript does have an advantage in that the agents are usually much
less shy about calling me for status updates and nudging me along than
unagented writers.
Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
Question:I've studied the art of writing queries, have listened to experts and have dissected word-by-word many examples of excellent query letters. Still, the thought of drafting my own causes anxiety.
Query letters contain an author's bio. I don't have one. Nothing
published. No awards or contests won. No impressive post-secondary
education. No degrees. No background in a writing-related field.
Is there a way to compensate for the lack of a decent author's bio? If
so, please explain the format I can use to garner interest in my work.
I'm grateful for any feedback, and I thank you for allowing me to
participate.
Sincerely,Donna S.
Answer from Lynn Price:
The most important thing to me when reading a query letter is discerning
whether someone is a serious writer or a weekend hobbyist who happened to
write a book. Editors try to sniff that out within minutes of reading a
query letter, and they do this by seeing if there is a hook - something that
will catch the eye of an editor. If a writer's query letter basically says,
"Sorry, I have no qualifications," this tells me that this person is a
weekend hobbyist. Chances are that I'll pass on the project because they
haven't done the proper homework in understanding the most basic rule: stand
out.
Every author needs to know exactly who their reading audience is and have a
hook. The reason is three-fold: you want to stand out from the sea of
submissions that floods an acquisitions office, you want to show the editor
that you're a serious writer, and, lastly, get the editor's juices flowing
in terms of how they can market your book.
Writing is a business, just like anything else, and no one should go into
any venture without proper education and preparation. Authors who have no
real bio to speak of can begin by connecting themselves to their story. Is
the author an authority in the field they've written about? For example, a
writer's story is a medical thriller and he's a surgeon. This is what I call
a "twofer," and this makes marketing a novel fun because a publisher knows
that the author is an expert.
Other ways to make you stand out is to join writers groups. The more you
know, the better you are. If you're a romance novelist, join Romance Writers
of America and other nationally recognized groups. Network. Attend the
conferences. Get your name splashed about.
What publishers are NOT looking for is the hobbyist writer - someone who
decided one day to write a book and has no idea how the industry works and
has no idea where they're going next. The field has grown too competitive
for this, and it's very rare for the diamond in the rough to be suddenly
discovered. If your goal is to be a serious writer, I recommend holding off
on submitting until you've immersed yourself into the writing community in
some manner.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Answer from Joyce Scarbrough
No big deal as long as you don't dwell on all that you don't have. If you
participate in any writers' groups, mention those. If you belong to any
other kind of organization (especially national ones with a large
membership) you could also mention it as a possible marketing tool.
Joyce Scarbrough
Senior Editor, Champagne Books
Answer from Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
A lot of the authors I see submissions from have the same issue you do.
Rather than focus on not being published or not having won awards, try
to focus on why you are qualified to write this story. Like your
heroine, were you a single mother? What about you is interesting and
makes you stand out from the crowd? I also recommend joining writing
groups and getting as much exposure to the industry as you can.
Question: What are the publishers looking for at the moment and on what criteria do they select/not select books?
Regards
Gerard
Answer from Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing
Dear Gerard,
One could spend a whole week answering this short question. And I'm sure
every editor would have a different opinion.
Trends tend to come and go, but I find that in fiction it's impossible
to write to them. You may think the Templars are super hot now because
of the Da Vinci Code, but will they still be as popular in 18-24 months,
the time you could expect it to take for your book to hit the shelves?
Although publishers might be focused on obtaining a certain kind of
book, or convinced that they'll never publish another kind, there always
ends up being an exception to the rule. An exception that usually
starts a whole new trend.
As for selecting books, it really comes down to three things: strong
writing, fresh storytelling and marketability. Just don't ask me to
explain how to be a strong writer, a fresh storyteller or create a
marketable book.
Leah Hultenschmidt, Editor, Dorchester Publishing
Answer from Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
I am primarily looking for series romantic suspense books that stand out
from the pack, but I'm eager for submissions for all the Harlequin and
Silhouette products.
I'm always looking for exciting, unique stories, and those that take
tried and true hooks and plot lines and put a fresh spin on them. Of
course, the writing must be strong, the story saleable, the characters
sympathetic, the romance believable. Most importantly, however, I want
submissions that engage me as a reader to the point where I don't want
to--or even can't--put that story down.
Jessica Alvarez, Editor, Harlequin
Answer from Joyce Scarbrough
Champagne Books is always looking for romance novels with engaging
characters and fresh plots that are well written, professionally presented,
and submitted according to our guidelines. We don't publish porn or erotica,
and books or queries that are error-ridden will automatically be rejected,
but everything else will get a fair shake.
Joyce Scarbrough
, Senior Editor, Champagne Books
Question:I have heard so much controversy about self publishing, subsidy and vanity publishing. Does the book I have published with a house like that count as a published book?
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications
Hmm. Tough question. I’ve known people who were printed by these means and managed to sell very well and gain a nice readership. However, that is the exception to the rule. On average, I’ve noticed that these writers have substandard abilities because they never had the benefit of a proper editor or experience in marketing their books.
The vanity publishers’ business plan is far different from a commercial press. It’s based on accepting as many books as possible and having the authors do all the selling. They don’t offer proper editing or cover design, and their books are often priced above market retail. Because of this, they can’t get reviewed by the big guns and bookstores won’t carry their books on their shelves.
While an author can say that they’ve had a book published, mentioning that the book has been printed by a vanity offers them no advantage.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Question: Are e-mail queries given attention or is snail mail still the norm?
Answer from Joyce Scarbrough, Champagne Books
We prefer e-mail queries for ease and economy of replies, not to mention compassion for trees.
Joyce Scarbrough ,
Senior Editor, Champagne Books
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications
It all depends upon the publisher, and they’ll normally have their preferences listed on their submission guidelines. We accept e-queries, and they are given equal attention as those that are mailed to us. Since my life is spent on the computer, I actually prefer them because I can easily pass information on to my chief editor if need be.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Answer from Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
At Harlequin, we do not accept email queries or submissions. Because of the volume of submissions we receive, we are only able to accept them via snail mail.
Question: An editor recently told me that, even though my first books were successful that my readers had forgotten me, and I was too old to write that genre anymore. Is this true throughout the industry? Does age of the author have an impact on whether they get published? Should I mention my age in the query letter?
Answer from Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
While I can’t speak to your specific situation, an author’s age has little impact on me, but it is important that their voice be age-appropriate for the genre and her characters. For example, if you are targeting Red Dress Ink and have a character who is twenty-eight, but she sounds and acts like a fifty year-old woman, that’s not going to work for us. On the other hand, if you have a forty-something heroine in Harlequin Next, but she sounds and behaves like a twenty-something, that’s not going to work either. Unless your age is somehow relevant to your plot or would be a marketing point, I see little reason to mention it in a query letter.
Jessica Alvarez, harlequin
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications
The only constant throughout the industry is matching up a book to a publisher who believes in its merits. When that happens, it rarely matters what age the author is or that it’s been a long time since the author’s last work. If the publisher believes they can market the work effectively and garner a lot of sales, everything else is moot.
Should you mention your age? It’s up to you. Should they show interest in your work, your age will come out at some point anyway. I prefer to have that information up front because it all goes into my marketing strategy. I’m not going to send out an author in their 80’s to all sorts of events as I would someone in their 40’s.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Answer from Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing
I think there might be two things going on here—neither one of which has any bearing on your actual age. Your age doesn’t matter, but if your writing is outdated you’ll have a tough time finding an editor who will be able to support it. And even if your writing is still sparkling fresh, it’s an uphill battle for authors who haven’t had a book published in the last 3-5 years—at least in the world of mass-market fiction. Unfortunately, book buyers don’t keep any sales data beyond the last 2-3 years. And we all know that buyers’ orders are driven by past sales. If you don’t have that history, they’re highly likely to treat you the same way they would a debut novelist—unless your publisher has a special (read: expensive) promotion plan for you. Your age isn’t at all relevant in your query letter. But do mention other books published, give a list of quotes, and prove that you still have readers willing to buy you.
Leah Hultenschmidt, Editor, Dorchester Publishing
Question: Should the query letter include the entire plot, including the ‘twist’ ending or just enough to entice the editor to ask for a partial?
Answer from Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
While your actual query letter doesn’t need to include the entire plot, I request that authors send a complete synopsis with the letter that details every major element of the plot, including twist endings.
Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
Answer from Joyce Scarbrough, Champagne Books
The query should give a complete summary of the plot as succinctly as possible. You needn't give away all the surprises as long as you can convey that the plot doesn't stall or die before the ending.
Joyce Scarbrough ,
Senior Editor, Champagne Books
Question: Who actually reviews the query letters as they come in to your publishing company, an assistant, intern, editor?
Answer from Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
All of the above. For most of the editors, we are the only one who reviews the query letters sent to us. However, there are a few exceptions. The senior editors and executive editors typically have their query letters read by their editorial assistants. Also, two or three of the editors have interns that assist them and read query letters.
Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
Answer from Joyce Scarbrough, Champagn Books
Queries are reviewed by our managing editor first. If they pique her interest, she'll ask for a partial and synopsis. If not, she'll send the author a rejection with reasons or suggestions if possible. If she's not completely wowed by the query, she may forward it to one of the other editors for a second opinion. However, once an author has a book contracted with us, they send subsequent queries directly to their editors.
Joyce Scarbrough, Senior Editor, Champagne Books
I am a successful motivational speaker that is branded and have audience. I have gotten help with my query and I have gotten "some" attention from agents. Below is the query- (Motivational chick lit) per se
Question: What change would make this an attention getter?
The Imagemaker is a multicultural novel of 70,000 words that could be
marketed as ethnic or women's fiction.
Until recently, all anyone knew about Delilah McCormick was that she
turned a small marketing firm into a multimillion dollar company,
everyone who met the beautiful woman admired her success---what they
didn't know was that she had no choice but to succeed.
Delilah was invited to share her success story with the down-and-out
residents of a women's shelter. They were skeptical about a wealthy
businesswoman giving them advice and, quite frankly, so was Delilah, but
the death of one of her group members, at the hands of an abusive
husband, opened up old wounds and Delilah began sharing her personal
struggles with abuse, self-esteem, and hopelessness. She tells them
stories about how she survived a difficult childhood, how she got back
at her ex-husbands three women (yes, I said three) her witchcraft-wielding mother-in-law and other unsavory characters that had an impact on her life, Delilah not only explains how she survived, but how she triumphed! The women begin to find the courage and hope they needed and Delilah, through the therapeutic process of helping others, finds something she wanted too---real love.
Thank You, for reading my query.
Angela Thompson
Answer from Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing
Dear Angela,
First of all, great job in getting the word count and genre up front.
Some people try to get a bit too creative and leave out some of the most
important information. Though of course, everyone has a different idea
of certain genres. For example, to me, this sounds more like women's
fiction than chick lit, which I tend to think of as having a more
humorous style. If you truly feel the tone of the manuscript is
humorous, make sure that gets conveyed in your query.
The most attention-grabbing queries always leave me desperate to dive
into the manuscript to find out what happens. Unlike a synopsis, the
query letter can be a bit more of a tease without giving too much away.
I would try to come up with something a little more dramatic than "that
she had no choice but to succeed" in your second paragraph. Again, I'm
not quite sure what the tone of the book is-the abuse and hopelessness
sounds a bit heavy, but the "witchcraft-wielding mother-in-law and other
unsavory characters" might be a source of levity. This is a perfect
place to establish right away what an editor should expect from your
book.
Best of luck in getting published!
Leah Hultenschmidt, Editor, Dorchester Publishing
Question: What is the one piece of advice you would give to unpublished writers to improve their query letter?
Answer from Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
What a difficult question as I regularly see so many problems in query letters. My advice is this: always be professional and to the point, but make sure your voice shines through to give the editor a taste of what your writing is like.
Jessica Alvarez, Harlequin
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications
Know the industry and know the writing business. Don’t slap “The End” on your manuscript and imagine you’re ready to become the next Tom Clancy.
The key elements that grab my fancy are those who act like real pros. They do the following:
Say how they heard about us introduce themselves and what they do for a living
Segue their profession and themselves into their story. The reason I like this is because they are constantly selling themselves as much as they are their story
State how their story would pique the interests of readers. To me, this is The Hook. Every editor wants to know why they should pay attention to this query over the other hundreds sitting on their desk.
Their query letter will contain a quick, enticing rundown of the story.
It’s concise, artfully written, and professional.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Answer from Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing
I only get one? My best advice is to keep your query clear and concise. Make sure the important details (word count, genre, endorsements, the fact that you’re a New York Times best-selling author) are right up front and easy to find. Give a one- to two-paragraph summary of your book that makes me want to read more. The summary should tell me where the book is set and make me see how it’s different from what’s on the shelves today. Close with any writing credits, professional writing organizations, etc.
Leah Hultenschmidt, Editor, Dorchester Publishing
Answer from Joyce Scarbrough, Champagne Books
Although your query should be professional, don't feel locked in to the standard query formulas. Make me laugh and I'll always ask to read your manuscript.
Joyce Scarbrough ,
Senior Editor, Champagne Books
I can usually get an agent to send for a partial based on my query letters, because I typically start out with a "blurb" about my book that functions as a hook. The ones who send for the partial and don't want the full are the ones who upset me. (grin) But I suspect that is because my hook implies that my book is something that it really turns out not to be. That's another question.
You say that queries should have the list of your qualifications so that agents don't think that you are a rookie. But is it all that great to tell them that you've been at this for twenty years without being able to publish a novel?? (I mean, not CONTINUOUSLY for twenty years, but doing it in between family crises, illnesses, jobs, moves, et alia. I would write a book, send it out to a couple of agents and/or editors, get the encouraging rejections, do a bit of reworking, send it out a couple more times, and poof there went a year or so. I would then get too depressed over the rejections and would throw myself into other work, such as volunteer work, tutoring math, etc. Then I'd get another book idea and start writing. Return to top of loop and repeat until dizzy.)
Question: Here's my so-called "qualifications" paragraph. I think it sounds like a rank amateur boasting of having won the block party contest for most beer guzzled out of the siphon, but tell me if it's appropriate or not.
"I am a graduate of the SMU Creative Writing program. Some of my recent publications (as Shalanna Collins) include an essay, "The Zap Palace," for Blood and Thunder (the journal of the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center) and "Prom Night" in the _Heaven and Hell_ anthology from Speculation Press. My YA fantasy, _Dulcinea: or Wizardry A-Flute_, was the first runner--up in the 1996 Warner Aspect First Novel Contest."
Well, BIG WOO (as the kids used to say in my day.) Are these not sad, lame credentials? I also almost won the National Spelling Bee when I was eleven, but who gives a rodenhiney? It's not as if I did a lap dance for Bill Clinton or anything. I mean, seriously. Would this kind of list not hurt me more than it would help me? It brings to mind the kind of loser who can't really write very well, but whose teachers said she could.
Thanks for any input on this.
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications
This is a tough one because publishers are looking for saleability for the book and the author, and you can’t ask a hook to do perform the impossible. A hook is there to serve as the introduction to your synopsis. Depending upon the genre, it’s far easier to sell an author if they have ties to their subject matter – the doc who writes medical fiction or the cop who writes murder/mysteries.
I don’t see the fact that a writer has been writing for twenty years and hasn’t published a book as being that huge of an obsolescence factor. The liability is what the writer is doing now. Are they active in the writing world or the national writing groups? Do they attend writer’s conferences? Do they have a viable marketing plan for their book? I’ve done plenty of double-takes on queries based on the author’s ideas for marketing their book. It shows me that they’ve thought beyond “The End” and can think outside the box. I go out of my way to weed out the hobbyist writers, and the best way to maintain my interest is to show me that you’re a serious writer.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Question: I'm an unpublished writer. I have several novel written and filed away (learning books). Now, I have the first book of a Paranormal Suspense trilogy I think is good enough to summit. Should I mention in the query that it is a trilogy?
Answer from Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing
As a first time writer, any book you submit to publishers should be able to stand on its own—all loose threads should be tied up and readers should be satisfied with the conclusion of the story. If this is the case with your new Paranormal Suspense, great job. Now the goal is to get an editor so excited about the quality of the writing and freshness of the story in that first book that she wants to grab up the other titles you have planned as well. To that end, I would suggest mentioning in your query letter that even though this book stands on its own, you have two more related books planned. Then include a separate sheet with a very brief synopsis of the other two titles (no more than one double-spaced page each). By the way, if all the above criteria are met, you should send this to me. ;-)
Leah Hultenschmidt, Editor, Dorchester Publishing
Question: Does it improve the chances of a query resulting in a request for the manuscript, if the author has met the editor or agent at a conference?
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications Not necessarily. The difference between meeting an author at a conference is that I get to see their exuberance for their story. They are able to stick little tidbits in about their story that wouldn’t read well in a query letter. In the end the story has to hold up, and it doesn’t matter whether I’ve already met them or not.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Answer from Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing
A personal meeting does not necessarily improve the chances of having your full manuscript requested. However, in my case at least, it means that I will personally take a look at your proposal (usually the first three chapters and a synopsis), rather than an editorial assistant or a slush reader. And if you have a particularly catchy title or great pitch, I’ll even be on the lookout for it after the conference. Just be sure your cover letter mentions that personal meeting; otherwise it might not get to me.
Leah Hultenschmidt, Editor, Dorchester Publishing
Question: How do editors prefer a query to begin? With a hook? "Tyler McNally has a secret, a few of them actually." Or with business? "I'm querying to introduce you to my completed sensual contemporary romance novel If You Say So."
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications
Depends upon what one considers a hook. I prefer a straightforward approach that skips the hoo ha of blurbs from other readers and bylines such as the one used in the question. Tell me who you are, why you’re the best person to have written this book, what are your qualifications, why your book would be of interest to the reading public and a synopsis of your book.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
Should a query letter read like a back cover blurb?
Answer from Lynn Price, Behler Publications
Yes and no. Obviously you need to tell the editor what your story is about, and the back cover synopsis usually accomplishes that goal. But editors usually want far more detail than a cover blurb offers. We ask for a complete synopsis that can cover up to two pages. This is requested because editors receive hundreds of queries every month, and they need to be able to make a snap decision as to whether something scratches a particular itch. They can’t do that without having the full story. That isn’t to say that I want to know what happened to Aunt Jean’s hairbrush on the third Wednesday of last month. But I do need a full idea of the development of the story, the characters and how they interact with each other and the story.
Lynn Price, Acquisitions Director, Behler Publications
End of the Questions and Answers
