QUERY LETTERS MADE SIMPLE

By Catherine Hudgins aka Kate Thomas

Dear Fellow Writers:

If you are even moderately serious about writing, you intend to submit your work to an editor or agent.

As a published author, agented and self-represented, I've successfully marketed my work to both agents and editors and would like to share some of what I've learned in the interest of encouraging your submission efforts.

Your first contact with a publisher or literary agency is the query letter. Here is the main thing I'd like you to remember when contacting an agent or editor for the first time: A QUERY LETTER IS A BUSINESS COMMUNICATION. That means keep it brief. Stick to the point.

ITS PURPOSE IS TO SELL SOMETHING.

THE SOMETHING YOU ARE SELLING IS YOUR CREDENTIALS AS A WRITER.

Only secondarily are you marketing a specific project. The people you are querying have little time to waste. Their first screening filter is "Does this person have any idea who I am, what I do, and how this business works?" The second is "Can she offer any proof of competency?"

Your query letter will assure them on both points-in one short page.

Of course, if you are a multi-published author seeking a new agent or publisher, your query letter will consist of a brief resume of your successful projects and achievements followed by a short statement of the reason you have contacted the recipient. (I am interested in replacing my previous agent, who died recently while deployed as a mercenary in West Africa.)

If you are currently unpublished, your credentials may be less obvious, even less substantial, but this is where being creative pays off. No, I don't mean lie. I'm merely talking a little spin-doctoring here, the purpose of which is simple yet important to grasp.

THESE CREDENTIALS MUST SHOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS.

For example: "As a 3-year member of RWA, I recently attended a workshop at which you spoke. Your presentation of "Monsters I have Sold" suggests that you might be the right agent to represent my DNA-challenged romance."

Or: "My contemporary romantic suspense, TITLE, has won ten contests, including the prestigious Hero Gomer Pyle Style Award. My own experience as a brain surgeon lends authenticity to my portrayal of the heroine and of the hero's conflict during rehab."

In other words, sans publishing credits, focus your query letter on reassuring the agent or editor that reading your work is more likely to enhance the company's coffers and his/her reputation than the ten-page handwritten letter, complete with mustard stains, that Jane Doe sent because her mother always said she should be a writer, the lies she tells.

In summary, here are the points your query letter should make/address, in the most grammatically-correct and business-like manner you can manage:

Your professional qualifications (even if they consist solely of "I have read every book in your XXYY line since 1983").
Your knowledge of the recipient and the reason you have contacted him/her. (You've written a work that requires representation and has movie potential; you have carefully crafted the book to meet the requirements for the editor's line; as Stephen King's agent, he will know how best to market your similar work.)
A description of a particular work for which you are contacting the person, if that's the case. It should be no longer than 2-3 sentences-and couched in terms of salability and conformity to the market's/publisher's requirements.
Close with a statement of appreciation for the opportunity to query this person and an expression of anticipation regarding their response. ("I look forward to hearing from you," not-"I expect you to call this week or forget it")
Include all contact information, but not in the body of the letter. And sign your full name (vs. just your first) unless you have already established a relationship with the addressee.

Remember, this is not a request for charity or friendship. You have something to offer the person you are querying (your talent=his/her success) and what you want from them is nothing more-or less-than a mutually-beneficial business relationship. They should be happy to hear from you.

Thank you, fellow writers, for your consideration of this article. I look forward to your production of successful query letters. You know, the ones that say , "I'd be happy to consider . . ."

Sincerely, Catherine Hudgins

Catherine Hudgins w/a Kate Thomas is the author of four published romances, as well as magazine articles (on biotech, business and medicine) and marketing material for high-tech firms. At the beginning of her writing career, she represented herself; now that her agent has retired, she is doing so again.

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