The Query Letter: Context &

Hook

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Table of contents

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What’s an Agent?

Finding Agents

Query Letters

Dos and Donts

What Else?

Writing the Hook

What’s an Agent, and Do You Need One?

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• They’re what helps you get your book traditionally published.
• Editors generally only accept submissions from agents. If trad publishing is your route, you do need an agent.
• There are some Publishing houses that accept submissions without agents.

A Bridge

• You work with each other!
• You query your agent one story, and the hope is that you stay together.
• Agents work on commission, and take a cut if they sell your book.

A Partner

• You don’t need an agent to self-publish!

Self-Publishing

Finding Agents to Query

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If you have the extra funds, PM can be a helpful resource for authors.

Publisher’s Marketplace

manuscriptwishlist.com is the place for an agent’s in-depth wishlist!

mswl.com

Twitter (if you’re on the right side) is a great place to connect with agents! There are also #pits to participate in.

Twitter

It can be overwhelming at first, with all the options, but QT has endless agents for you to look into.

Query Tracker

Make Sure They’re a Good Fit for You!

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• Talk about future book projects
• Maybe they won’t work with other genres you want to explore.
• Ask about their editorial vision
• Are they an editorial agent? Do they have ideas for your novel? How many rounds of edits do they think they’ll need?
• More questions can be found online!
• https://annzhao.com/blog/questions-to-ask-an-agent-on-the-call

Ask the Right Questions

• Prioritize good communication…
• And someone who loves your story just as much as you.
• It’s okay to cut ties and start over!

No Agent is Better Than a Bad Agent

Bread and Butter of a Query Letter

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• A pitch to agents. Why should they rep your book?
• About 200 words long–no more than a page

What is it?

• Hook
• First thing the agent sees–the summary of your manuscript.
• The first sentence should be more of a one sentence pitch!
• About
• Title, genre, word count.
• Bio
• Who are you? What have you published? What do you and the agent have in common?
• Thanks
• Just a generic “Thank you for your time, hope to hear from you soon.”

What’s in it?

Dos and Don'ts of Querying

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Match the tone and style of your novel to that of your query letter.

DO

Break your paragraphs up.

DO

Put your (short!) author bio last. / Add your comp titles.

DO

Claim your story is the next Hunger Games or “bound to be a bestseller.”

DON’T

Start with a question. E.g. “What would you do if…” “If you could…would you?”

DON’T

Spoil the end of your novel. It’s a query letter, not a synopsis!

DON’T

What Else Do You Need?

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• These can be the difference between a yes and a no!

Synopsis

• Not needed but please plan for it!
• Always market your book.

Marketing Plan

• Again, not needed, but I believe you should have one
• This does not need to be before you get an agent!

Author Website

When to Give Up?

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• Say it with me: This! Industry! Is! Subjective!
• Put it on the backburner and come back to it later.

DON’T

• There is nothing wrong with going this route. This is not giving up. This is pursuing another option.
• Many authors grow followers while querying and find success self-publishing instead!

Self-Publish

• If you’re not too burnt out…start on that next book! While you’re querying!

Keep Writing

Let’s Write Your Hook!

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1. Who is your main character (protagonist)?
2. What problem do they face?
3. What are the choices they must make? What tension drives the story forward?

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1. What does your character want?
2. Why do they want it?
3. What keeps them from getting it?

• The serial killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury.

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• Marketing executive David Cole, exhausted by his fast-paced life in the highrises of New York, decides to sell his condo and become a rancher in Nebraska. But he quickly learns that farm life is a world away from the pizzerias of Manhattan, and his new community is hostile towards the rich outsider in the trim-cut suit. Unable to face going home and dealing with the consequences of a devastating mistake, David’s going to have to earn the respect and loyalty of his new community before his past catches up with him.

• Take 5-10 minutes to write your hook. This can be a one sentence, standalone pitch, or the entire paragraph describing your work.

Your turn!

• If we have extra time, let’s take 5-10 more minutes to find 3 agents to query, using one of the resources shown earlier.

Extra Time: Find Agents

Thanks!

Do you have any questions?

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