Literary agent query letters

You've got to have one of these, so you might as well get it right.

A query letter is a "sell". It's your foot in the door of the agent's office. He or she is busy and doesn't need another manuscript. There are 500 sitting in the "slush pile" waiting to be read and rejected, so you'd better make an impact - and you'd got about 15 seconds.

You'd better start with the right name of the right agent. Get the title right. Mr. Ms. Mrs. Whatever. Tell them what you're selling and why you're approaching them. If you don't know why, go back to the internet or your copy of Writers' & Artists' Yearbook and do your homework.

The more pertinent your reason for targeting a given agent, the better. It's not enough to say that "you have a good reputation" - although I've said this once or twice in my time (a little flattery doesn't hurt). You need to show that agent you've been paying attention. You need to tell them that you know that they're specially interested in alien abduction, or medieval whodunnits or political satires. You can tell them that you're familiar with their authors and feel that your novel might be suitable for their lists.

Don't insist that you're the right client for them. Just suggest it. Agents, remember, know what they want (sometimes, anyway) and don't appreciate being second-guessed. If they want what you've got, they'll tell you quickly enough.

Next, describe your project succinctly and tell the agent who the target reader is. The more you know about that readership, within reason, the better.

The hook

Your query letter, just like your synopsis and your manuscript must have a hook. In fact, you really need many hooks. There isn't any set formula. You'll just have to devise them as you see fit.

In the context of your query letter, your hooks need to be realistic and honest. You need to keep an eye on the market and see what's currently selling and see how contemporary books are hooking readers.

But what exactly is a hook?

Well, it's a sentence or a phrase, or possibly a single word (if it's exactly the right word for your project) that sums up the book.

For instance; This is a gripping political and social drama set in Northern Ireland in the 1970s in which a fiercely protestant family is torn apart after the youngest son joins the IRA and becomes involved in a plot to murder a visiting British minister.

Or; This is a tale of institutional abuse within the Catholic Church and the following cover-up that turns to murder after a blind priest is asked to investigate.

Or; Set in modern day Soweto, this light-hearted story explores a tender romance between a white male bus driver and a homeless black female passenger who lives on Route 39.

The permutations are endless, and you'll probably need to adjust the hook lines depending upon which literary agent you pitch. What you're doing is feeding the agent a tagline that he or she can in turn take to a publisher, or just discuss with other agents in the firm. In other words, you're selling your novel in a single sentence.

Avoid that rejection letter

Many of the manuscripts that come my way have no hook whatsoever, (and often no synopsis either) which leaves me struggling through the first few thousand words trying to work out what's it's really all about.

Were I an agent, I wouldn't bother. I'd send the manuscript back with a standardised rejection letter.

Hooks should be factual rather than over dramatised. They should inform and illuminate. You might begin with a situation, or a character, or a problem.

Conflict is in itself a powerful hook. Romance is also powerful, as is mystery and a hideous crime.

Hooks are very useful when planning your novel. They help encapsulate the story in your own mind and keep you focussed. I would suggest that before you write a single word of your novel, you should hook yourself.

Log lines and strap lines

Sometimes called "sells" or "strap lines". These are the lines of text that you often see on the cover of books (or on film posters) that tell you something else about the book (beyond the title). They're hooks of a different kind.

The hooks as mentioned above are more comprehensive. A log line, or strap line, doesn't have to tell you anything about your project (although it helps if they do). A log line sets the tone, or the mood.

Just think of log lines as slogans. If you can come up with a good one, then try it. Increasingly, writers are having to become their own publicists, and log lines are a part of that publishing machine.

One of my novels entitled GROUNDSPEED has the log line: The kidnapping was child's play. The tough part came later ...

Another novel of mine, THE CHINA MOON, has the log line: She can run, now he can't hide.

Neither are wonderful examples perhaps, but they tell the agent something else about the story. They're clues. Teases. Come ons.

It isn't crucial that you do have a log line. But it can help. So spend an hour or so trying to come up with one.

If you're novel goes into print, the log line might well be changed according to the whims of the publicity department and your editor. But don't let that stop you doing your best. And once again, log lines can really help focus your mind.

Word count and literary agent check list

Before sending out your manuscript and query letter, take a look at this check list of essential points.

● Tell the agent the word count.

● Tell the agent the theme, if there is one
   (revenge, love, greed).

● Tell the agent something of your credentials
   (i.e. ex-astronaut). But keep it brief. Just a line or two
   will be fine.

● Tell the agent that the manuscript is complete. Or not.

● Tell the agent if the manuscript has been
   professionally edited.

● Tell the agent that you've included a synopsis
   and a sample chapter.

● Tell the agent that you'd like to forward more chapters.

● Tell the agent the various ways that you can
   be contacted.

● Tell the agent you've included return postage
   (and use a paper clip to affix the stamps to the page:
   don't use pins, or your bloodied manuscript will come
   back in a rush).

● Spell check, and then grammar check.

● Reply politely, and briefly, to any rejection letter if you feel
   it's appropriate—especially if you've developed any kind of a
   relationship with the literary agent in question.

I'm not convinced there's necessarily a fixed order for all these points. Like all good sells, there's only a range of approaches. But if you're writing a query letter, you've got to hit all the bells and make them ring.

Ring these main bells loud and clear.

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Creative writing

● Writing tips

● Plotting a novel

● Finding a literary agent

● Choosing a literary agent

● Agent query letters

● Inspiration for writers

● Rejection letters

● Manuscript critique

● 5 minute fiction fix

● Proof reading

● Writer's block

● Creative writing school

● How to get published

● Active & passive voice

Sample writing

Like to read a few examples of my style of writing? Check out the links below. If you like what you read, and have a manuscript of your own that needs a little help, email me. I'll do what I can.

Sample 1

Dirty Business

Murder and mayhem following an industrial pollution cover-up.

Sample 2

Cruising

A light hearted tale about a holiday venture, with a difference.

Sample 3

Exit Point

An aviator becomes embroiled in a terrorist murder plot.

Sample 4

The Grace of God

A tale of blackmail following a hit-and-run incident.

Sample 5

Exclusion Zone

A middle-aged man takes a couple of suitcase bombs onto a London underground train.

Special features

Darley Anderson, top UK literary agent, on books,
publishing and success

Zoë Sharp, creator of the

action-packed Charlie Fox series of books

Jeff Kleinman, New York literary agent, talks shop

Crème de la Crime:

An interview with

Lynne Patrick,

publisher and managing editor of a smaller—but

essential—British

publishing house.

Click the image above

to see more excerpts from
my novels. All feedback,  whether good, bad or indifferent, is welcomed and appreciated.

Agent query tips

Send an SAE
Always send a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your query letter. Or send a stamped, self-addressed postcard if you prefer. A postcard saves time for the agent (and resources, for everyone).

Be professional
Have your manuscript ready to go the moment you hook an agent. If interest has been shown, keep that interest on the boil. At the very least, respond by mail and give a rough delivery date for the full document - and keep to that date. Professional writers are reliable writers. Be both.

Edit, edit, edit
Polish your letter until it squeaks. This can't be said enough. Cut every wasted word. Question every sentence. Make it flow. make it easy to read (try it aloud). Make it count. Never do what I have done many times and simply scrawl a few words inviting an agent to make his or her own mind up. They'll only do exactly that, and probably not to your advantage. Query letters are as important as the manuscript. Without a good example of the former, agents may never want to read the latter.

Be flexible with queries
Change your approach if your query letters aren't getting you any feedback at all. I've got a number of replies in which an agent has commented on "a good query". You should be able to collect some too. If not, ask some searching questions.

Bad language, etc
You're sending out queries like machine gun fire and no one is sending you anything other than standardised rejection letters. What do you do? You get expert advice. Try a writer friend. Check your query for bad language or anything that isn't politically correct. People are very sensitive these days (and perhaps unnaturally so). So check for anything that might offend. And keep your language as clean as possible.

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