How to Write a Query Letter (With Template)
Some of the best query letters dive into the story and spare the intimate details. The query letter should include a brief summary of the book, an author bio that discusses any prior publishing experience, and sample pages. Agents rarely ask for a complete manuscript for the initial submission, and agents' preferences differ on how long they want the excerpt to be.
Download the template below for an example of a successful query letter format.
Finding a Literary Agent
Do your tabs look like tiny slivers that taunt you with tiny Xs as you navigate between them? Finding a literary agent can feel like wandering through a new supermarket — you may be lost, searching for the right ingredient in the wrong place, or unsure of what you’re looking for. If you’re wondering where the best places to find agents are, consider the following sites.
Publishers Marketplace
This online platform provides a wealth of information for agents and editors. You can search for literary agents and book deals, see recent rankings for those deals, and look up representation on your favorite books.
Manuscript Wish List
A site overflowing with agent bios and their interests, Manuscript Wish List is the best place to find a literary agent’s curated interests beyond the individual genres. It also allows agents to list favorite reads, submission guidelines, and recent Tweets about spur-of-the-moment book thoughts.
X Pitch Events
While these have dwindled over the years, several continue to sprout across the platform, such as:
These networking events occur throughout the year and cater to all types of literature. Each event is themed and requires authors to post an elevator pitch for their story. Authors who participate get to interact with the writing community, agents, and editors from small presses. Even if your WIP still needs months of work, you may receive helpful tips on how to get your book published by writers of your genre.
Query Tracker
Query Tracker is the Yelp of the publishing industry. It relies on the writing community's feedback for updated information. Authors can submit an agent’s response time to their query letter, whether their rejection was a form letter or personalized, and the agent’s query inbox status.
Writer’s Digest
The Writer’s Digest New Agent Alert page is the perfect spot to find a literary agent new to acquiring. While these agents have less experience in the industry, it can mean they’re open to a broader range of stories and have more time to commit to each author they represent.
6 Tips for How to Get a Book Published
Perhaps you’re a new author or literary veteran who still questions the publishing process. These six tips explain the querying process and how to get a book published so your manuscript can get into the right hands (agents, editors, and readers alike).
1. Research Agents’ Interests
Following an agent’s wish list is extremely helpful to the agent and the author. An agent is likely knowledgeable about their requested genres and well-connected with contacts from related houses and imprints.
You may read an agent’s wish list and — with selective vision — determine your YA manuscript ticks half that box, despite your 15-year -old MC who’s navigating their first relationship. Expecting an agent to offer guidance on a genre outside their expertise is like reaching for skim milk and hoping it delivers the rich creaminess of whole milk.
Manuscripts can also be marketed in different ways based on the intended audience. For example, you might emphasize the themes of womanhood and self-discovery when pitching to an agent interested in women’s fiction. Yet that same manuscript could also be pitched as literary fiction if the MC’s journey explores greater themes of gender inequality. If you’re unsure how your manuscript fits into the established genres, consider including a note in your query that explains your uncertainty.
2. Carefully Consider Your Comps
A comp should mention a book that’s found recent success and how your manuscript compares. This may involve a similar angsty tone, an unreliable narrator, or your stream-of-consciousness format. The more specific, the better.
Writing an enemies-to-lover fantasy novel isn’t enough to list A Court of Thorns and Roses as a comp when writing a query letter. Instead, consider providing two comps and the ways they intersect or suggesting a single title and how it has the same selling points with its own unique deviations.
3. Prioritize Standalone Submissions
Everyone loves a twelve-book series that provides weeks of entertainment and a cast of characters with more growth than ivy in north-facing light. However, your 300,000-word manuscript may not be as digestible as you think.
Editors often want to evaluate the first book’s sales performance before committing to a second, third or fourth, so agents may be hesitant to represent debut authors with this ambition. Feel free to attach a disclaimer, such as “with series potential,” to leave that option open while making the manuscript more desirable to publishers.
4. Keep Word Counts Low
Most publishers provide a hard cut-off of 100,000 words and under. While you may find an agent willing to help you parse through the dense sentences filling your pages, submitting the most concise version of your story up front is usually best.
5. Leave Your Editor Behind Once Signed
Plenty of writers use proofreaders, editors, or review partners to refine their stories. However, most agents assume an editor role through representation. Editorial double-dipping can result in mismatched ideas, overlooking your agent’s suggestions and disrupting the agent-author collaborative process.
6. Avoid Submitting Self-Published Books
You know that book you shelved five years ago that gained traction through IngramSpark and is now ready to be dusted off for bookstore shelves? Getting your novel published may not be that simple.
Since these books have already been “launched,” editors often see these gems as a financial risk that may require upfront investment and insufficient return on investment. If you have another WIP, prioritize that instead.
Best Podcasts for Writers
If you’re like most writers and pack your schedule with reading, listening to podcasts with book publishing tips, and browsing bookstore isles for printed wonders, check out the following podcasts for writers:
Author Bianca Marais’ podcast, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, which she co-hosts with two literary agents from P.S. Literary, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra.
Pádraig Ó Tuama’s Poetry Unbound, where he narrates and analyzes a single poem per episode
Sentimental Garbage, which is run by Caroline O'Donoghue and isn’t exclusively author interviews (Old recordings feature Jojo Moyes, Dolly Alderton, and Curtis Sittenfeld.)