| Recently a new member inquired on our Chapter
loop as to whether anyone had any good tips about
writing query letters. The general lack of response
made me realize that it might be useful to pull
together some information on queries and, because
they tend to serve the same purpose, pitches.
First, some terminology for those who are new
to the game. A pitch is a verbal
presentation an author makes to an editor or agent,
typically at a conference, during an interview
(one-on-one or group, lasting from five to twenty
minutes). A query letter is a
short letter an author sends to an editor or agent.
A pitch and a query letter are quite similar.
Typically, both have a single aim: to interest
the recipient sufficiently in a particular manuscript
that they ask you to submit a partial (which usually
consists of a synopsis and the first three chapters)
or the full manuscript. Then you get to write
those magic words, "Requested Material,"
on your submission, and circumvent the slush pile.
(With regard to whether a query letter is required,
check the submission guidelines for the editor
or agent, which you can find on their website
or by telephoning their office. Some editors or
agents prefer an initial submission that consists
of a synopsis and one to three chapters of your
work. Note too that some publishers who are not
open to unagented submissions will consider a
short query letter from an unagented author.)
Do Your Homework First
Before you decide to pitch or query a particular
editor or agent, make sure the book you've written
is appropriate for them. Do your homework and
find out what kind of books the editor publishes
and the agent represents. Find out who some of
their authors are. Most publishing houses state
on their websites what types of manuscripts each
editor acquires, and agents sometimes provide
similar information on their websites. Often you
can also find names of some of their authors and
books. It's also worth doing a broad internet
search of the editor/agent name; you may turn
up interesting information, such as author's comments
about the people they work with. Read a wide sampling
of the books this editor publishes or agent represents.
Analyze the typical style and conventions (e.g.,
length, type of characters and plots, tone, level
of sensuality) and make sure your book is generally
similar. For example, if an agent's authors all
write literary fiction, you'll probably be wasting
your time if you ask them to represent a category
romance.
Pitches
First, you need to define your goal realistically.
Typically, your goal at this point is to get this
one person intrigued enough that they will request
three chapters and a synopsis. (And that partial
will be so terrific, they'll then ask to see the
whole book—but that's a later goal, when
you submit the partial.)
So, what information does the editor or agent
need, in order to make the decision to request
a partial? New York agent Donald Maass, in a master
class at the Surrey International Writers Conference
(October 2002), says they need three things:
1. Setting: indicate what category this work
fits into (e.g., it's a Silhouette Desire or it's
contemporary women's fiction) and where the story
takes place, and possibly anything interesting
or unusual about the social or cultural setting
2. Protagonist: for a romance, you'll want to
give a brief description of both the heroine and
the hero, not in terms of physical appearance
but typically including age, occupation, and interesting/unique
characteristics
3. Problem: what are the heroine's and hero's
goals and how do they conflict?
Basically, the editor/agent needs to know who,
what, when, where and why—and you should
tell them in such a way as to show that your story
is original and out of the ordinary. You need
to raise a question in their mind, that they want
answered, and that comes out of the goals and
conflict, the story question. Maass suggests you
focus on the elements that give this story:
1. Plausibility: is it something we can all identify
with?
2. Inherent conflict: what's the problem and
why does it matter?
3. Originality: e.g., a reversal of the expected
or a new angle on an old subject; provide some
intriguing, colourful details
4. Gut emotional appeal: think why you wrote
this story, why it needed to be told, why you
react emotionally to it—and that's likely
to be its emotional appeal to readers
Now, here's the kicker. You should be able to
put all this together in four sentences.
What's more, you should use a "voice"
that's appropriate to the type of book you're
pitching: e.g., if you're pitching a Harlequin
Temptation, go for a sassy style, not an angsty
one. Back when you were doing your homework, you
analyzed the conventions of the kind of book this
editor/agent deals with. Show that understanding
in your pitch, in subtle ways, and demonstrate
that your book would be a good fit. Or, if you're
attempting to push the envelope, you might as
well say so "up front" and find out
if this is a fatal stumbling block. Most lines
and individuals are willing to do some experimenting,
at certain times, so that readers don't start
to complain about always reading the same old
stories—but this may not be one of those
times.
You might also want to consider what some people
call the "L.A. pitch" or "high
concept" pitch, in which you come up with
a one-liner comparing your novel to a couple of
famous movies or books—e.g., "Mary
Poppins meets The Terminator". Okay, that's
a ridiculous example, but it makes a point. If
you're going to use this kind of pitch, you have
to do it really well, and it has to be an accurate
portrayal of your story.
Another approach is to think of the back cover
"blurb" that you'd like to see appear
on your book. It's got to be accurate or the reader
will be disappointed and angry when they read
the book, but it's also got to be "hooky"
and intriguing.
The point made by all of these approaches to
pitching is that you must be able to summarize
your story concisely and effectively, in a way
that conveys information and gives a sense of
the unique elements that will hook the editor's
or agent's interest. If you've done that, they
may simply request the material—or realize
it doesn't suit their needs. Or they may start
to ask questions, and you should be prepared with
concise, effective answers. Vague rambling is
not an effective way of promoting your story.
Practice your pitch out loud, preferably in front
of an audience. You are not the best person to
critique your pitch because all the story details
are there in your head; something that seems obvious
to you may be unclear to someone who hasn't read
your book. So, recruit an audience of people who
haven't read the manuscript. Then instruct them
to "grill you" with all the questions
that come to their minds, that they'd want answered
if they were going to invest the time in reading
your work.
Query Letters
Again, start by defining your goal. Typically
it's the same as for a pitch, but it may be broader,
particularly if you're querying an agent. Unpublished
authors do approach agents seeking representation
for a particular manuscript, but authors also
approach agents at other points in their career
(e.g., they may seek representation when they
receive "the call" or they may be multi-published
and think it's now the time in their career to
find an agent). The comments below pertain mainly
to an unpublished author's query regarding a particular
book.
Donald Maass recommends keeping the query letter
to one page consisting of four paragraphs:
1. A brief introductory paragraph stating the
purpose of the letter.
2. Your pitch, in four sentences.
3. Some brief biographic details: publishing
credits, major contest wins, how many manuscripts
you've completed, personal experience relevant
to the subject matter (and be professional here;
it's not relevant that your critique group loves
this book).
4. Your offer to submit more material (and, if
this is a finished manuscript, you will want to
say so). You might say something about why you
picked this publisher/line/agent/etc.
Other things you might consider include: word
length, comparison to another author/book (but
if you do this, you must do it really well), anyone
you've particularly admired and learned from,
the purpose of your writing.
Kate Duffy (editor at Kensington; in a presentation
at RWA National, 2001), says you must focus on
the story. Get the reader into the story and sell
the characters and story, not just a premise.
Put in only the things the reader needs to know
and leave out anything that isn't important to
the story.
This is a business letter, but it's not coming
from a lawyer or accountant, it's coming from
a fiction writer, so let your voice come through.
Remember though that, as with pitches, your voice
should be appropriate for the kind of book you're
pitching. If you've done your homework, you will
know your book has an appropriate story and tone
for that type of book—so demonstrate that
in the details you choose to include and the way
you present the story.
However, do remain professional. Don't use fancy
coloured paper, cutesy graphics or unusual fonts.
Set the letter up as a standard business letter.
Be sure to enclose a SASE with the correct postage.
As with pitches, run your draft past an audience
of people who haven't read your manuscript, and
seek constructive criticism. See if they really
"got" what you were trying to say, or
if you confused them. Did your query intrigue
them or did your story sound like a "same
old, same old" one? Were there any major
bits of information you left out (e.g., is it
historical or contemporary)?
And now, for something completely different,
I'll tell you what a multi-multi-published author
(who shall remain nameless) said during a presentation
at the Emerald City Writers' Conference several
years ago. An editor will read the first few lines
of whatever you send. So, don't send a query letter
at all, send them the first three chapters of
your manuscript along with the briefest cover
letter imaginable (simply referring to the enclosure).
This author said you can't say anything meaningful
in a query letter so never send one, even if the
publisher (or, presumably, agent) requests one.
Nor should you send them the entire manuscript—that's
too much paper. Stick with three chapters, no
more than fifty pages. And make your first lines
so good they hook the reader, and they just keep
on reading.
It seems to me there are two keys here:
1. Do as much homework as possible as to where
your book fits in the market and who you should
submit it to. Then find out what that person prefers
to receive. In general, it's probably in your
interests to provide what they prefer—but,
if you're going to do something different, be
sure to do it very, very well.
2. Know your book inside and out, and love it.
Figure out how to put that knowledge and passion
into a concise, effective summary that reflects
the tone of the book as well as your own voice.
Sounds easy, doesn't it?
Susan Lyons is a member of GVC.
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