Query Letter: Keep it simple
I am constantly reading and learning, and getting rejected and learning . . . and have learned something that, according to the agents out there, few have figured out. When it comes to sending a query, keep it simple.
New writers feel that they have to tell everything that happens in their novel in that one paged letter, and they oversell, over-pitch, over-summarize, and put way too much information into their query letters because they are afraid they might forget something, a key piece that will catch the agent's eye.
How does the novel begin? Show that.
It comes down to whether or not it is a story that the agent feels he or she can make money on. Is it a story that they would want to read?
The agents want the category, the title, and the setting, the name of the protagonist, and the problem. Good writing is apparent. Your skill as a writer will present itself in your letter. Don't cover up your talent with hype.
Good luck, and good hunting.
New writers feel that they have to tell everything that happens in their novel in that one paged letter, and they oversell, over-pitch, over-summarize, and put way too much information into their query letters because they are afraid they might forget something, a key piece that will catch the agent's eye.
How does the novel begin? Show that.
It comes down to whether or not it is a story that the agent feels he or she can make money on. Is it a story that they would want to read?
The agents want the category, the title, and the setting, the name of the protagonist, and the problem. Good writing is apparent. Your skill as a writer will present itself in your letter. Don't cover up your talent with hype.
Good luck, and good hunting.
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