Thinking of hiring an editor…?

You’ve done it. You’ve come to the end of the road on your first draft or last round of revisions. Where do you go next?

“A professional editor!” many will scream.

But do you really need a professional editor to score that dream publishing contract?

Read more.

Chasing that writing career like:

Throwing that query / proposal out there like:

Sliding into that slush pile like:

fixyourwritinghabits:

The Difference Between Querying in 2019 and 2022, and Why Your Well-Intentioned Advice May Be Doing More Harm Than Good. | Shannon A Thompson

The Difference Between Querying in 2019 and 2022, and Why Your Well-Intentioned Advice May Be Doing More Harm Than Good.

Querying is always a fraught experience, but things have changed a lot in the last year. Agents are overwhelmed and response times are way down. Don’t beat yourself up holding onto response time standards that are no longer the case!

Sounds silly doesn’t it? ‘Of course I understand my book’, I hear you say, I would have said the same before. You might be right, but here is a very simple exercise/test to ensure that you do:

One line summaries. 

Previously, these words invoked a feeling of dread in my soul but they don’t need to! It all changed once I started to follow this easy structure:

While struggling with their everyday life, Character finds the catalyst; BUT when the stakes rise they must learn the theme before the consequences ruin their life. 

Let’s take The Hunger Games for example: 

With her family on the brink of starvation, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen must leave them and take her sister’s place in the Hunger Games, an annual event where 24 teenagers fight to the death until only one survives; But when she is hunted by a pack of elite, highly trained tributes, she must learn who she can trust and form an alliancebefore they kill her and her family are left to rot.

Well damn, that sounds dramatic and enticing, but it also lays out our characters life, wants and challenges all in a single (albeit rather long) sentence. 

After writing my one line summary, I began to understand my plot in a much clearer light. I understand my theme, my focus and it allows me to ground my plot as I edit my manuscript. I only wish I’d known to do it before!

Whatever stage your at—drafting, editing, querying—I highly recommend you give this a try. Feel free to drop a one sentence summary of your WIP below as getting feedback is always really helpful! I’m there much could be done to improve the one line summary I’ve given above, so feel free to improve on that too. 

[If reposting to Instagram please credit @isabellestonebooks] 

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How to Format a Query Letter

When you’re ready to start sending your work to agents, you’ll need to write a query letter. It’s the way writers introduce themselves and pitch their books to busy agents who want to cut right to the chase.

Every writer will go through query letter drafting and revising throughout their experience, so following this guide won’t be the last time you have to work on structure. However, these are the most essential parts of a query letter that can help you form your next draft.

**Heads up—every literary agent will have specific things they’re looking for in query letters/submission packets. You’ll find that within their bio on the website of their employer or in their profile on Query Tracker.**

**If you find a publisher’s website and want to submit through there, you’ll also need to edit queries according to their guidelines, typically specified under the “Submissions” part of their website.**

Most Important Takeaways

• Query letters should only be one page long, unless a different length is okay with the agent according to their specifications.
• Your query letter is a pitch, not a place for cliff hangers or flowery language. They want specific details!
• It can take weeks or months for an agent to get back to you after you submit your query letter. Don’t take it personally! They’re very busy with current clients in addition to their open submission inboxes.

Step 1: Check Your Agent’s Requirements

You can draft a general query letter, but you’ll always have to edit it for each submission. Agents require different things, which is outlined in their profile on their employer’s website or on Query Tracker.

Write down everything your dream agent wants in a submission packet or copy/paste to a new document. Missing information will likely result in them passing on your work, unless they’re super head over heels for it.

Step 2: Write Your Greeting

Don’t stress over this too much! It’s smart to stick with something professional and always address them by last name, like:

Dear Ms. Greenburg,

If you’re submitting to a general submission email, it’s still good to address the agent you intend to query. Whoever is sorting through the inbox will pass it along to the right person.

Remember—your greeting should be the first line of your letter. Don’t follow it immediately with your intro.

Correct: Dear Mr. Finch,

Incorrect: Dear Mr. Finch, I hope this finds you well. I wanted to…

Step 3: Write Your First Paragraph

Scary stuff! You might think this paragraph would include a bit about you, why you wanted to write your story, etc. However, that’s not why your agent opened their submission inbox.

They are opening your query letter to find out about your project. To draft this paragraph, it helps to make a bullet point list of the necessary information, like:

• Your manuscript’s title
• Your one-sentence summary
• Its genre
• Its word count
• Its comparable titles (more on that below)
• Your intended audience’s age group (more on that below)

I’m going to make up some information to help you visualize this a bit better. My imaginary manuscript will be:

Title: The Phoenix Flies Blind

One-Sentence Pitch: When 17-year-old Samra Ularen runs away from home, her journey across the faerie kingdom of Cerathe introduces her to a gang of bandits hungry for her hidden powers and a weapon against the king—who happens to be her uncle.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Word Count: 75,000 words

Comparable titles: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Intended Audience: 16-21 year olds, plus adult women who enjoy YA fantasy

Let’s put this into an introductory paragraph. After the greeting, the letter would start on a new line and look something like:

Dear Ms. Greenburg,

I’m seeking representation for my [debut, sophomore, etc.] [finished/unfinished] manuscript, The Dove Flies Blind (75,000 words). It’s a Young Adult Fantasy story about Samra Ularen, who runs away from home and adventures across the faerie kingdom of Cerathe. She quickly becomes friends with a gang of bandits hungry for her hidden powers and a weapon against the king—who happens to be her uncle. People ages 16-21 will enjoy this story if they also love Shade and Bone or The Cruel Prince, which both share themes of adventure, betrayal, and self-empowerment in coming-of-age narratives.

Yes, it’s a long paragraph, but agents want everything up front. Keeping it to 2-4 shorter sentences or 2-3 longer ones will tell them what they need to know about your book.

You may not be able to narrow down your paragraph. If that happens, don’t panic! Separating the plot summary and your intended audience/comparable books could be two mini paragraphs and everything’s going to be fine. As long as your letter stays one page long, it’s all good!

Some notes for picking comparable titles:

• Pick at least two-three books published in the last 2-3 years. Maybe in the last five years if you really feel that something that “old” is comparable to your theme/plot.
• More recent books are best because it shows that your book will sell! If readers are buying the latest releases in your genre with similar plots/characters/themes, an agent will be able to sell your work much more easily.
• If you need more help and don’t have time to read additional books in your genre, check out these resources: What You Need to Know About Comp Titles; How to Find Compelling Comps for Your Book;Comp Titles: The Key to Pitching Your Book

Step 4: Write the Body of Your Query (~2 Paragraphs)

Let’s break down the body of your query letter into two paragraphs. Each will have a specific purpose—there are no wasted words in queries!

Paragraph 1: Set the Stage

Your first paragraph will summarize what your character is like/where they are/what their life and world are like just before the inciting incident.

Example:

Samra Ularen lives in a manor just inside the capital city of Salmyre. She’s spent her life attending classes with her closest friends and following the rules set by her single mother, Alora. There was nothing she wanted more in the world than a life on the sunny beaches lining their city, but when her mother says they’re moving across the continent in less than 12 hours, Samra realizes how much her world means to her.

Paragraph 2: Introduce Your Protagonist’s Challenges

The inciting incident is the lead into your next paragraph, which will explain how your protagonist’s life gets more complicated throughout the plot.

Example:

After unsuccessfully trying to change her mother’s mind, Samra runs from their manor in the middle of the night. She steals a horse from behind a tavern and takes off across the city lines, into rolling meadows and the Shadowed Forest beyond. She doesn’t anticipate befriending bandits who live high in the trees and is even more shocked when they sense powers dormant beneath her skin. The bandits teach her how to wield flames from her fingertips while raiding travelers and villages. It isn’t until after Samra befriends their leader and lives with them for a few months that they force her to help them kill the king and install their leader on the throne—but they don’t realize she’s actually his niece. In following along and planning to run at the last moment, Samra learns that her mother needed to move because they were in hiding. The king wanted Samra dead before she was born.

This is another long paragraph and could be edited down/likely split into two parapgrahs, but you can see how this sets up the stakes. Samra runs away from home, experiences independence for the first time, and has to choose between family members over a history she’s never learned before. All while figuring out who she really is outside of her normal routine.

Agents need to know a manuscript’s stakes. If they don’t think there’s enough risk involved for or by a character to make the plot interesting/get the reader personally invested, they’ll pass without finishing your query letter.

If you’re really worried about dense paragraphs, you could potentially separate these two paragraphs into a third by formatting them like: setting the scene; raising the stakes; summary of what your protagonist will learn/how it relates to your themes.

Step 5: Write About Your Background (1 Paragraph)

Your last paragraph is all about you! Talk about what makes you awesome and why you’re the person to tell this story.

Here are a few examples:

I was compelled to write this story because I’m passionate about coming-of-age narratives and fantasy settings. Last year, I won first place in the National Fantasy Short Story Competition and published another flash fiction fantasy work in GenericFantasyMagazine. Currently, I work full time for Google and write creatively as a hobby.

I graduated in 2013 from State College with a BFA in Creative Writing and a minor in English. Since then, I’ve placed as a semi-finalist in Fiction Stories Competition. I write creatively for fun and work full-time as a marketing assistant.

I’ve read fantasy since I could pick up a book and always wrote short stories in that genre. This is my first novel-length manuscript and it means so much to me because I think this genre needs more coming-of-age [other types of representation here] representation. This is a stand-alone novel, but I have ideas that could extend it into a trilogy.

You don’t need a writing degree or first-place competition awards to finish your query letter. All the agents want to know is why you wrote this manuscript, plus whatever other career-related information may be relevant if you have anything.

Step Six: End With a Professional Goodbye

I like to end my query letters with a thank you, since many agents do lit work as a secondary job and have a full-time gig in another field. Even if they’re full-time, they’re likely dealing with hundreds of submissions at a time when they open to queries while working with their current clients.

You could end your letter with something like:

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I’m grateful for your time.

Thank you for your consideration.

And end it with:

Sincerely,

[Your First/Last Name]

Always Revise for Each Agent

If you’re copying/pasting your query letter into submission boxes or emails and hitting send, you’re not going to have good results.

You’ll likely send a letter addressed to a previous agent or leave out formatting/required info specified in an agent’s bio.

Always read through your current query draft and revise as needed before sending it to a new agent.

Best of Luck!

I hope this helps you draft your first query letter with a bit more confidence! Use these guidelines to get a rough draft ready and come back to it when you’re in a calm, confident headspace to edit.

When in doubt, always refer to an agent’s requirements in their bio or what’s required in Query Tracker. That site will have a box for you to copy/paste your letter, but it will also ask you to type out specifics, like the bullet points in Step 3.

If you’re going to submit more than one letter, I’d recommend keeping a spreadsheet! Record things like:

• The name of the agent
• Their publisher
• A link to their bio
• How you submitted your query (email, Query Tracker, general publisher submission page)
• The date you submitted
• If the agent specifies when they get back to writers (many will give 2-3 month turnaround estimates)
• If they’ve responded (you could write things like “passed on my query,” “requested a bigger sample,” “requested the full manuscript,” etc.)

It’s much easier to reflect on who you might want to follow up with or who you’ve already queried as time goes on. It’s rarely a good idea to query the same agent twice after they reject you, unless they specify what you could work on within your manuscript to make them more interested.

Get that first draft down and you’ll feel much better about taking your second step into the journey of getting published.

Other resources you might find helpful:

The 10 Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Query Letter

The Complete Guide to Query Letters

How to Write a Darn Good Query Letter

Read A Sample Literary Agent Query Letter, With Hints & Tips

How to Write a Query Letter: All the Do’s and Don’ts

Not a resolution post

Not a resolution post: In which I don’t make any resolutions but I do talk about the theme of the year.

I don’t trust New Year’s resolutions. It’s partly because human reckoning of time is entirely arbitrary and partly because I don’t believe that you can fix anything by declaring a new start and making a half-arsed attempt to start a bunch of new habits.

Perhaps I wouldn’t be so sceptical about resolutions if I’d had a better introduction to the idea. The first time I encountered resolutions was…

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The Chair Update - In which I update you about the chair situation, and then bitch about pain and querying.

For the saga of the chair see my last two posts hereandhere or just scroll down.

I still do not have a working chair. I still don’t know when I’ll have a working chair. I still don’t know how much it will cost. Nevertheless there has been progress.

A friend sent me a link to an appropriate company. An engineer from the specialist company came and looked at it and wrote a report about the…

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New Stuff: Shameless self promotion

I have a new author website and I’ve posted a potentially risky blog post there.

also contains a strong vein of dark humour that is laugh out loud funny in places. What do you mean people don’t like funny sex scenes? Have you seen sex? It’s hilarious.

What my query letter would say if I wasn’t a coward

So go and have a look at it before I chicken out and take it down.

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The idea for this came from: https://twitter.com/cheyannemonkman/status/1531243041373028354

The list is my own compiled from different writers and experience with querying and being rejected.

Agents are human too, and often they don’t know what a writer’s life is like, since not all of them are writers. Also, busy. Also underpaid.

So since I’m neurodiverse, but not on the autistic spectrum, I thought I would help bridge the gap and list a wishlist of things writers who are neurodiverse would like to see from agents to help us and other writers query you.

And no, I’m not aiming to vilify agents, etc. Just hoping to bring together two groups to help everyone. Sometimes accommodating disability helps everyone.

Introduction:

I date far enough back in time that the only way to submit was to get a big book from the Library or purchase one and then go line by line and find places to submit. Yeah.

So this kind of thing wasn’t industry standard for obvious reasons. How are you supposed to do it in 100-250 words?

I understand you very much that’s impossible.

However, as we converted to digital and things settled down, I think we can upgrade a bit and help everyone out while being accommodating to those with disability. And no, I’m not name calling for agents who don’t do this. I’m asking you consider it.

The Author Wishlist for agents:

How up to date is your Publisher’s Marketplace, website and Mswl?

Put up a date when you update the genres, etcor aim to update all at once so they aren’t out of alignment.

How do you want to be addressed specifically?

Ms. Mr,. Miss., Mrs.

Honorific, no honorific?

Name:

Full name, surname, first name?

List pronouns?

In case we need to talk to another agent in the agency.

Form of address:

Hello, Hi, Dear?Don’t care.

Query Letter formatting

Some agents are dead set against putting the word count info first. Some say definitely put it first.Which are you?Should we put how we found you, if relevant first or last?

Our Credentials?First or last?

Author biography

Only include if it has writing/life accomplishments relevant to the manuscript?

Y/N

Hobbies?

Y/N

Sentence limit?

Y/N

Hard Word Limit?

Some agents say a fantasy over 110K–will not look at it. Others say send whatever–Sara Maas got in with a 250k manuscript. Which one are you?Where are your hard word limits on fully edited manuscripts for the genres you rep?

Trigger Warnings?

Should it be in the Query letter, with the full manuscript request, synopsis and/or cover letter.

Yes/No. If you want specific types especially… up to you.

If you don’t list it, it makes it really, really hard on writers to divine. And some agents, like Janet Reid say a hard no. Make it obvious.

How long do you want the synopsis?

1 page, 2 pages, 4-5?

Will you accept manuscripts that are not conflict narrative 3/5 act?

yes/noIf you have no clue what I’m talking about:https://www.kimyoonmiauthor.com/post/641948278831874048/worldwide-story-structures

If the author plays with the story structure to fit their marginalization, such as being Neurodiverse, mental health, etc, other than the 3/5 act, will you auto-reject?

Yes/no

When will we get our query answers back?

When is it Dead on arrival? 3 months? 6 months? 10 months? If you plan not to answer at all, tell us a specific cut off date.

If you’re requesting a full, please list if you would like the epilogue and author notes and when we should expect to hear back before poking you.

No, really, the industry rules became fuzzy after switching to digital. Even pros aren’t sure anymore. It used to be a hard no. But now it’s a fuzzy yes, maybe no. Also doc, pdf, etc.

Are you a mood reader?

Might prevent retractions. Don’t blast it on Twitter–update your website. Your twitter post won’t last. You know what does? The mswl and your website.

How do you like to work with authors?

I really appreciate agents who are up front about this. Hold hands type, edit it? Just sell it? etc.

Also, I have to note, if you’re open to diversity, be explicit about it and include the books you would like in your mswl AND in your reading list.

Diversity statements that you really are prepared to work with. If you’ve read Fault in Your Stars, but haven’t really read Sitting Pretty, people will notice. If you’re calling for PoC books, but your top three books of all time are white cishet male, people are less likely to believe you. I get the pressure bias–when asked people tend to list white cishet abled male books. But if repeatedly challenged and you fail, it’s not likely writers will believe you. You’re asking for PoC books, you should list PoC books and show familiarity by being able to rattle off story structures and fundamentally be able to tell how they work (better than the list above.) Same with disability, queer, etc. Show your capability to sell those books, not by your client list only, but by what you read for pleasure. Because privilege qualifying exists and make your place a safe, warm and fuzzy place to be.

Conclusion

If you think this is too long to post, you can post an example of a fake one with formatting. If you don’t care, explicitly state that.

Some agents out there are very strict on these things, but the thing is–writers can’t read your mind. The standards have shifted in the digital age and it’s not consistent as it used to be. And even if we could read your mind, in most science fiction we have to be in the proximity of you to do so. So if you really care that much, help us help you so we don’t get rejected for things we can’t divine, and you get to enjoy all of the query letters and such from people who love following directions exactly how you like them.

Also complaining on Twitter about writers when you *didn’t* put it into any available material like your website, mswl or Publisher’s marketplace, honestly isn’t that helpful for neurodiverse people or much of anyone. I *do* get that it’s deeply satisfying, but it doesn’t help us to do better by you. We can’t read every tweet, especially those of us with PTSD, ADD, ADHD or sensory issues. It’s too much input. Invisible rules help no one and those of us who are neurodiverse might look down on you for it. If it matters that much to you and your well-being please, please put it somewhere accessible. Blasting people for things they don’t know about you and striking them publicly doesn’t look very professional to me, but then I’m neurodiverse, so maybe my perspective is different from yours.

Either way accommodating neurodiverse people is helping everyone.

My First Rejection! How did you feel when you were rejected for the first time, #writingcommunity ? #amquerying

God, I’m so excited! I have a new email from that agent I queried three months ago! I’ve been waiting so long. I hope she-

Oh.

It’s a good manuscript, but it isn’t quite what they’re looking for at this time.

…

AMAZING!

I was thrilled to get my first rejection letter. It happened a few months ago now, but I keep the email in a special folder on my laptop so I can open it and smile…

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