Query Basics: How to Attract the Attention of the RIGHT Agents and Publishers, Episode 019

When your manuscript is polished and your beta readers have given you the green light, the next step in the process is the query letter which is essentially a cover letter to agents and publishers in order to land a publishing contract. What should it include and where do you begin? This episode will share our best advice for attracting the right agent and/or publisher for your book.

SHOW NOTES:

The pitch vs. the summary

• Pitch (logline) one plot-centric sentence that includes: inciting incident, conflict, journey (internal or external) and stakes. Purpose: captures the essence of your novel & hooks the reader

• Summary- should be approximately 150-200 words and include the first 25% of the book (no spoilers). Purpose: Introduce your story to a desired audience, introduce major characters and them, entice the reader to read more

What you need to know before you begin:

• Keywords

• Genre

• Audience

• Word count

Comp titles and how to find them

• What are comp titles?

• Why are they important?

• How do I find them?

Amazon, Chat GPT,

Researching the perfect agent

• Why is this the perfect agent for you? For your book?

• Follow submission guidelines 

Query Letter format

• Personalize

• Hook

• Provide book data

• Provide relevant experience

SOURCES & LINKS:

“How to find comp titles using Chat GPT,” Jane Friedman

https://janefriedman.com/how-to-find-comp-titles-using-chatgpt/

“How to find compelling comp titles for your book,” Jane Friedman

https://janefriedman.com/how-to-find-compelling-comps-for-your-book/

Literature Map https://www.literature-map.com/

Query Shark https://queryshark.blogspot.com/

Manuscript Wishlist https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/

Publishers Marketplace https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/ (paid)

Query Tracker https://querytracker.net/help/qm/about/ (paid)

DO NOW: Write your query, research and make a list of agents you’d like to send your work to.

Use these FREE DOWNLOADS for samples of query letters & a spreadsheet you can copy to keep track of the queries you send out.

Query template/sampleA

Query template/sampleB

Query Tracker Spreadsheet

Authors Talking Bookish https://www.authorstalkingbookish.com

Hope Gibbs, author of Where the Grass Grows Blue https://www.authorhopegibbs.com/

Donna Norman-Carbone, author of All That is Sacred & Of Lies and Honey  https://www.donnanormancarbone.com