Jeff Herman’s Guide To Literary Agents
Query Letters: Ten Ways To Hook A Literary Agent
By Lisa Silverman
During my years as a literary agent for both screenwriters and book authors, I received query letters by the thousands. Even small literary agencies are so overwhelmed by the influx that young, inexperienced interns weed through query letters from prospective authors before the agents even see those few “diamonds in the rough” with a chance at getting published.
So how do you become one of those agent-represented diamonds (or, at the least, get agents to request your full manuscript)? I could advise you at length, and will in the future, but for now here are ten query letter tips–some dos, some don’ts–to get you on track toward the representation and publication of your manuscript. These apply to letters directly to publishers, too–but make sure the publisher accepts submissions that don’t come through agents.
1) Leave out the bells and whistles.
Your words count, not your ability to suck up. (That counts only in person.) Your query letter should appear professional and mature: It should not be on pink stationery covered in hearts and flowers. It should not include candy–would you eat food mailed to you by a complete stranger? If you include a chapter of your manuscript (and don’t include more unless they ask), refrain from binding it in any way. The agency will only get annoyed when they try to photocopy it. Put that effort into the prose of your letter, and agents will want to see the prose of your book.
2) Proofread it.
That does not mean use SpellCheck. It means you and your friend and your friend’s friends should read it for typos and incorrect grammar. A single mistake will land it in a literary agent’s recycling bin.
3) Include a SASE (stamped, self-addressed envelope).
Why not make it as easy as possible for them to respond? It’s common book industry practice, and you’ll appear unprofessional and/or cheap if you don’t.
4) Include a synopsis, but keep it brief.
If an agent is going to represent you, they’ll need a pitch to throw at potential publishers. Both species have short attention spans. Give them the important and unique stuff about plot and characters, not a scene-by-scene rundown.
5) Do your homework.
Consult the “Jeff Herman Guide,” the agency’s website, or any other reference that tells you what types of books they’ve sold. If they specialize in chick lit and romance, don’t bother pitching your political thriller–or, if you do, play up the love story within it.
6) Type.
Seems obvious. But you’d be amazed at how many people handwrite query letters. Perhaps they think it’s more personal and will make them stand out. It isn’t, and it won’t. It’ll just make the agent doubt your professionalism and strain his/her eyes trying to decipher your handwriting.
7) Get the agent’s name right.
You’d also be amazed at how many letters I got addressed to someone at a different agency, or with my name spelled wrong, or the name of my agency spelled wrong. Carelessness is not impressive. And while agents know you’re pitching your manuscript to other agents, they don’t want to feel as if they’re getting a form letter.
8) Don’t make it a form letter.
Sure, it takes time to personalize, and you don’t need to go overboard and ask how Literary Agent Smith’s three daughters are, but this is another way homework can help. Find a book they’ve represented that’s similar to yours and tell them you truly enjoyed it. One sentence–then go into the form letter part.
9) Don’t compare your manuscript to bestsellers.
It’s not “The Da Vinci Code” meets “The Devil Wears Prada.” It’s not the perfect vehicle for Harrison Ford and Nicole Kidman. If you want, mention other books by way of genuine comparison, or suggest an actor to help paint a picture of a character. But leave out the overblown marketing predictions.
10) If you’ve written 18 unpublished manuscripts, don’t say so. That’ll only make agents ask why none of the 18 have been published. On the other hand, if you’ve had as much as a short story published in your college’s literary journal, mention that. Published = good. Unpublished = irrelevant.
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Actually, I rely on the Guide to Literary Agents. And of course, we’re currently on the 2007 version.
Don’t discount ebooks either.
Which is better, The Writers Market or Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents?
It’s not a good idea to query more than one book at a time. Publishers and agents want to see a one-page query letter that tells them about a book already written in a manner that compels them to believe that they can make money by selling it to readers. My advice is to pick your best and focus on getting that published. If you get to that point, the acquisitions editor will probably ask you what comes next. You can then haul out your other completed books.
Another poster said that you should not query more than one publisher at a time. Given that it may take several months for a reply, you could be querying for the rest of your life. I think that perhaps they are confusing writing a query letter and submitting the entire manuscript. Query multiple publishes and agents simultaneously. Don’t send unsolicited manuscripts. If a publisher asks to see your manuscript, then you should tell anyone else who expresses interest that you are already working with another publisher, but will keep them in mind if it falls through.
I’m a freelance writer for radio and also magazines; I have to say that I agree with Miss Snark…there’s no need to put letterheads or any frou-frou bits and pieces on your enquiry letters.
One glance at your resume will tell them how much experience you’ve had and if it’s none then you’ll look pretentious. It’s the sample work that matters.
Do Literary agents think it’s unprofessional for a query letter to be printed on a letterhead with a logo?
I read in Jeff Herman’s Guide (a supposedly reputable source) that if you want your query letters to look professional, you should use your own personal letterhead with a logo to show you’re serious about the business. However, I just read in Miss Snark’s blog (also a supposedly really reliable source, a lot of people say) that having a logo makes you look really dumb and unprofessional and pretty much guarantees that your writing is bad and is a one-way-ticket to a rejection (that’s me paraphrasing.) Here’s what she really said:
“5. Pictographs on your query letter- aka inkwells, pens, tablets, open books, or dog forbid, the authoress herself looking pensive –this is a 100% reliable indicator of bad writing. Why? Cause the writer is so busy announcing “I’m a writer” they forget the words are what count.”
SO, agents, editors, or successful authors in the business:
could someone please clue me in as to whether it looks more professional to use a logo-letterhead or not???
query letters? what about them?? any literary agents out there? please please please help!!?
any agents out there? i have written a few books. if i send lots of query letters at once to publishers and agents, would it be wrong? i really want my books to be published quickly, and i really need the money. is it possible to get an agent or publisher, say, in UK, or US? i live in india. how much money do i get in advance if i am selected? i am using jeff herman’s guide to publishers, editors and agents. is that book reliable and useful?
Is copyrighting material amateurish?
Well, I’m an aspiring writer and I know that I have talent in writing. I recently bought a book called “Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents 2007”. In the writer’s advice section I’m pretty sure there wasn’t anything about copy writing, but if I did get my manuscript copyrighted and got it published and sent to literary agents do you think they would consider that amateurish?
Advice on that is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all the answers guys! They were very helpful!
I didn’t expect so many adults to help a 16 year old girl so much!
I’ve got a lot of respect for the Hellcat, even when I disagree with her and I would not have seen this question if it wasn’t for her. I need to say that because I am going to disagree with her again. I have at least two very good friends whose creative work obtained copyright on behalf of the publishing company they were trying to sign with. One regained the rights to her material, the other did not. He is a joint owner, but will forever be tied to a publishing company that does not have his best interest at heart. It is not amateurish to copyright your material before you send it out, but it can be expensive.
If you cannot afford the copyright process but still want protection, you can always send the material Registered, return receipt requested. the thing about that it that it is more expensive than the whole copyrighting process if you send it to enough places.
If you believe in your work and want to protect it, Copyright is the Gold Standard. It doesn’t say that you don’t trust the agent. It really says that you know how to take care of yourself. For shorter works, bundle them into a collection before you submit them. The publisher will know what to do with the individual work if they are interested in it, but that way you only pay one fee for getting the protection instead of a separate fee for each work.
It is your agent’s job to get the work published though. Once you sign with an Agent, you may even agree to let the Agency obtain the copyright. It is part of the service and you might as well make use of it. If you get it published yourself, there is really nothing left for the Agent to do, you have in effect become your own Agent. If you are speaking of Vanity Publishing, where you get a few hundred to a few thousand copies to distribute yourself, that will give you a nicer book to shop around with, but sometimes it scares legitimate publishers off because they don’t generally enjoy dealing with people who want to do their job for them.
I will say that it certainly worked for Christopher Paolini, who self published Eragon and shopped it around to school Libraries before he got it accepted by his current publisher, so don’t take any advice as the absolute word!
Best of luck in your endeavors in any case and I hope to see you on the bestseller rack in B&N soon.
Which is better, The Writer’s Market or Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents?
And please tell me why you think that for your choice? They cost about the same, I’m trying to decide which one I should get. So I’d like some input as to why you think that specific one is better. Thanks!
I’ve heard loads of good stuff about Writer’s Market, and would actually like a subscription. My English professor highly recommends it.