You just crafted a 70,000–100,000-word manuscript. Now, you must write a one-page letter to convince someone to read it. Creating a query letter is the first stressor of an already stressful submission process. But if you write an effective one that gets an agent’s or publisher’s attention, it can make the rest of the process easier.

I attended an online query letter coaching session presented by ProWritingAid and taught by book coach and editor Kerry Savage. As part of this session, I had the opportunity to submit a query letter and have it critiqued. The image on top is my letter marked up with plenty of useful comments.

Kerry recommends you include an introduction, summary, comps, personal information (bio), and a closing. She also gave specific tips as she reviewed the submitted query letters.

Introduction

A good introduction should describe what you’re pitching and why it would be a good fit for the agent or publisher. Include the title, genre, and length. If your submission is a follow-up from a previous meeting, or if someone else referred you, mention this in your introduction. If you found the agent or publisher online, show how your manuscript fits with the genres and topics they are looking for. Your introduction should show you’ve done your research, and reading your query is a good use of their time.

Summary

The description of your manuscript should be two to four paragraphs long. (She recommends three paragraphs to follow the three-act structure.) It should start with a strong hook that answers these questions:

• Who is the main character?
• What do they want, and what’s keeping them from getting it?
• What are the stakes if they don’t get what they want? The stakes should be external and internal. In my manuscript, Julie’s external stakes are she, her husband, and community will perish in the apocalypse if they don’t get the water turned back on. Her internal stakes come from her remorse over letting her son become a soldier and get caught up in war crimes.

Your summary should include the overall character arc and the main characters. (Kerry liked the unexpected villains in my manuscript.) You don’t have to provide all the details, and you shouldn’t include the conclusion. It should give a clear idea about the book and what makes it stand out.

Comps

Comps are important in book marketing, and they can help agents and publishers determine if the manuscript would sell for them. Select comps that were published in the past year or two. Using recent comps shows you’re aware of current trends in publishing, and your work fits with what has been popular in recent years. Older references can go over the heads of younger staffers who are reading your query. (I’d be heartbroken if people didn’t get my reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Don’t they teach today’s youth about the classics?) If your comps are over ten years old, they give the impression your work is dated.

Personal information

Include a brief bio that includes previous publications, writing-related awards, and any expertise related to the subject. You should also mention what motivated you to write the book. Remember, you’re selling yourself as well as your manuscript.

Closing

Add any contact information, including your websites and social media. I always like to thank the agent or publisher for their time and consideration. You always want to be professional.

Additional tips

• Avoid common terms like “life-changing” and “heartbreaking.” Give specific examples of how events in the story changed a character or broke their heart.
• Show how you meet the expectations of a genre, but also how you twist them.
• Keep your manuscript under 120,000 words. Large manuscripts are a harder sell.
• If you can’t find comps that exactly match your book, use ones that have similar elements. For example, my novel Christina’s Portrait uses a dual timeline.
• Mention you’ve used sensitivity readers if your books cover sensitive topics.
• Don’t mention a target age group unless your book is YA or younger. Anything outside of children’s books is adult.
• No need to state if a book is the start of a series. If the book gets a big enough readership, it will call for a sequel.

My takeaways

Kerry’s session was informative and inspiring. We often send off query letters with no response or a form, “Your manuscript does not meet our needs at this time.” Getting specific and actionable feedback is rare, valuable, and appreciated.

One of my main takeaways is to make each query letter personal. Find out as much as you can about an agent or publisher, including the authors they work with and the types of books they represent or publish. Show them why your book would fit with them.

Consider the description of your book as a trailer. Give the agent or publisher enough information to get them interested and invested in the story. Then leaving them wanting to read the manuscript to find out what happens.

Use current comps to show how they can sell your book, and you’re keeping up with what’s happening in the industry. We don’t want to chase trends, but we should be aware of what people are reading. It helps you to read what’s trending in the genres you write in.

Don’t be afraid to sell yourself. Show why this book matters to you and why you’re the best person to write it. Agents and publishers need to promote you along with your book.

Be professional and make a good impression. Even if an agent or publisher passes on your particular manuscript, they may consider you for the next one or refer you to someone else who would be a better fit.

Submission is a difficult process with rejection a likely outcome at any phase. But a good query letter will help you get through the first step. And it might take you well on your way to getting your manuscript published.