Query letter advise from Janet “Query Shark” Reid via Guide to Literary Agents
THE NITTY GRITTY
- Don’t start with a rhetorical question. You’re talking to really sardonic people in New York City, and they’re not going to answer the question how you expect.
- Get right to the main character—by name.
- Tell who he/she is, and do it in as few words as possible.
- Tell what happens to him or her—the initial point of conflict in the book.
- Show two choices the main character faces as well as the consequences of those choices. The stakes must be high.
And remember:
• Be comfortable with computers. Publishing is moving toward the electronic age, so move with it.
(heh!)
