Less Is More

(yet another) Guide to Query Letters

Quick Tips for Your Query

Less is more. Less is more. Less is more. And then… less is definitely more!

The dreaded query letter comes at the most inopportune moment of your writing journey. You’ve sweated and cried and cheered and lost sleep and then finally finished.

You are at the top of the mountain, triumphant.

It is time for your book to go out into the world in all its glory.

You have made it!

And then you have to pause, reset, and pitch the entire experience – not just your book, but the experience of your book – in a mere 300 or so, seemingly-impossible words.

The query letter is the opposite of the rest of your writing process. It is where you need to set you creativity aside and make room for your minimalist side.

Clever is key; brevity is king (or queen).

Less is more.

The Hook

You have one sentence to catch your agent’s attention. Make them love you. This is your Sally Field moment and it’s only going to happen once.

Rather than be afraid, let me suggest that this is your space to be brilliant. Be direct and channel everything that excites you about your story into this sentence. Try it out on your friends and family. Toss it out on social media. Be open to feedback. Every word matters.

The Story

Your agent needs to know what’s in the book. This should be a tight summary that names key characters and scenes. Hold nothing back. And the be ruthless in cutting it down.

The query letter is no time to be coy. Your agent wants answers. Avoid cliffhangers and rhetorical questions. If the Hook is where you are brilliant, the summary is where you get to be bold, direct, and confident.

This is your story. Own it.

The Comps

In your query letter, you need to prove that your awesome book has a place on the shelf. Choose your comp titles carefully, but be very clear about your connections.

Remember, your agent may not have read your comps (they haven’t read your book yet, either), so you need to be clear about the connections you are seeing.

Put it on the page. Hold their hand. Show them what you see.

The Close

If nothing else, leave your agent happy.

If they’ve made it to your final sentence, you’ve made it so far. Now that they know you and your story, remind them that they are special.

Agents know that writers may apply to hundreds of agents, but they still want to feel like they matter to you, personally. 

If your letter up to this point was about you, this is your one line to make it about them. Why did you pick them over the thousands of other agents in your genre?

Don’t be afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve. Let them know you care.

What Next?

If you’ve made it this far in my letter to you, thanks!

And if you would like some help reining in your query letter, let me know.

Your book is ready. Let’s do this!