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When I worked at a literary agency, one of my main responsibilities was managing the agents’ busy submissions inboxes. I’d review each query and determine whether to reject it or pass along the query to the agents for consideration. After spending years in the industry and reviewing hundreds of query letters, I learned how to write a query letter in the most effective and engaging way possible.

In this article, I will share that method through listing five keys any successful query letter needs, along with tips on what to avoid when writing the letter.

1. Be Professional and Follow Directions

It seems obvious, but take the time to properly format and spell check your letter. Thoroughly research your target agents’ specifications, such as whether they prefer a specific subject line or a certain number of sample pages. Your query letter should look like a query letter, and not like a general email or any other type of writing.

If your letter is missing any core elements, such as a blurb about the book or author bio, you risk looking like you don’t know what you’re doing or don’t care about following the query letter directions, neither of which is attractive to agents.

Another note is to not use non-standard fonts, colors, or text sizes, as these can look strange compared to other letters in an agent’s inbox. While this might seem like an obvious thing to avoid, I have seen many query letters with strange formatting, and they immediately put me off the letter overall. If you’re thinking about experimenting with the design of your query, resist the urge! Take a step back and keep it simple.

Keep in mind that while you want to be professional and follow the agents’ requirements, don’t feel limited to using a buttoned-up or overly formal tone in your letter. Feel free to let your personality shine through your words.

2. Personalize Each Letter

It is very obvious to an agent when a query letter has been copied, pasted, and blast-mailed out to many agents with no customization other than the opening salutation. In fact, many agents have received letters that say another agent’s name in the salutation.

To grasp an agent’s attention, they need to know why you’ve chosen them and not one of their colleagues or peers in the industry. That reason should be crystal clear in your introduction. Perhaps you met them at a pitching event, or you’ve been following them on Twitter, or you really love one of the writers they currently represent. Regardless, being honest about what brought you to them is an easy way to make a connection between your project and their work.

Don’t feel pressured to lie about what you’re reaching out to an agent, however, if you don’t have a pre-existing connection. If you’ve never read any of their authors’ books, don’t claim to—while the agent might not be able to tell that you’re lying in the query letter, it will be very awkward if it comes up later down the line.

3. Keep It Brief

Agents have hundreds and hundreds of queries in their inbox at any given time, and unfortunately, they don’t have enough time to thoroughly read them all. More likely than not, your query is going to receive a quick skim rather than an in-depth read, so you need to get to your point as fast as possible.

There isn’t a specific word count you need to adhere to, unless specified by the agent (300-400 words total is a good target range). Just try to make sure each sentence is clear, concise, and purposeful. Don’t provide any unnecessary fluff that isn’t relevant to your book. For instance, as interesting as it is, it may not be necessary to share that you have three dogs and a guinea pig at home.

4. Stay Authentic

Knowing how to write a query letter ultimately means knowing how to portray yourself authentically. If you are a debut author, there’s no need to exaggerate your book marketing savvy or throw out unrealistic comparative titles—your book likely isn’t going to be the next Harry Potter, and that’s completely okay. Agents will understand where you’re coming from and appreciate simple honesty over exaggerations or hyperboles.

In a similar vein, don’t feel the need to make promises about what you’ll do personally to market your book. While the hustle is admirable, the point of publishing with a traditional publishing house is to have access to their marketing and sales teams, so your suggestions could come off as though you don’t understand how the industry works.

5. Create Intrigue

My final point is about how to pitch your book itself in the query letter. Don’t waste valuable words detailing each and every plot development, especially if you are writing a novel. For starters, you don’t want to spoil the ending before the agent has a chance to look through the sample pages! You also don’t want to bog the agent down with too many specifics about the plot. By just giving them a taste of the main conflict, it’ll intrigue them and hopefully push them to request the whole manuscript.

One effective way to create intrigue in the query letter is to pose a rhetorical question that reflects your characters’ journeys over the course of your novel. While it might feel a little cheesy to do so, your pitch in the query should ultimately read more like the copy on a book jacket than a scene by scene synopsis, so it’s okay to be a little dramatic.

To conclude, I’ll reiterate: don’t give away your novel’s ending! This is a big issue I often see with suspense and thriller query letters. While I understand the inclination to show the agent that you have a shocking and clever twist, it’s critical that you let the agent experience that twist for themself after they have requested your full manuscript.

This is how to write a query letter that is engaging, intriguing, and hopefully, successful! There are obviously exceptions to every rule, so take these elements as guidelines based on what makes sense for you and your project.

Now go out and write your query letter! Best of luck!

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