And OTHER HORRORS
While on the train of last week’s post, I am deep into polishing
and tightening my queries.
Writers obsess about the query, which is a four-second
chance to make an impression. No, it isn’t fair. No, it will not represent
writing powers to their fullest. No, there is no way to compress why a novel is
worth an agent's or editor’s time and effort.
But it is the reality of submissions road.
Some writers are phenomenal query writers. I know a writer
who does it so well she turned her talent into a business; she critiques and polishes
other writers' query letters for a fee. In her case, this talent has not translated
to publishing full novels. But there is no contradiction, as it is an advantage
for many others. After all, if the query leads to many more manuscript
requests, the odds that an agent would offer, and that the agent would later
find a publishing house that would offer, are multiplied.
The query, like a good picture book text, must do a lot with
few words. How many?
See this post.
In addition to a sharp pitch, it must say enough about the
story to intrigue, and also contain a bio of the writer. The usual way I’ve
heard it put is—
1. THE HOOK (strong one-sentence pitch)
2. THE BOOK (Strong, pithy story setting exposing the main
character and the stakes)
3. THE COOK (Author bio)
^In that order^
It’s a good idea to run a query by a reader who has not read
the manuscript. The simple question to ask the reader is, “does this make you eager
to read the story?”
This is where I am. Wishing luck to all riding the same train.
6 comments:
Ooh, I like the hook, book, cook approach. Very KISS. Thank you.
I don't think I ever wrote a decent query letter when I was trying to publish. I also don't write good cover letters when I apply for a job. It's a good thing my current employer didn't require one.
Love,
Janie
I, too, like the hook, book, cook guidelines. Wishing you the best on your querying journey, dear friend.
Good luck!
Writing query letters is an art in itself. I remember being part of a writing group when I lived on Maui, now many years ago. We all took turns reading what we were working on. Sometimes it was a query letter, sometimes an article or a chapter. The feedback I got was invaluable in learning how to craft the query, to hook the editor with my first paragraph. Yet, even when a query was excellent, being offered a magazine or book contract wasn't always the result. Sometimes, it's all about chance: which side of the bed the editor woke up on and whether she'd just argued with her partner; which topics never interested her or him; which subjects had already been covered. I had no control over any of that. All I could do was my best and hope my words didn't land on deaf ears.
I've not written a query in ages, for I've not been looking for an agent or editor. My hat's off to anyone who develops the knack. Good luck, Mirka!
Thank you, MirkaK, for all the handholding and editing support.
Writers don't like to think about the role of chance/luck in querying, but we know it's real. It is the part we have no control over.
Post a Comment