Writing a Query Letter about your Novel

Novelist for Hire

A query letter is a quick way to offer your novel to a particular publisher that can save you the time spent waiting for an editor to find your manuscript amidst her other piles of papers. A query letter is a very important factor on whether your novel will seem interesting enough for the publisher that she will be prompted to read your manuscript. In the query, you provide the editor an impression of your story that will have to convince her that it will be worth mulling over. If you fail to do so, she will explain to you her reasons and probably advise you to try a new course or a new publisher.

Queries vary in length and some are actually just novel outlines presented as queries.

Here are some helpful guidelines:

1. Provide a brief but strong description of the novel
2. Indicate who your prospective audience is: hardcore sci – fi fans, girls in their adolescence, romance-novel readers.
3. Inform the editor what makes your novel distinctive from others classified in the same genre: an unexpected turn of events in the plot, a new aspect on the hero’s personality, an uncommon setting.
4. Indicating your credentials is unnecessary. The most important qualifications when writing a novel is on how devoted and knowledgeable you are in the genre that you chose and how much you know of the place where your novel is set. If the answer to both questions is not much, it will show. The story will give the impression of superficial.
5. Let your editor know why the novel is important to you so it will also become important to him. Present your query with the same enthusiasm and energy that you want to be associated with your novel.

Letter Construction

It is preferable to have your query letter be comprised of one or two pages. Contents are organized in a manner similar to this:

First paragraph:

• The category where your novel belongs

• The length of your novel

• The setting

• Description of the hero and heroines and two other major characters

• The conflict of the story

• The characters’ scheme of resolving the conflict

• The things at stake for the characters if the conflict is unresolved

Second paragraph:

• The events that happen in the middle stages of your story

• The interactions occurring between the characters

• Conflicts among them

Third paragraph:

• The last stages of the novel: climax and the conclusion of the story.

Fourth paragraph:

• Answers to these questions:

Why were you interested in making this story?
What are your qualifications for writing this kind of novel?

• Questions for the editor:

If you find this story appealing, how would you want me to present the novel to you? Would you want the whole ms. or an outline?

Do you have any specs on ms. that I should know?

This guide will not be the same for all query letters because they may vary in nature. You might think of adding in an outline and sample chapters, then providing a plot summary will become unnecessary. Your query’s focal points are on your novel’s background and your inquiries for the editor. It will be easier for you to provide the plot summary when you have completed your novel.

The query letter serves as an advertisement for your novel. Just as an advertisement, it is important that you arouse the interest and curiosity of the readers. Make sure that your query letter is superlative. Take note of your spelling and grammar, as well as the content. This is very important if your letter does not come with impressive sample chapters of your novel. A gauche query can ruin the chance for you to have your novel read.

The main advantage of using query letters is that you are able to identify prospective markets and certainly impossible markets without the need of investing too much time. Do not expect that it can pre – sell your novel. The best response you can get is a cautious welcoming message from an editor.

It is very common for novice writers to obtain an anxiety of having their idea stolen by the publisher. However, here is a sad fact: Your novel might even just be a typical variation on some very old plot that the editor has read for the umpteenth time this week. Most stories are indeed derived from older written materials. You just have to make the adaptations seem innovative, astounding and packed with the power of a probable prominent writer. There’s no need to add very eccentric ideas to your novel.

During the earlier times, query letters were handed personally by writers to editors. However, nowadays, most publishing houses only receive queries or submissions coming through an agent. This fact has implications in the promotion of your novel.

Categories: Creative -- Fiction Writing, Fiction Writing, Novel Writing | Tags: Creating Characters for Novels, Creating Characters for Short Stories, Creating Fiction Characters, How to Write Novel Characters, Novel Query Letter Writing | Comments Off