I never imagined that this, of all things, would be the most intimidating part of the process so far.
It's hard to get my head around how important this is. One blurb will be the thing that first makes an agent either think my book is worthwhile, or send me a rejection. It's especially daunting when it comes to those agents who only want to see 5 pages first, rather than the first 3 chapters.
Sep 16, 2010
Query Letters
Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.
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Good queries come to three things:
ReplyDelete1. Formatting (for which I recommend queryshark.com)
2. Getting to the action. You've got about 250-350 words, use them to put people IN the story, get them hooked to the story and that action...and the potential therein.
3. Leave the hook baited. As with a good Wordverse (or any RPG moment) you want to create the sense that there's more available to the reader...all they have to do is put down the query and pick up the manuscript. Use impactful verbs, cut out adverbs and generally tighten the language up -- make them want to know more, but give them a little to play with.
Good luck. If you would like the notes from the class I'm teaching on Query Letter construction, email me.