Hello Ava—Congratulations on finishing your book! I’m glad to hear you’re taking time to revise it because revision is key.

WHEN SHOULD YOU START WRITING A QUERY LETTER?
Now! Coming up with a brief summary of your book can be difficult. I suggest starting that part of the query letter while you’re still writing or revising the book because, sometimes when you summarize, you’ll realize those few lines don’t really match what you’re writing. Thinking about the book’s recap can help your writing get back on track if you feel you’re straying from the heart of your story.

Here are some other considerations to keep in mind:

WHO NEEDS TO WRITE A QUERY LETTER?

Authors seeking traditional publication typically write a query letter to accompany the opening pages of the manuscript once they start querying agents (seeking representation). However, there are other paths to take that also require a query letter. For example, some publishers allow queries from unagented writers, or, sometimes a direct contact—such as an acquisitions editor you met a writers’ event—asks you to query them directly.

WHAT IS A QUERY LETTER?

A query letter is a concisely written, one-page business letter used to entice the reader to stop everything they’re doing, read the accompanying manuscript pages, and then contact the author asking for the “full” (full manuscript) because this is a book they couldn’t put down and one they think they can sell.

For novels, typically 20-25 pages of the manuscript are submitted along with the query; for picture books, the full manuscript is sent. Submission requirements vary; follow guidelines carefully. Nonfiction books may be handled differently because they can sometimes be pitched as an idea. Though, for debut authors, sample chapters or a full manuscript may still be needed.

BEFORE YOU START

Plan to invest time researching to find the right agent for you and your book, as you want to send queries to agents who are actively seeking the kind of book you’ve written. This means that (1) they are open to submissions, and (2) they represent that category and genre of book (i.e., middle grade mystery). Beyond reviewing an agency’s website, you can look at sites that provide a look at many agencies, such as Manuscript Wish List.

OPENING

The opening lines of a query letter often state why that agent/publisher is being queried and note if the writer has a connection. For example, “Per the monthly Slushpile-Skipper opportunity on the Kids Writers Are Awesome blog, I’m submitting the first 25 pages of my 40,000-word middle-grade mystery because the post stated that you are seeking middle-grade contemporary friendship stories and also like ghost stories. My book has all of those elements,” or, “We met at the Spring 2023 Children’s Writers Conference during a pitch session. You expressed interest in my book’s premise and asked that I send you the first three chapters. Attached please find the opening chapters of my 40,000-word middle-grade mystery.”

A query letter can help sell your book. Treat it as an important piece on your path toward publication.

HOOK AND SUMMARY

After an amazing opening blurb about your book that hooks the reader, a standard query letter continues on to include a brief summary of the book. This sounds simple. It’s not. Spend a lot of time crafting this portion of your query letter. If you belong to a critique group, workshop your query letter with them. If you have critique partners who have read your book, that’s even better because they can catch what your query letter’s missing.

A query letter can help sell your book. Treat it as an important piece on your path toward publication.

Though, as with most anything when it comes to writing, there’s no one way things are done. An agent may skip past the query for now and go directly to the manuscript pages. It happens. Still, I believe in “better safe than sorry” as many agents do start with the query and, if intrigued, continue on to the manuscript pages.

BIO

Include brief info about yourself that’s relevant to you as a writer and, perhaps, why you wrote the book. Focus on facts that are applicable and can help sell the book. For example, “I’ve been a high school teacher for the past 15 years. My historical fiction YA book is loosely based on my grandmother’s journal that she kept as a teen in the 1930s through 1940s chronicling Japan’s invasion of China and WWII.”

CLOSING

This is where you thank the reader for their time and consideration. Remember everyone is maxed-out busy. Keep the query letter’s content brief and professional and don’t forget to include contact info at the bottom, including social media hyperlinks.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

There are many online sources. I like the Writer’s Digest article, “How to Write Successful Queries for Any Genre of Writing” because it include thirty-nine examples of actual query letters that landed book deals.

SCBWI members can also access a free article, “The Query Letter,” by Carla Killough McClafferty in SCBWI’s online publication, The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children. Once you’re signed into SCBWI.org, click on “Publications,” then the name of this book.

Good luck! I hope to, one day, read your book.

—Christine

HAVE QUESTIONS?

To ask a question that may be answered in an upcoming Kite Tales, please follow this link and fill in the form. Answers by Christine Van Zandt, literary editor and writer, and owner of Write for Success Editing Services.

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