I'm aware it's an attempt to hook me in, but it's more of a road block and you don't want that so early into the query letter. If you're writing YA fantasy, you're reading the latest YA fantasy if you're writing adult historical fiction, you're reading the latest adult historical fiction if you're writing middle grade mystery, you're reading the latest MG mystery.ĭo not begin a query letter with a 'what would you do if' question or 'you would/know' declarative assumption. It helps you become a better writer, it shows the agent you are up-to-date on readers' interests, and it helps both of you provide comparative titles when pitching to an editor down the road on submission. Know your market! It's so great to read books released in the last few years that's within your target audience and genre. That's exactly what a query should look like-concise, thorough, enticing. The book jackets of published work give you enough information to understand the groundwork/backstory, a character to focus on and their first big obstacle that sends them on the journey, and then a hook to get you to open the book and discover for yourself.

Query letters are truly like a book jacket. Is it just the query that’s not grabbing them, or is it the overall idea? Are they intrigued enough to want to read the book? If not, get back to work on the query or, possibly, the book. These are people you’re trying to sell the book to (like you’ll be selling to agents or readers in a bookstore). Before sending out any query, run it by a few trusted writing friends, but not those who’ve already read the book. Either adjust your query to the book, but make sure it’s still a strong blurb, or adjust the book to bring it back to the vision you first created. If the book is going off base, you have two options. While you’re writing, check back on your query to see if you’re still holding true to what makes your book marketable. It can also be used as a broad outline for your book. The query blurb is essentially the key selling points of your idea. The minute you have the idea sit down and work on the blurb.

Write your query before you write the book.

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