Southern-Style
A Downhome Perspective on All Things Southern

QUERY LETTER

1. double-spaced,

2. single-sided pages

3. typed,

4. no spelling mistakes, typos or grammatical errors.

5. 1 page long, if possible.

6. clearly identify the genre or category the proposed book fits into and also provide some insight on general market positioning – where does it fit in the marketplace and on the shelf? This means an author must do his or her homework – visit a bookstore, be familiar with other works in the genre, etc.

7. brief overview of the work that is clear, compelling and makes one want to read more – this part should be somewhat reflective of the author's writing style.

8. Do not mention other unpublished works in a query – the focus should be on the one book the author is trying to sell. Agents don't necessarily want to know that an author has other unpublished manuscripts sitting on the shelf.

9.      If the author is querying several agents, he should indicate that his is a multiple submission.

10.  The letter should also offer information about the writer: writing and publishing background, associations (i.e. RWA, MWA, etc) or writers groups, awards and prizes, published works (even short stories, articles); academic background, anything notable. This would also include info on the author's PLATFORM – speaking engagements, conferences attended, media coverage, etc.

11.  Author's contact information, including email address and phone number, should be included.

12.  No gimmicks!

13.  Author should always enclose an SASE with a mailed query.

14. For new fiction authors, a novel is almost always sold on a complete manuscript. Author should indicate what material is available to send to the agent for consideration and the manuscript length (i.e. word count). We advise new authors to write a detailed synopsis of the book – 5 pages or so – too, as we usually ask for a synopsis and 3-5 sample chapters before asking to see an entire manuscript. For non-fiction, an author should have a full proposal plus chapters ready to send. We rarely sell non-fiction on manuscript; almost always on proposal.  In general, we ask for an exclusive – that we are the only agents reviewing the requested material. We make exceptions in certain circumstances, however.