I had the awesome privilege of speaking to a group of people at my local library this week. And they were awesome!!! I thought it would be tough (first time talking to the public about writing), but the words spilled out, sort of like writing a story. A couple of attendees asked me the same question.
What is a Query Letter?
Definition of a Query Letter by Bethany Wiggins:
A query letter is a three-ish sentence pitch of your book that has a hook baited with something so tempting, the agents you send it to are drooling to get their hands on your manuscript.
Here are a couple of examples:
1. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob--knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?
(From Eclipse)
2. At Fairfield High, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners, the results are bound to be explosive.
Neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all – love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?
(From Simone Elkeles Perfect Chemestry... see? don't you want to read this?)
So there you have it! Any more query questions? Post them in the comments and I'll try to help you out in my next post. Cheers! And go do something fun this weekend.
