I see plenty of query letters over the course of a year, and (though they\u2019re much more boring) a fair few synopses too. Lots of these are absolutely fine. A tweak here or there, and they\u2019re good to go. But many of them \u2013 maybe half or more \u2013 make mistakes that you just don\u2019t need to make.
\nSo let\u2019s get them right. In particular:<\/p>\n
Let your synopsis be a synopsis<\/strong><\/p>\n Writers are, naturally, extremely averse to giving away all the good bits of their story. But that\u2019s what a synopsis is. It\u2019s not a blurb. It\u2019s not a sales pitch. It\u2019s just a neutral, unsexy summary of your story\u2019s plot.<\/p>\n Really, that summary should include the final denouement too. (\u201cRyan finds the explosive and removes the detonator, thereby saving the stadium.\u201d) But if you really can\u2019t bring yourself to do that, you can cheat a very little bit, and only right at the end. (\u201cRyan arrives at the stadium, where the dramatic final act takes place.\u201d)<\/p>\n Let your query letter define your query (1)<\/strong><\/p>\n Agents get lots of emails about lots of things. So make it clear why you\u2019re writing. You don\u2019t have to be clever here. Just use the following sentence with the appropriate bits altered:<\/p>\n \u201cI am writing to seek representation for my debut novel, Return of the Killer Kitten, a 180,000 word geopolitical thriller, set in Ukraine, Berlin and Stockholm.\u201d<\/p>\n Let your query letter define your query (2)<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, you are a fabulously creative person with ideas pouring out of your lugholes. But shut up about it \u2013 for now. Right now, you are seeking to retain a salesperson (ie: a literary agent) to sell a product (your manuscript) to an investor (your publisher.)<\/p>\n Focus on the task at hand. Talk about the product you want to sell now. Yes, you can introduce yourself a bit, but remember that your book is the main attraction here. So you should spend the majority of your (short) covering letter talking about your book. If, in addition to your geo-political thriller, you wish to write Young Adult fantasy and non-fiction about collapsed civilisations, then fine. But don\u2019t talk about it now: you\u2019ll simply reduce the pool of agents who want to take you on.<\/p>\n Once you have an agent on board, you can explain more what you want to write about, and you can explore how broadly your interests match. But for now, just find the agent who wants to sell this book. That agent is almost certainly the right agent for you now.<\/p>\n Shut up about yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n I reckon you have a maximum of a paragraph to talk about yourself and, if I were writing a query letter today, that paragraph would probably be a short one. You are not the main deal here; your manuscript is \u2013 so focus on that.<\/p>\n That said, if you have an extensive and relevant past, by all means include a \u2018Creative Resume\u2019 or something similar as part of the package you send over. If I were seeking a new agent today, I\u2019d need a list somewhere of my past books with a note of publishers, rights sales, TV options, and the like. That would be useful background for any agent, of course, but you want to keep it out of the query letter itself \u2013 because you want the query letter to keep its focus relentlessly on the manuscript that you\u2019re seeking to sell.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t shut up about yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n Ah! You\u2019re writing non-fiction? In that case, please ignore the ridiculous advice given just above. If the non-fiction book you\u2019re selling depends heavily on your authority (your proven expertise) or your platform (your ability to reach readers via social media and so on), you need to talk about that at length. It\u2019s all part of the package the agent will be looking to sell.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t shove the synopsis into the query<\/strong><\/p>\n Your query letter is a query letter. Your synopsis is a synopsis. Don\u2019t ram the second into the first. If you try to replace either of these elements with a bald plot summary, your letter will feel a lot less appetising than it could be.<\/p>\n Think of it this way: your synopsis is meant to be a rather bald, functional document. If it\u2019s fun to read, you\u2019ve got it a bit wrong. Your query letter on the other hand is about seduction. You need a glitter of the unknown, the lure of temptation. If you don\u2019t feel that tickle of excitement in your query letter, you need to redo it.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n All that sounds sensible, but there are also some areas where the answers are a little less clear. For example:<\/p>\n How many agents to query?<\/strong><\/p>\n My normal rule of thumb is that you should approach 10-12 agents that you\u2019ve selected with reasonable care. (Our own AgentMatch service is ideal, but whatever tool you use, make sure you are contacting agents with some basic interest in the kind of material you send.)<\/p>\n After that, if you don\u2019t get serious interest (ideally, an offer of representation, but at a minimum 2-3 full manuscript requests), then you don\u2019t need to query more agents. You need to write a better book. Yes, there are examples of people who just knocked on more doors and got lucky. But they\u2019re not the rule. Really, the overwhelming reason why manuscripts don\u2019t get picked up by agents is: they\u2019re not good enough.<\/p>\n So, if the signs aren\u2019t promising after your first round of submissions, go back to your manuscript and make it better.<\/p>\n Sometimes the actual submissions process itself gives you clues about what to do. Other times it\u2019s worth getting a paid assessment (like our spectacularly good ones). But either way, if agents aren\u2019t taking your book, then fix it. That\u2019s more important, by far, than simply knocking on more doors.<\/p>\n Why this agent? Do I really need a marketing plan?<\/strong><\/p>\n And look: there\u2019s a ton of advice there which recommends extra ways for you to add work into your life. But \u2013 really?<\/p>\n In the end, you\u2019re sending your book to a dozen agents. There might be two or three of those that you\u2019ve picked for some strong reason. The rest are probably just there because they handle books in your genre and they don\u2019t seem obviously mad.<\/p>\n My advice: if you have a meaningful reason for picking a particular agent, then say so. Otherwise, just send your book. A plumber doesn\u2019t expect you to flatter them when you get them to quote for a new bathroom installation. Why should an agent need that special flattery, when you\u2019re just asking them to do their job? Don\u2019t waste your time.<\/p>\n Same thing, really, with a marketing plan. If you feel inspired to put one together, great. If not, don\u2019t worry about it. I know quite a bit about marketing books, but I certainly wouldn\u2019t put a marketing plan together when approaching agents. Marketing is a publisher\u2019s job. It\u2019s not mine, and not an agent\u2019s. Again: don\u2019t waste your time.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n That\u2019s it from me.<\/p>\n Sorry about the BORING PRACTICAL theme this week. Honestly: anyone would think these emails were actually trying to be useful. I do hereby solemnly vow to do something a bit more madcap next week. Or \u2013 probably vow. Truth is, I write about whatever happens to be in my head at the time.<\/p>\n
\nYes, of course your query letter needs to talk about the manuscript. But it needs to do two things, neither of which involves a full plot explanation. It needs to:<\/p>\n\n
\nIt\u2019s very common to see advice which says you need to tell each agent why you\u2019ve picked them specifically. It\u2019s getting more common to see advice which says you should include a draft marketing plan to prove that you\u2019re up for the commercial struggle.<\/p>\n