What Are Query Letters and How to Write Them?

Ever thought about how authors get their books published and the battles they wrestled just so they get to be a step closer to their dreams? Like everyone else, writers do not have it easy. Rejections come with the profession; not all of your works will be published and be known to the majority of readers. Hence, authors have to step up their game and be exceptionally creative in sending out their query letters to various outlets for chances of publication.

For the most part, some authors have this undeniable talent for writing magnificent storylines but fail to publish their manuscripts for the first few tries. However, despite the drawback, they did not falter. Instead of giving up, they sought to move forward and continue betting on their luck. Eventually, they landed a good deal and are now considered the most popular and successful people in their field.

What is a Query Letter?

The primary purpose of a query letter is to persuade and entice the prospective agent or editor to read your book and provide feedback thereof.

It is a formal letter with precision and point. Authors write query letters to spread the word about their book and for literary agents, magazine and newspaper editors, or on some occasions, publishing companies.

It shall be a one-page letter. If such a letter is more than the stated number of pages, the agents will most likely ignore your query letter and leave it for God knows how long. Brevity is of high importance in such circumstances. The lesser, the better— without forfeiting the quality.

Writers compose a query letter to propose their storyline and the creative writing ideas they are working on. This letter shall be compelling enough to captivate the literary agent with your story and eventually ask for the manuscript, and the rest will follow from there.

How to Write Query Letters?

With the emergence of countless authors, from self-published ones to traditional-published ones, it is an accustomed truth that making a mark in the writing industry is becoming more arduous. Thus, novelty is an asset an author must have to carve a name for themselves. This is where query letters come in handy. As previously mentioned and discussed, you now know what a query letter is. Now, the question arises of how authors construct their query letters that charm their prospective agents.