8 Query Letter Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Along with writing my own books, I work with a publishing
house that publishes novels of experienced, award-winning authors along with
emerging authors. Part of being a small publisher is helping new writers sharpen
the craft of writing and allowing them to experience the art of storytelling.
To get to that point, a writer has to introduce the
manuscript to an agent or publisher with a query letter. This is one area where
most writers struggle – the query letter is a business sales letter.
Writers use it to introduce their work to an agent or
publisher, and hopefully, to get a commitment to send more of the manuscript
for evaluation. Both experienced and
novice writers struggle with this. Like any good business letter, there are
aspects that should be avoided.
Here are eight mistakes that I’ve seen in just the past
three months (along with some real-life examples).
1. Don’t start with what you want.
You are offering something that
the publisher/agent will discover that they want.
NO: “I am interested in having my
recently completed a 74,000-word mystery titled Deathly Deadbeats published by
Cherokee McGhee Press.”
YES: “My recently completed a 74,000-word
mystery Deathly Deadbeats features an off-beat amateur sleuth who tracks down
men behind on their child support payments, but…”
2. Don’t query your first novel outside your
country.
I have received several queries
from South Africa, Israel, India and the United Kingdom. Small publishers, who usually take first
novels, have so many queries that the added complexities of working with
foreign authors make them an easy rejection. Not fair, I know – but it’s a
business.
3. If you receive a rejection from a publisher,
don’t turn around and send a query for another manuscript.
This makes it look like you have a
computer full of old manuscripts – even if you do, always query with the one
that best fits the publisher/agent’s list.
4. Don’t re-query a year later thinking the
agent/publisher won’t remember and maybe accept the exact same manuscript this
time around.
I read all the queries. I have a
process of tracking what comes through the mail. This shows that the author is
not working on his craft and a new manuscript; he just keeps shotgunning the
same manuscript to every e-mail address he can find.
As in dating, the same in
publishing: “No means no.”
5. Watch for wishy-washy lead sentences. Start the
query with confidence.
“I’m seeking a publisher who is
willing to consider publishing my first novel, Dancing Trees.” A publisher
“willing to consider” would be the first logical step, but don’t put that as
the focus. If the publisher is taking query letters, it is willing to consider
manuscripts.
6. Don’t query a manuscript that’s not appropriate
for the list. Know the agent/publisher’s genres.
I receive queries for books on
business or textbooks or poetry – we publish fiction. That’s not hard to
decipher; it’s in the submission guidelines.
7. Don’t describe yourself. It’s the manuscript
that is being evaluated.
“I am a Paul Newman/Kirk Douglas
looking Jew with long hair and beard that is observant and has done serious
time.” Am I supposed to be impressed,
afraid, cautious, or introduce him to my sister?
8. Do not query a self-published book (that
includes a book that has been an eBook)
Self-publishing or subsidy
publishing a manuscript in paper or eBook format is considered a published
book. The “First” Worldwide, North American, or whatever print rights have been used. We have found a book’s
original publication usually taps out its initial sales potential, and that
first period of sales is when the book recoups the publisher’s investment. Most paper and/or eBook publishers only
consider unpublished works.
So, if you decide to self-publish,
that book is technically published. Most publishing houses will not consider
it.
That last one is a big one as aspiring authors have more
opportunities to self-publish. Even
something like SmashWords makes your manuscript “published” and not eligible to
be considered for original publication by another publisher. This is usually in the contract and could
become a legal issue if you try to conceal the fact.
These are just a few of the things to watch. More information
on creating the perfect query letter to snag a publisher is in my new “field
guide to the Writer’s Life” – SUNSETS & SEMICOLONS.
