For those of you who are banging your head against the wall trying to figure out the querying process, take it from Auntie Kris, I have made and subsequently learned from every mistake when it comes to Querying. After attending seminars and having several editors look over my query letter, this is the best advice I’ve got so far. Keep in mind; these rules are is for Fiction only.

Dear (enter agent name here)

Oh yes, we all do it. You’re firing off as many query letters as you can and you forget the one most important thing. It’s like the time you were told you could get 200 points on the SAT just for signing your name. But unfortunately in this case, if you don’t enter in a name, you may as well not send a query letter at all. 

The last writers Conference I attended, all of the agents agreed that this is the #1 reason they reject people. Their attitude is that if you aren’t taking the time to at least know who you’re querying to, then they are not going to take the time to read it.

Wrong Specifications

I ran into this quite a few times when I first started querying, and I kick myself for all the agents I wasted because I had the wrong specifications at the top of my query letter. You see, word count is like currency to an agent or publisher. Not having the right word count for your genre, is like walking into a bank to ask for a loan without knowing how much money you actually need. 

They need to know how to market you, and they need to know that you fit into the genre neatly. You can tell yourself that you’re the exception to the rule, or “so-and-so got published with the wrong word count” but I don’t make the rules, and you need to play by them if you’re going to make it in this business. If you’re not sure, GOOGLE IT.

Querying the wrong agent

Turns out, rapid-firing off your query letter has more than one consequence. If you take away anything from this blog it’s Quality over Quantity. I know you want to get your name out there; you just want to become a famous author as soon as possible so you don’t have to go into your miserable job tomorrow. But sending your query letter to anyone with an inbox and a pulse is a waste of their time and yours.

Take your time, research the agent on Twitter, find out what they like and what their specialty is and talk about it in your letter. (ie. Don’t pitch a shirt-ripping romance to a SciFi agent) Keep in mind, that if they choose you, this person is going to be your number two, they are going to have your back in this industry and they are going to be the one you work the closest with. Your personalities need to mesh well.

Not asking: why?

Agents are busy people, imagine having to do that day job you hate so much, and on top of that, come home at night and read ridiculous story after story from the slush pile. By reading your insignificant query letter, they are already doing you a favor, and if you even so much as get a rejection back, you really ought to buy them dinner.

This is it; the crucial moment, you’re crushed that you’ve just received yet another rejection, and you repeat after me: “I am sorry to hear that, may I ask why?”

It’s as simple as that! What’s the worst that could happen? They’ve already rejected you! In this industry constructive criticism is everything, and a free critique? That is pure gold! Don’t throw away gold when you know where it’s buried because you’re too lazy to dig for it.

Here’s my own personal list, based on feedback I have gotten from Agents. Don’t put this shit in your Query Letter:

• “My book can be compared to Harry Potter…”

• “I’ve been working so hard on this …”

• “In a world where….”

• “I don’t have any writing experience, but here is a list of my hobbies…”

• “I’ve had to overcome so many obstacles in life to write this book…”

• “This book is the next Game of Thrones…”

• “This book means everything to me….”

If you subscribe to my website to receive emails, feel free to send me your query letter I’d be happy to take a look at it. (and remember what I said about free gold)