#Query Letter

Query letter is below 👇🏾 Just an FYI, this is from 2021. The querying looks different now than it did 5 years ago. That said, I hope this is helpful to you! I’m always happy to talk about my publishing journey, especially as a Black author in the trad pub industry! If you’re currently in the query trenches, good luck 💕 Dear Agent, Personalization. With a smile she can bring any man to his knees, with a song she can guide him to his grave. To slake her siren bloodlust, seventeen-year-old Saoirse lives a double life; soldier by day, assassin for an unknown employer by night. When she’s assigned to Prince Hayes’s personal guard, she’s determined to hate him— after all, his father slaughtered the rest of her kind and left her the only siren in her kingdom. When Saoirse kills a friend of Hayes for her employer, he launches an investigation into the mystery woman assassin and recruits Saoirse’s help. Forced to finally ask questions about her former victims, she realizes each target is part of her employer’s larger plot to kill the Royal family. Worse, he’s starting with Hayes, who seems less like his father with each passing day. A pawn in someone else’s game, Saoirse has to decide what matters more: keeping her secrets from the Royal family she’s always despised, or protecting Hayes— the first man who doesn’t need a Siren Song to fall for her. SING ME TO SLEEP is a 95-thousand-word YA Fantasy with the dark seduction of The Shadows Between Us, and the siren protagonist struggling to hide her identity of A Song Below Water. With its central female protagonist teetering between her image as a hauntingly beautiful Siren and a disguised member of the army, this novel is reminiscent of the split-face movie poster of Disney’s Mulan. I’m a native St. Louisan with the midwestern accent to prove it. I spend most of my time finding beautiful places to hike and enjoying the endless snow in Maine. I have no prior publishing experience, but I write constantly — both novels and jotting down orders at the restaurant where I wait tables. Thank you for your time and consideration. #authorsofig #queryletter #querying #querytrenches #authorsofinsta

it’s a pitch. it’s a vibe. it’s “here’s why this book matters and why i wrote it.” the agent wants to feel something in 250 words. not understand every subplot. save that for the synopsis. hi. it me. your bestie agent. 🤍 #queryletter #howtoquery #literaryagent

3 Best-kept Query Secrets 🙊 You’ve worked for years on your book. You’re finally ready to share your STORY with the world! And it’s so demoralizing to hear…crickets. 🦗 If you want agents or editors or indie publishers to not just read your submission but fall 👏in 👏love with your BOOK, then your query needs to shine. After all, you have one shot. And your book baby deserves the best shot possible, right? If you’re a writer on submission, I bet you’ve read some sample query letters online. Most of those queries probably had these 3 factors! 👩🏻‍💻HOOK. This is the magic word. Is there immediate interest? Do you lead with the most intriguing part of your book? Remember that we all skim our emails, so start strong. 👩🏻‍💻PERSONALIZATION. The query needs to read like it’s personally tailored to a particular agent. Don’t just send a form email en masse. You should not be copy/pasting the *exact* same query letter to every agent on your submission list. WHY are you querying this agent? Do you admire a writer on their list? Did you notice something specific in their Manuscript Wish List profile? 👩🏻‍💻COMPS. I have other reels that take a deep-dive on comparative titles. But in short, include 1-3 comparative titles that show where your book fits in the marketplace. These should be published in the last 5 years! So while I love Stephen King’s Misery, that’s not a good comp. Sorry not sorry. Keep querying. Your book deserves it. 📖Follow for more publishing tips ✈️Share with a friend who is in the query trenches #amwriting #writerslife #writingcommunity #authorlife #publishingtips #publishinglife #publishingindustry #aspiringauthor #aspiringauthorsofig #queryletter #amquerying #querying #querytrenches #literaryagents #pathtopublishing

Some random tips to help you when you’re querying literary agents!! #querying #amquerying #queryletter #writer #writingcommunity #tradpub #bookpublishing #literaryagents #literaryagent #authorsofinstagram #writingtips #writinganovel

We should all be sending more letters.

Surprise letters, apology letters, love letters, life-update letters, one sentence letters, hope-you-have-a-nice-day letters, this-made-me-think-of-you letters, remember-that-time-when letters, I-love-you-to-infinity-and-beyond letters.

Just the fact that someone sat down with pen and paper. Thought about every single word. Maybe even wrote a draft. Went to the post office. Paid for a stamp. No matter if it’s just a few sentences or a simple “I love you.” It’s so much more impactful than a text message. From ‘About snail mail’ at carinas.substack.com 💌 #penpals #postcards #snailmail

Day 99: When did I last write a letter to someone just because? Here is the invitation: During today’s one-hour rest from the rectangles, write a letter to someone just because. It can be to share a funny story, an article from a magazine, a joke, a love letter, a thank you, an acknowledgement, anything. Do not concern yourself with your handwriting. # Then put it in an envelope, adhere a stamp, and mail it. Don’t forget to sign your name. And always remember how much you are loved. PS – the next reel is Day 100 in the #100daysofrestchallenge. We’re almost to the finish line. YAY!

One of the most important things you can do as you venture out to find a literary agent, is craft a fantastic query letter! I've taken several classes for this, and found the four main parts to be: Housekeeping: this is where you will give stats on your book, such as what it's about, word count, and possible title. Hook: This is where you actually give a description about your book. But try to keep it short; no more than 300 words is ideal. Bio: time to talk about you! But keep this one even shorter. About 50-150 words will work. Closing: thank them for their time, and sign your name. Working on mine now! Even though I'm not quite finished writing my book. #queryletter #queryletters #writer #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #writingabook #writingaboutwriting #books #booksrockmyworld #bookstagram #booknerd #booklover #novel #writingtips #writinglife

So why not send one today, and see where it leads you? 💌 #incowrimo #snailmail #snailmailrevolution #letterwriting #letters #letterwritersalliance #letterwriter #writemoreletters

Tommy Dean is officially OPEN TO QUERIES at Rosecliff Literary! If you write sharp, voicey fiction that demands to be read in one sitting, he wants to see it. Flash fiction wizards, literary mag darlings, and anyone who loves a sentence that slaps—this is your sign. ✨ #querying #queryletter #mswl #writingcommunity #askagent #amquerying

1. Don’t ignore submission guidelines and please format your query correctly or you risk it getting tossed on sight! 2. Not only are most prologues unnecessary, but they don’t give the agent or publisher a sense of your writing voice and main character in the current story. 3. Starting with the MC waking up makes sense, but it’s cliche. 4. Don’t have tons of info dumping especially about world-building. You want to show the world through your MC’s eyes. 5. And finally, don’t have a good premise in your query that’s not backed up by good writing. Always make sure your manuscript is in the absolute best shape it can be in. Your manuscript should also be complete in case they ask for a full or partial manuscript. Let me know if you have any questions!! 🫶🏼 #queryletter #querying #publishingabook #bookpublishing #authors #authorsofinstagram

Using a pen name in a query letter #querying #queryletter #querytips #publishing

We should all be sending more letters. Surprise letters, this-made-me-think-of-you letters, apology letters, love letters, hope-you-have-a-nice-day letters, life update letters, one sentence letters. The fact that someone sat down with pen and paper, thought about every single word, maybe even made a draft, went to the post office, paid for a stamp. No matter if it’s just a few sentences or a simple “I love you”, it’s so much more impactful than a text message. 💌 #writersofinstagram #writer #handwriting #journal #notes #thoughts #foryou #loveletters #ink #snailmail #postcard #penpal