Agent Interviews

Makes me want to get in touch with writer ASAP to find out what happens/happened.

I need to be able to skim and still understand what kind of book I'm considering. If it sits in the (large) sphere of what I'm looking for as an agent, I'll go back through and read every word, but on first glance I should be able to discern audience, genre, title, author, word count, and primary themes or conflicts.

Be as concise and straightforward as possible while also being as descriptive as possible. Focus on plots, not themes. If you can include a strong hook and good comps, even better. Show me you understand where your book fits in the market and how best to describe it.

I like to have the pertinent information in the first paragraph: title, genre, word count, and a tag-line. Then I like one or two paragraphs about the plot of the book. Then a short author bio. Please include all social media links. I will look up any author I am interested in representing. If submitting to me via query manager, it is easy to query me like this.

-Succinct
-Focused on the book and not the author
-Clearly understands where the book fits in the market, which means lists genre and comparison authors
-Features a word count that is withing normal parameters for that genre
-Is adult fiction or memoir and not children's fiction

One paragraph describing the book and one describing the author, written with heart and wit but not trying too hard.

Ideally, a query will be professional, enticing, and succinct. For fiction, it should tell me more about the book than the authors. In a few sentences, set up the main conflict, tell me your characters' motivations, and make sure you're clear about what's at stake; it should read like the back of a book. Get me excited to get to the pages themselves! For nonfiction, make sure I understand where this book will fit on the market and why you're the best author to write it. Assure me that you have a new take on your topic! Overall, I want understand what makes your story different.

Brief, professional, with a sense of personality and energy. Indications that you've taken the time to become familiar with some of the agent's preferences and wishlist. Besides a brief description of your project (genre - including specifics re audience age, word count, etc.) include three or more comp titles published in the last five years (include publication date and publisher), noting how your project is similar to and different from these. Bio info that includes experience with kids, writing background and/or background relevant to the writing project. I also appreciate knowing where you live, as I think that impacts our lives so much. And, if you have had any prior contact with me (met at a conference, have a writer friend that I represent, etc.), please mention that. (Remember: do NOT include attachments as emails with them will be deleted without being read. Include links if you are an author/illustrator)

I like it if you get my name right, although I've been called Luigi and all sorts; it just shows you've got a professional attitude. A brief factual description of the work (e.g. 'This is a sci fi novel about a woman who's lost everything, and must find the reserves within herself to gain the life she actually should have. My inspiration was a short story by Ernest Hemingway, because it made me angry and I thought I could make his point better. This should appeal to readers of China Mieville and Doris Lessing.') Leave out the adjectives (e.g. 'This towering work of the imagination with rock you with its power'). Finally, a bit about yourself (e.g. 'I work in the public sector and have had a couple of short stories published, but this is my debut' or 'I have six successful novels under my belt but my current agent and I no longer see eye to eye.')

Short. :)

Brief and to the point.

The ideal query letter exhibits that the author fulsomely understands their own work and can present it cogently and vividly and succinctly.

A one-page query: first paragraph about the author, second a blurb about the book, third tell me about your platform, and fourth, just remind me to contact you as soon as possible.

Warm, professional, specific, enticing, and concise.

An ideal query letter is a 1-2 sentence hook/quick elevator pitch, followed by a couple of body paragraphs describing the book's plot details (akin to book cover copy), followed by a paragraph about the author that lists relevant writing experience/credentials/author sites or social media pages. It should all fit on one page and include the author's contact details.

Short and sweet. You need to follow the 3 "itys" when writing a query letter. Brevity. Simplicity. Clarity. Don't overload me with plot or character details. Sell the sizzle, not the steak, as they said on Madison Avenue. Make me excited to want to read your manuscript. Also, do your research. Don't send me stuff I'm not interested in and don't represent. Realize that your "unique" idea may be the exact same one as half a dozen other authors. It's very difficult to come up with something original, that's never been done before. So what is an author to do when it comes to plot and character? Do it better! And then sell me on it...

The best queries are short and punchy and get right to the stakes. They should read like jacket copy. And include comparable titles.

One that makes my heart race a little, when I’m eager for the pages to come in already because the dangled bait was so enticing. This can mean different things, sometimes it’s a great x meets y kind of comp pairing and other times it just hits close to home on a personal level, and other times it just conveys the perfect marriage of timely and novel.

One that shows the author is as careful with how they write about their work, as they are with the book itself. One that is marketplace informed, but not market-centric. One that is engaging and clear. One that makes it clear why the work is special. And one that is it's one best advertisement for the work; that could easily turn into catalog or cover copy as it is so 'spot on' about pulling the reader in to the text.

The ideal query letter will introduce the book title and genre (literary fiction, upmarket fiction, historical fiction, etc) and will offer a brief synopsis of what the book is about: the who, what, when, where, and why--the "why" being very important--and will also tell us, thematically, what the book is about. What happens to the characters, but also, what are some of the bigger ideas that the book will have readers thinking about? The letter should also offer some accurate comp titles, and a bio that lists any credentials--where you've been published, if you have an MFA, etc.

Short and specific with qualifications about why you are qualified to write the project.

A query should have a wonderful hook, a great summary, and an author bio. A perfect query will pique my interest within a single page.

Address to me, not the agency. Even if you are sending a "shotgun" query, be careful not to include all the other agency addresses in your email. If it is going to multiple agents, please let me know that you have sent it other agencies - I do not need to which agencies. Your pitch should be compelling and be no more that 2 short paragraphs. To consider a good query, you should include a tagline. When considering the text, write it as if I am picking up your book at a Barnes & Noble and looking at the dustjacket of a hardcover or the back cover of a paperback. Include comps, whether or not the book is part of a series, "blurbs" that you may have received from authors. A short bio with your publishing history, or self-published books you have authored.

I need the basics: title, word count, genre, and audience (and by that I mean middle grade, YA, adult...); a paragraph or two about the plot of the book itself; and a brief bio about the author (please include anything relevant to your experience that might be connected to your inspiration behind writing the book). And that's pretty much it. Any accolades, if you have them. No worries at all if you don't. And then we ask for a sample. That's the really telling part for me. Did the author follow instructions and send the requested material and is it hooking me!

Short.

Succinct, with the protagonist, his/her quest and the stakes clearly defined. Include any writing credits or relevant info (ie, that you grew up in your setting, that you knit if that's a key part of the plot, etc.) Feel free to include the opening pages (5-10). Don't sweat the small stuff like one typo or misspelling - not a big deal, we're all human. If your whole letter is grammatically incorrect, that's another story... Don't worry about explaining why you queried me - some agents find this helpful, I don't really.

See above.

Short, thoughtful, irresistible.

Here's the thing about a query letter -- it does many jobs at once. Yes, it tells me about who you are, what you've done, what you areas of expertise are, what you've published (if anything) and so forth. But HOW you write the query letter is really important. More than anything, the query letter gives me a glimpse into the mind of the writer behind the query. I'm looking first and foremost for good writers. The one thing almost all good writers have in common, is that whether it's about scaling Mt Everest or doing the laundry, they find an intriguing, often seductive way to write about their subject that keeps me turning the page. What they are writing, to a degree, is less important initially. If you can write, what you are writing can be something, potentially, we can work on together.

The ideal query letter is warm but professional. It gives a verbal snapshot of the project, tells the agent a little bit about the author, reveals how that book (whether fiction or nonfiction) meets readers' perceived needs, and notes the author's past book sales numbers and platform (built-in audience) numbers. The best queries show how this book is a fresh look, a unique approach, a new angle on the topic or story plot.

I like to see the quick one-line snapshot up at the top, so Title, genre, word count, and quick logline/comp. Then a two to three paragraph blurb--this is the key thing I'm looking at in the query, if this doesn't grab my interest then I'm very likely to pass. Writing blurbs can be a challenge, but the key bits of info are: introduce your characters, explain the stakes/inciting incident, and broadly explain the conflict/plot. This is your back of the book copy that you want to make sure hooks me along with those opening pages. Then a quick bio/writing credits so I know a bit about you as an author/person.

The ideal query letter is short (a page max), doesn't spoil the ending or pivotal moments of the book but manages to evoke my curiosity about it, concisely explains what it's about and why it's necessary, and also introduces the writer to me. It's one that manages to draw me in in as little as a single page, which is hard to do and the mark of a great writer.

- No more than 3 paragraphs.
- Uses at least one modern comp, and explains why specifically said comps are appropriate.
- Includes a very brief About the Author paragraph at the end.
- Follows all instructions on our website.

I like a polite but personable letter - you don't have to be overly formal.
Tell me what the book is - genre, word count, target audience/where it sits in the market, who else your reader might be reading (comp titles)
Give me a short paragraph focusing on character, goal and stakes so I know what I'm investing in emotionally when I read your story
Share some information about yourself (keep it short and pertinent) and any reasons you have for approaching me.
Sign off with your name (I realise that sounds very prescriptive but it's amazing how many people don't)

The query summary shouldn't be too long and it should give me a clear idea of who the characters are, what they want or are facing, why, and what the story's conflict will entail. Leave me wanting to read more. Having some comparative titles in your query is useful, as well as any writing credits, accolades, awards, or writing organization memberships. It is helpful to have some information about what makes you uniquely qualified to write this story, but I have seen some queries that provide a one pager all about why and how the book was written, which is too much. Succinct is key.

For fiction, I'm looking for query letters that are straightforward and that tell me about the protagonist and what makes them compelling, and I want to know about the conflict and the stakes. For memoir and narrative nonfiction, I'm looking to learn how the book illuminates an intriguing topic in a unique way. For practical nonfiction, I'm looking to learn how the book fills a hole in the marketplace and why the author is the best person to be writing it.

Paragraph One: What the project is. Please lead off with word count, genre etc so I know what I'm envisioning.
Then give me a great summary with specifics..."the main character does something amazing that changes the world in unbelievable ways" tells me nothing. Give me specific actions and plot points.
And as I said above I enjoy a little wrap up paragraph about the author themselves.

Short and to the point! Don't get too hung up on describing your plot in fiction, and include your best few publications rather than a laundry list of the ones you accumulated in college :) And remember that it's the beginning of a professional relationship, so it should be a professional letter.

The ideal query letter lists your title, genre, length, comps, and a one-sentence pitch at the very beginning. This is followed by a one- or two-paragraph summary that establishes setting, character, stakes, and most of the plot. Ideally the summary will be written in an engaging narrative voice that's similar to the writing style in the sample, and the query letter will end with a brief bio that shares an interesting detail about the author that's not necessarily about their writing, but I don't hold it against authors when they don't include those elements.