The Query Letter- Getting Their Attention...

Every aspiring author should be proficient in writing a query letter. There are many sources on the web, and in print, that can assist you on how to write a great query letter. AgentQuery.com is a great database to find all the information you need on literary agents. They also have an article, "How to Write a Query Letter", that breaks down what you need into basic sections.

1. The Hook - write a one sentence tagline for your YA novel that sums it all up. This is what will keep the readers (potential literary agents) reading. You want to make them immediately interested in your novel.
2. The Mini-Synopsis - summarize your YA novel into roughly a 150-word paragraph. Give just a little more about what goes on in your novel that will make them want to read your manuscript. This will take a lot of practice to perfect but with enough patience a mini-synopsis will become easier to write and ultimately sell your novel.
3. The Writer's Biography - here is where you talk about yourself, but be sure to keep it short and as relevant to writing as it can be. What experience do you have in writing? Have you won any contests? If you have no answer to these questions, then focus more on your mini-synopsis and keep your biography to a minimum.
4. In Closing - always be sure to thank the agent you are addressing in your letter, for taking the time to read your query letter. Also mention that a manuscript is available upon request; and make sure you have your YA novel ready.

Victoria Scott, author of the upcoming novel The Collector, used a simliar site called QueryTracker.net, "wrote a query letter and blasted it out to a few agents" (personal communication, October 31, 2012). When asked if she had any advice for beginners on how to write a query letter, Scott replied, "research proper query format, and then look up winning query letters that landed agents and use those two pieces as a guide" (personal communication, October 31, 2012).  So do your research and sell your YA novel in that single page cover letter.

You can do it!


Works Referenced:

• Agent Query LLC (2012). How to Write a Query Letter. Retrieved from http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx