PublishingFoundational
Query Letter
A short professional pitch used to interest an agent or editor in a manuscript.
Principle
A query sells the reading experience, not the author's hope for it.
Takeaways
- It should identify the project, category, word count, and central hook.
- The pitch should make conflict, stakes, and audience legible quickly.
- Personalisation helps only when it is specific and relevant.
Overview
A query letter is the first formal approach many writers make to literary agents. It usually contains a concise pitch, essential market information, brief author credentials, and sometimes comparable titles. Its job is not to explain the whole book; its job is to earn a request for more material.
Examples
- A novel query names the protagonist, problem, stakes, and genre in one compact pitch.
- A nonfiction query foregrounds platform, argument, audience, and authority.
- A query mentions a comparable title to clarify shelf and readership.