Not All Query Letters Are Alike

                Every author has to master the art of a query letter. It does not matter who you are submitting it to. Literary agents, magazines, and book publishers all request query letters from authors. Being an aspiring author myself, I have looked into different types of query letters quite a bit. I started off looking at simple websites like Yahoo and eHow for query letters for magazines and book publishing companies. But my search took me beyond those and I found a very informative website called Writer’s Relief. This website is chockfull of helpful tips from all aspects of writing, including writing query letters for anything and everything. From all of the websites I looked at, there were similarities on all of them about what to do.

Every query letter is similar in a few ways. They all explain what your book or article is about. They are all formatted formally. They are all sent to people who deal with the subject of what you are writing about. They are all supposed to explain why you are the person to write this, why you are the expert they need. Lastly, they are all supposed to explain why they should publish your work.

             Despite these similarities, it is a very different process to submit a query letter to a literary agent or book publishing agency than it is to submit one to a magazine. The first main difference is when in the process you send the query letter. For books and literary agents, you submit the letters after you have finished the book. The book has been polished and edited to the best of your ability, and you are ready to send it out into the world. For a magazine article, though, it is sent out before a lot of the work has started.  You put information such as the experts you will use, the expected word count, whether or not pictures will be available upon request, and the anticipated time line. It has all of the logistical information.

Another difference between the query letters is the order and formatting of how everything in the letter is. For a book or literary agent, the query letter is a formal letter format. The company and person you are sending your letter to should be on the top left with the address below it. Then follow it with an empty line and then on the next line have “Dear Mrs. (Insert Name here).” Be sure that research has been done and that you are addressing the correct person. For a magazine though, the full contact information is centered.

In a book, the next step is to provide a one-lined hook to attract the attention of the publishing company or the literary agent. It is a concise tagline for the book, gives some explanation to what the book is about, but mainly just draws attention. The second paragraph is a mini-synopsis of the already written book. Be sure to have the word count of the book somewhere in this paragraph and remember it is only a paragraph.

The last full paragraph is the author’s biography. This paragraph is all about you. This is the place you get to brag about previously published works and your expertise and all of that good stuff.  This can seem intimidating, especially for new writers who have never gotten anything published. It should be kept short and only have relevant information to the book like if you are a police officer and your main character is one as well. It helps give your character credibility.

Finally, thank the person who is reading your query letter for his or her time and consideration. Also mention that the full manuscript is available on request.

A query letter for a magazine is different than this. This letter starts with a hook as well, but it is generally a fact or a statistic rather than trying to explain the entire article in one sentence. It needs to be compelling and arouse curiosity.

The second paragraph is the story pitch along with all the logistical information that is required for the piece, like who you are going to interview and the expected word count and timeline.

The third paragraph explains why you have expertise to be able to write this article. Are you planning on writing a book on the benefits of being a musician? Have you recently published an article somewhere else on that? Have you been a musician? Include that information in this paragraph!

The last part is the same as a query for a literary agent or publishing company. Thank the person you are writing to for his or her time and consideration and that you look forward to hearing from him or her. Remember, you have not written the piece yet.

Although a query letter for a publishing agency and literary agent differs from a query letter for a magazine, they do have a lot of similarities-- even specific agencies have slight variations. Before writing and submitting anything, be sure to do your research on where you are sending your work. If they have specific guidelines, be sure to follow them.

I have looked at multiple websites about this sort of information and more -- these have been common link between all of them.