Querying: What Makes the Perfect Pitch?

A query letter, sometimes called a cover letter by publishers, is the second most important piece of writing, next to your manuscript, that you will write for your book. It is the first thing all agents and editors will see when you are trying to find a home for your work.

Writing a query letter is the writer’s equivalent of puberty. It is a stressful, fumbling, awkward, and down-right uncomfortable time. It seems everyone has an opinion to contribute and not-a-one of them applies directly to your situation. If you’re lucky, really lucky, someone comes along who can put the entire process in perspective and ease the emotional tension. I hope to be that someone. I’ve done a lot of querying, and it sucks. But, if you want to take a stab at traditional publishing, it is a must.

Here I offer four general tips with which almost every literary agent or editor would agree.

1. Know whom you are querying and what they want.

2. Respect the agent or editor’s time.

3. Be able to describe your book succinctly.

4. Do not quit.

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Be sure to tune in to the Official Prose. Blog for the full article by indie author and regular contributor, Kendall Bailey (@KBaileyWriter), later today at: blog.theprose.com.

Also, in case you missed it: we recently launched the “Prose Pitch” challenge (theprose.com/challenge/2444) giving everyone the chance to win a full-stack indie publishing deal. Pitch (or “query”) your novel-to-be in 500-750 words. If we like it, we’ll help you edit, market, and publish it so you can share it with the world. For more information, please contact our editorial staff directly at https://theprose.com/p/contact.