3 Parts of a Query Letter and 5 Parts of the Hook Paragraph - Your Guide to Connect with a Literary Agent

 

Agents receive hundreds of queries per month. Want to be noticed? Present a clean, easy-to-read letter

that follows the agent's guidelines. Live in the paradox of writing a robust but short letter. Keep it down to three paragraphs that are easy to skim. A scannable letter follows the formula of

THE HOOK

THE BOOK

THE COOK.

HOOK: The “hook” paragraph includes 5 important components:

1.       Say why you chose that agent (WHY them in particular). One short and sweet sentence is enough.  

    2.      Word count

    3.      Genre (e.g., middle grade fantasy, contemporary YA, narrative nonfiction picture book, etc.)

    4.      Title of your manuscript (capitalized)

    5.      Hook (aka name comp titles) – a comp is used to fast-forward a reader’s understanding of what you are pitching. Don’t compare yourself to obscure books or little-known writers because that does not achieve your goal of creating a quick set-up in the reader's brain. Do a lot of research! Find comps. They help hook an agent. 

EXAMPLE in order of the five components: 

Dear Rossi,

I enjoyed your interview in Writer's Digest and reading about your desire to represent nail-biting middle grade novels that feature strong STEM girls. Please accept this query for my 31,000-word spooky middle-grade manuscript, THE HAUNTING OF HAMLET MIDDLE SCHOOL. Fans of Ellen Oh’s Spirit Hunters meets Aimee Lucido’s Emmy in the Key of Code will also be fans of this story.  

THE BOOK:  The “book” paragraph succinctly tells four things about your manuscript: 

1.  your flawed protagonist 
2. their goal
3. the stakes 
4. the theme. 

Write your "book" pitch as one compelling paragraph with those four parts in mind. You will not reveal the ending unless the agent’s guidelines ask you to include a synopsis (a synopsis tells the full story—the beginning, middle, and ending). The “book” paragraph might read like a jacket flap. Keep in mind, it is to entice the agent to open the manuscript.

THE COOK: The “cook” paragraph is about you as it relates to writing. Remember, keep it concise and professional for the win. You don’t have to have publishing credit to write your cook paragraph. If you are a member of SCBWI, say so. If you are taking writing courses, mention that. If you are an active member of a critique group, you can even mention that. If you are pitching a nonfiction book, mention your credentials to write that book (e.g., you are writing a space nonfiction and you work for NASA, mention that).

Here is an example of a short-and-sweet “cook” paragraph:

By day, I teach coding for the University of California Berkeley, by night I take creative writing courses through UCLA Extensions.  I am an active member of SCBWI and belong to two critique groups. As per your submission guidelines, I’ve pasted the first ten pages in the body of this email.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Gold D. Locks

Phone

Email address

P.S. Check out a current list of agent interviews on Natalie Aguirre's blog, Literary Rambles.

15 Ways to be a Great Literary Citizen

 

Literary citizenship goes beyond just wanting a literary career. It’s about being an active, supportive participant in the writing community.

Don’t worry! You don’t have to have a big budget to be a great literary citizen. In fact, most of us cannot run to our favorite bookstores every week (or every month!) to buy the latest book we're excited about. Fortunately, there are many free ways to partake in serving as a stellar literary citizen. That's right! No matter your background or socioeconomic situation ★ you belong to this community ★ and you can engage. Here is a list of both big-budget, budget-crunching, and free ways to participate. Find what fits for you!

1.       Check out and review books from your library

2.      Read, read, read!

3.      Request that your library purchase a book for their collection. Most libraries have a “purchase request” or “suggest a purchase” form for members to fill out. All you need to do is google is your library’s name along with the words, “suggest a purchase.” Here’s more advice from EverydayReading.

4.      Shop indie! Indie bookstores and your local Barnes and Noble are packed with employees who love reading and will guide you to your next great book. Frommers created this fun list of indiebookstores across America. Bookstores I particularly love include TheWandering Jellyfish in Niwot, Colorado; Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, Colorado, BookBar Denver, Tattered Cover, and Second Star to the Right in Denver, Colorado, and Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona. Please support indies by telling me about your favorite bookstore in the comment section below!

5.     
Attend a book launch party, reading, or signing! Your bookstore probably has a monthly list featuring author events. Even if you can’t buy a book, please consider attending the launch party. You’d be surprised how often I’ve seen award-winning, best-selling authors speak to a room of only five people. Please fill those seats, say hello to the author, and then go to your library and request the book!
 

   6.      Celebrate authors and illustrators on their awards, lists, launches, book-birthdays and/or good news! If you have Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or any other social media account please help celebrate and spread the word!

   7.      Subscribe to free blog sites. In September 2021, Writer’s Digest published their 101 Best Websites for Writers

8.     Talk to event organizers about hosting inclusive events with diverse representation, perhaps even serve as an event volunteer! 

9.      Ask your local school and library to host an author or illustrator presentation. There are public and private funds for such purposes—don’t let them go unused!

10.  Subscribe to literary magazines such as Writer’s Digest , The Horn Book, or Poets & Writers

11.   Share articles or Op-eds written by your favorite authors. For example, last Sunday Meg Medina had an Op-ed in The Los Angeles Times titled: Want to shape your bicultural child’s sense of self before society does?  Lead them to books

12.  Join a critiquing group

13.  Write a Goodreads review

14.  Give Books as Gifts!

15.  Post an Amazon review

And remember to stay informed, stay active, and READ READ READ!

 

 

Top Ten Gifts to Give to the Writer in Your Life

Wow! You must really love the writer in your life. How do I know? Because you used your Google Machine (or Bing) to help find a gift for an author. Now Relax. Rest easy, because you've arrived at the write right spot (and I promise, no more puns).

November -December 16, 2014 you can give your writer or illustrator the gift of a PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUE from a top literary AGENT, EDITOR, Author, or Art Director. Visit the #KidLitForHaiti online auction here:    Click Here

Top Ten Gifts for the Writer in Your Life
1.  Dragon Software: Dragon Software is home speech recognition software for your P.C. It's amazing! Simply speak and the words appear on your screen. "Transfer words into text at the speed of thought." The words appear three times faster than you can type. Cost - $99.00

2.  Moo Cards: Moo Cards are beautiful and affordable business cards. Even if the writer in your life has not established a business, it's still important to have business cards printed. Writing is typically done alone, so when the author steps out of their creativity cave and attends a conference, it's nice for them to share contact information (whip out Moo card here). Stay connected with peers. On the card include important information and don't forget to list Twitter name and blog page address. Also, don't make the mistakes I made, which means don't choose red print unless you expect all your future friends to have had lasiks.
Cost - Approximately $25.00

3.  Membership! I'd like to steal a phrase from American Express, "Membership has its privileges." It's so true. Membership example: If the person you are buying for writes for the children's market (ages one month to eighteen years old; think board books to Hunger Games or Good Night Moon to Twilight) then a membership in the S C B W I would be the best possible gift you could give this person. SCBWI stands for Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and please know that Judy Blume was one of the first members in this forty-year-old organization. With membership you receive a bi-monthly magazine on the children's market, discounts to conferences, scholarship opportunities and a lot of how-to information. Cost - $75.00 per year.
(If your author writes for another industry, find the appropriate membership for the genre)

4. Conference. There is probably no better gift than enrollment in a conference. Conferences are attended by editors from leading publishing houses, agents from dream-teams, industry professionals (i.e. reps from places like Dryden Books or Harold Underdown's PC Editorial Services) and respected authors (I've met Judy Blume, Richard Peck, Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson and Libba Bray to name a few).
     At the conference, attendees not only learn from the best, they also have the opportunity to attend master classes taught by industry professionals. Furthermore the writer will make connections with people with whom they would generally not have access. Many editors who say they are closed to submissions will accept a query or chapter submissions from a writer they meet at a conference; same goes for agents.
Average cost of a conference $400 plus transportation plus hotel accommodations

5.   Book: Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. Not only is Donald Maass the author of seventeen books, he is also a literary agent. His book, Writing the Breakout Novel, is regularly discussed in critiquing groups as THE book to get.  Cost - $16.99

6. Book. Another great book to wrap for the writer in your life is called Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Rennie Brown and Dave King. Available at Tattered Cover Bookstore. Cost- $13.99

7. Subscription. A subscription to Writer's Digest magazine comes with the option to receive it in either printed or digital format. It's packed with sage advice and also comes with a free copy of The Writer's Digest Guide to Creativity. Furthermore advise your writer to follow Chuck Sambuchino's blog: Guide to Literary Agents.
Cost:  subscription $19.96 for print and $16.06 for digital; Chuck's blog subscription: free

8.  Subscription: Buy your writer a subscription to a professional organization such as Publishers Marketplace so they can have online access to critical information. Publishers Marketplace web page says, "Welcome to biggest and best dedicated marketplace for publishing professionals to find critical information and unique databases, find each other, and to do business better electronically. A service of Publishers Lunch, the most widely read daily dossier in publishing and known as "publishing's essential daily read," Publishers Marketplace really works in part because it is driven by the attention of over 40,000 publishing professionals who read Lunch every day."
Cost: $20.00 per month.  Publisher's Lunch is a newsletter you can sign up for and receive for free; what you won't be able to do is search the data base unless you pay the $20.00 per month membership fee.

9. Gift Card: Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like sitting in an Indie bookstore, sipping fresh brewed tea (or a latte) and being surrounded by thousands of wonderful books. Give your writer a gift card to their favorite (or your favorite) independent bookstore, and if the writer has children then also give them the gift of time to use the card; offer a few hours of babysitting. Colorado Recommendations: Tattered Cover Book Store and Boulder Book Store
Cost: $20.00 - your limit plus time

10. Massage: Sitting hunched over a computer for hours while banging out the next great novel takes its toll on the back. Buy the author a massage, and if you really want to help with their creativity, add on a bonus scalp massage. Don't forget to include extra funds for the gratuity.
Cost: $60.00-$200.00

Bonus: If you are feeling extra generous, buy your writer the opportunity to have their manuscript professionally critiqued with a book doctor such as Emma Dryden or Harold Underdown. Costs vary so visit their links.

Want more? Visit this clever list posted by Tara Lazar: http://taralazar.com/2013/12/07/gifts-for-writers-in-other-words-gifts-for-you/

Publishing News in Children's Literature

Publishing News

Alexandra Penefold spent 10 years editing at Simon & Schuster, but she has decided to approach the post-Mayan era on the other side of the contract table. As of 2013, Alexandra joined Upstart Crow Literary, founded by previous Harper Collins editorial director Michael Sterns. She's building her list, focusing on young picture books, funny middle-grade fiction, and edgy young adult novels (no high fantasy).

Visit THE WRITING BARN blog and hear what Alexander had to say about creating characters.  She says we can study classic characters to, "...learn a lot in terms of how to build realistic and compelling characters that leap off the page into the hearts of readers."

Next workshop at the Writing Barn (in Austin, Texas) will feature Sara Zarr, a National Book Award finalist.
http://www.thewritingbarn.com/2013-advanced-writing-workshop-sara-zarr-emotional-pacing/

Other Publishing News:

At Simon & Schuster Children's, Sylvie Frank has joined Paula Wiseman Books as associate editor. Previously she was an editor at Holiday House.

Egmont UK is adding a nonfiction children's imprint Red Shed, launching in spring 2014. It will be run by Melissa Fairley.

SCBWI Rocky Mountain Division is kicking off its free webinar speaker series with Emma Dryden of Dryden Books.  She will present talk about BEST PRACTICES -- Self, Indie & Traditional Publishing. To participate, join www.scbwi.org

From Writer’s Digest:

“Free Contest For Both Young Adult and Sci-Fi Writers!

If you follow my Guide to Literary Agents Blog, you know that a special recurring element is our "Dear Lucky Agent" Contests -- free agent-judged contests that revolve around a specific genre or two. For the 13th contest (live now!), we've enlisted literary agent Victoria Marini (Gelfman Schneider Literary) to judge, and we're looking for both young adult manuscripts as well as science fiction books. 

There are many rules, and you need to read the complete contest page before entering, but here is the gist: You submit the first 150-200 words of your completed book and Marini picks the top 3 for awesome prizes. Hurry, because the deadline is end of day, January 31! This is shaping up to be our biggest "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest of all time. 

Again, there is a LOT more for you to read on the contest page, so don't waste time in checking it out. Good luck!”