Do you have dreams of becoming a published author?
InCahoots can can be your publisher
You can submit us a query letter and
part of your manuscript.
Writing that Dynamite Query/Pitch Letter
Your mother was right when she told you, “Good first impressions are so important.” In this case, the query/pitch letter may be the ONLY marketing opportunity you have to catch an agent’s/editor’s/producer’s eye. So don’t waste it. The rules are simple, hard, and fast.
You’re not writing this letter to impress them with your writing content or style. This is a marketing letter to see if what you have to offer – fits their acquisition and marketing department needs as well as their expertise in your genre at this point. Don’t send poetry to a mystery house. As they read the letter, don’t give them any reason to say, “No,” and return your manuscript. Stay in the, “Yes,” and you will, if you’ve done your homework.
Ask for their guidelines for submission and follow them. If you don’t send a SASE, your work will not be returned.
Make sure you have the correct spelling and address for the recipient of this query. “Dear Sir or Madam,” is a no-no. If it’s John Smith, write, “Dear Mr. Smith,” not “Dear John.” Call the house and make sure that person still works there. Publishing is a revolving door. Can you believe, some people at agencies and publishing houses die?
The one page query/pitch letter has six elements – in this order.
What’s your ANGLE? This is the most powerful paragraph in your one page letter. Use your “sound byte” in the opening sentence. Then tell the reader your genre, word or page count (about 250 words per page if you need to guess) and the title of your work in a creative way. Grab the reader’s attention with this teaser paragraph. If your romance book is 15,000 words, the rejection slip is on the way. Romances are very long. Know your genre.
What’s your APPROACH? What is your background for this subject? What’s your hook? Who are your sources? Impress the editor/agent with the credits you have.
Why are you the best AUTHOR of this work? It’s bio time. Your writing expertise and publishing credentials go here. Don’t apologize if you have none. Simply gloss over this part.
Who is your AUDIENCE? Zero in on the short version of your marketing plan. Who will your work appeal to? What is your dowry? Make sure the editor/agent knows your work is a marriage for his/her market. My marketing plan for Howard Keel’s book was seven single line pages long.
And your ADDRESS is…the last paragraph is the “thank you” part. Include all the information that isn’t on your heading. Don’t say, “I’m looking for an agent.” DUH. Isn’t that why you’re writing that person? Don’t waste that page on the obvious.
After all is said and done, ANALYZE the letter again. You believe the letter is accurate? Read it again and again. Check for typos, grammar usage, and tight, sharp, eye-grabbing facts. State only the facts. Don’t say, “This is the best work you’ll receive this year.” No, it isn’t. And hyperbole/conjecture like that only wastes words in a tight one page query, defines you as a pre-published writer, and weakens your presentation as well.
Act like you’ve arrived, they just haven’t discovered you yet. I always tell my students that.
Send it first class, or email if they accept Internet submissions. Any other expensive way is a waste. All material is opened in a mailroom by people who don’t care how fast it arrived. Your work is placed in a folder and delivered without the envelope.
Writing a powerful query/pitch letter is, in many cases, harder to write than your project itself. Spend some time preparing and editing the query. Good luck.
Joyce Spizer Foy
Your mother was right when she told you, “Good first impressions are so important.” In this case, the query/pitch letter may be the ONLY marketing opportunity you have to catch an agent’s/editor’s/producer’s eye. So don’t waste it. The rules are simple, hard, and fast.
You’re not writing this letter to impress them with your writing content or style. This is a marketing letter to see if what you have to offer – fits their acquisition and marketing department needs as well as their expertise in your genre at this point. Don’t send poetry to a mystery house. As they read the letter, don’t give them any reason to say, “No,” and return your manuscript. Stay in the, “Yes,” and you will, if you’ve done your homework.
Ask for their guidelines for submission and follow them. If you don’t send a SASE, your work will not be returned.
Make sure you have the correct spelling and address for the recipient of this query. “Dear Sir or Madam,” is a no-no. If it’s John Smith, write, “Dear Mr. Smith,” not “Dear John.” Call the house and make sure that person still works there. Publishing is a revolving door. Can you believe, some people at agencies and publishing houses die?
The one page query/pitch letter has six elements – in this order.
What’s your ANGLE? This is the most powerful paragraph in your one page letter. Use your “sound byte” in the opening sentence. Then tell the reader your genre, word or page count (about 250 words per page if you need to guess) and the title of your work in a creative way. Grab the reader’s attention with this teaser paragraph. If your romance book is 15,000 words, the rejection slip is on the way. Romances are very long. Know your genre.
What’s your APPROACH? What is your background for this subject? What’s your hook? Who are your sources? Impress the editor/agent with the credits you have.
Why are you the best AUTHOR of this work? It’s bio time. Your writing expertise and publishing credentials go here. Don’t apologize if you have none. Simply gloss over this part.
Who is your AUDIENCE? Zero in on the short version of your marketing plan. Who will your work appeal to? What is your dowry? Make sure the editor/agent knows your work is a marriage for his/her market. My marketing plan for Howard Keel’s book was seven single line pages long.
And your ADDRESS is…the last paragraph is the “thank you” part. Include all the information that isn’t on your heading. Don’t say, “I’m looking for an agent.” DUH. Isn’t that why you’re writing that person? Don’t waste that page on the obvious.
After all is said and done, ANALYZE the letter again. You believe the letter is accurate? Read it again and again. Check for typos, grammar usage, and tight, sharp, eye-grabbing facts. State only the facts. Don’t say, “This is the best work you’ll receive this year.” No, it isn’t. And hyperbole/conjecture like that only wastes words in a tight one page query, defines you as a pre-published writer, and weakens your presentation as well.
Act like you’ve arrived, they just haven’t discovered you yet. I always tell my students that.
Send it first class, or email if they accept Internet submissions. Any other expensive way is a waste. All material is opened in a mailroom by people who don’t care how fast it arrived. Your work is placed in a folder and delivered without the envelope.
Writing a powerful query/pitch letter is, in many cases, harder to write than your project itself. Spend some time preparing and editing the query. Good luck.
Joyce Spizer Foy
© 1999 Joyce Spizer Foy. All rights reserved.
You do not need to be represented by an agent to contact us. Send a query letter and your first three chapters.
Take your time with it. The query is more difficult to compose than the entire novel because it's your one-time marketing opportunity. You only have that letter and the samples of your writing style and story-telling ability to capture our attention.
A young writer once asked me if he could send his best three chapters to which I replied, "They better all be your best."
A Hollywood producer once told me he only read to the first typo. So do we. Please present your work professionally, and if you don't know what that is, I suggest Scott Edelstein's "Manuscript Submission."
If your book needs editing (either a soft or hard edit) please tell us in the query letter. We do provide some editing services assuming your work is otherwise worthy of publication.
You should expect a response from us within two to four weeks maximum. And that's a promise. I've told writers for years that the disrespect that agents and publishing houses show writers is a shame. We wouldn't have a job without you and your work. To not respond at all, or send a unsigned form letter should not be tolerated.
We believe you're an author who just hasn't been discovered yet. I hope we can be your Christopher Columbus. We look forward to hearing from you.
Joyce Spizer Foy
