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    The Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters
    The Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters
    The Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters
    Ebook58 pages28 minutes

    The Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters

    By Michelle E. Richter

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    About this ebook

    Your query letter is your first step toward getting a major book deal. Literary Agent Michelle Richter demystifies the process of writing and submitting query letters that get results. Learn structure, technique, what works, what never to do, what attracts an agent’s attention, and special tips that most writers don’t think of. Help your submission rise above the slush and get read by those who want it most.

    Short Fuse Guides offer insider tips and tricks for writers, written by agents and covering different areas of the ever-changing publishing industry.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherShort Fuse Publishing
    Release dateOct 9, 2014
    ISBN9781311297532
    The Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters

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      Book preview

      The Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters - Michelle E. Richter

      THE SHORT FUSE GUIDE TO QUERY LETTERS

      By Michelle E. Richter

      The Short Fuse Guide to Query Letters

      Published 2014 by Short Fuse Publishing, a Fuse Literary imprint.

      http://fuseliterary.com

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright © 2014 Michelle E. Richter

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. All inquiries should be addressed to info@fuseliterary.com.

      Cover images Copyright 2014 © Fotolia Stock Photos

      Cover design by Laura Cummings

      ISBN: 9781311297532

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      WHY WRITE A QUERY?

      HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU’RE READY TO QUERY?

      PREPARATION

      Editors or Agents First?

      Who’s Your Reader?

      Whom Should You Query?

      Follow Submission Guidelines

      HOW YOUR QUERY SHOULD LOOK

      THE QUERY LETTER FORMAT

      Subject Line

      Greeting

      Opening Paragraph

      Plot Summary

      Author Bio

      BEFORE YOU HIT SEND

      What Not to Do

      What to Do

      Proofread and Proofread Again

      THE QUERY CHECKLIST

      AFTER YOU SEND

      TRACKING YOUR SUBMISSIONS

      HOW TO RESPOND TO REJECTIONS

      ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Click the Fuse icon to return to the Table of Contents

      WHY WRITE A QUERY?

      You’ve written a manuscript and revised and polished it until it shines. How will you find an agent to be your champion and help you get it published? By writing a killer query.

      First, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. You’ve written a book. Pat yourself on the back! It should be a book, not a screenplay or a dramatic play; most literary agents don’t represent those. You have a novel or a memoir or a work of narrative nonfiction. Or perhaps a children’s book.

      From an agent’s point of view, a query is invaluable. The greatest potential source of clients, for a new agent in particular, is the slush pile. But the harsh reality is that agents simply can’t read everyone’s full manuscript. We’re contacted by literally thousands of hopeful writers every year. A query gives me a bit of a sneak preview. It helps me separate the writers whose style and stories don’t suit my needs and tastes from the ones who I’m dying to have as my clients.

      A great query letter is an enticement, something that leaves me asking for more—more of your writing.

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