How to Write a Novel Query Letter (And Survive the Query Trenches, Too!)

Querying a manuscript with agents is one of the hardest things you’ll face as a novelist—maybe even harder than writing the manuscript in the first place! In this two-day workshop, I’ll clarify much of what is opaque in publishing, from agents’ expectations of your query letter to what your expectations should be as an author awaiting reply.

On the first day of this how-to workshop, we’ll go over how to write a query letter, paying attention to things like length, comps, openings, hooks/pitches, and synopses. After the first day, you can submit queries for feedback from me. On the second day, we’ll go over approaching querying: how to know if you’re querying too early, how to go about finding agents to query, managing expectations and keeping perspective on querying, and what (if anything) to take from rejection letters.

Who This Course is For:

This course is for anyone with a manuscript ready to query, whether you have drafted a query yet or not.

Folks with in-progress manuscripts are welcome, too; drafting a query letter for an as-yet-unfinished project can help you to solidify the stakes, structure, and theme of your story.

What You’ll Get From this Workshop: 

• Clear guidelines to follow when crafting the ideal query letter.
• Strategies to develop pitches and “comps” for your manuscript, which are useful not just for querying but in social media pitch events, and in-person pitch events with agents at conferences.
• Feedback from me on your drafted query.
• Perspective on the norms of querying, to help you manage your expectations and navigate agent feedback (or lack thereof).
• Insights on querying etiquette, and tips for finding find the right agents for your project.
• Ideas for organizing and tracking your queries and agent correspondence, as well as the materials that go into your query package.

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

This two-day webinar will teach you how to:

• Craft a good query letter with a strong pitch, relevant “comp” titles, and a synopsis that matches your story.
• Choose which agents to query and when.
• Approach querying without being overwhelmed or discouraged by the process.
• Improve your submitted query, with individual feedback from me.

Writing Goals

• Draft and revise a query letter for your manuscript.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet on Zoom on Sundays, November 10th and 17th at 3 PM Eastern.

Day One (90 minutes):

• Introduction: what is a query letter, anyway? And what is its purpose?
• Anatomy of a query letter: its length, elements, and layout
• Making the most of the first sentence
• Crafting the perfect pitch for your manuscript
• Choosing the right “comp” titles
• Shrinking your story down to synopsis size
• Developing the character in your author bio
• The query package: what else goes into an email to an agent, and strategies for organizing your materials
• Q&A: ask me anything about query crafting, then e-mail me your drafts for feedback!

Day Two (2 hours):

• Review: I’ll highlight areas for revision and refinement in your query letter drafts
• How to find agents to query, and important considerations before you hit “send”
• How to keep track of queries (and agent responses)
• The norms of querying—what to expect (and not to expect) in terms of agent responses, and how many queries you can expect to send
• Agent passes/rejections: what they mean, and when to revise or shelve a project
• Q&A: ask me anything about the querying process!

$195.00 Original price was: $195.00.$170.00Current price is: $170.00.Enroll Now