Writing a good query letter can be tough, especially if it’s your first one.<\/p>\n

Here are some things you should do<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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Address the agent by name<\/strong> – and always be sure you’re spelling the name correctly.<\/li>\n
Get to the point<\/strong> – don’t waste the first paragraph trying to introduce yourself. Save that until the final paragraph instead. Start right off with your book blurb or pitch.<\/li>\n
Sell, sell, sell<\/strong> – make sure your pitch reads like the back blurb on a book cover. You want to sell that story as hard as you can to hook the agent’s interest.<\/li>\n
Get the details<\/strong> – mention your book’s title, genre, and word count. Yes, the agent will want to know that last fact – if your book is too short or too long, it might not be marketable.<\/li>\n
Tell them why<\/strong> – explain why you’ve chosen this particular agent. If you can’t honestly say your book is like another they represent, at least you can say they represent the genre you’re writing.<\/li>\n
Mention your platform<\/strong> – if you have one, that is, and you should. Let the agent know you’ve got a following on social media or on your website. This will be important for marketing purposes.<\/li>\n

Read other successful query letters<\/strong> – here’s a good link to a Writer’s Digest page<\/a> showing some good letters. Read them to see what your letter should look like.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
And remember NOT t<\/strong>o:<\/p>\n
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Show your ego<\/strong> – avoid the temptation to brag or say something like “you’d be lucky to represent my book – it’s the next NY Times best-seller!” A query letter should be professional, not egotistical.<\/li>\n
Include your age<\/strong> – there’s no reason to do so, and including your age might actually make it more difficult to sell your book.<\/li>\n
Include meaningless writing credits<\/strong> – don’t tell the agent how many friends or family members love your writing. In this day of everybody and his cousin self-publishing, agents don’t care how much you’ve written unless it’s been traditionally published or won a prestigious award of some sort. Keep your writing credits professional. If you have none, just skip straight to the details of the book.<\/li>\n
Get cute<\/strong> – avoid weird fonts and crazy ideas that sound as if they’d make you stand out. They will, but not in a good way. Your work will be tossed as unprofessional (maybe passed around the agency for a laugh but that’s not the sort of attention you want).<\/li>\n
Say “I value your time”<\/strong> – it’s tempting to toss in a line or two about how you realize the agent is busy, but don’t. They already know they are and you’re wasting valuable letter space with unnecessary words.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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