QUERY BASICS

The purpose of the query letter is to motivate an agent to request submission of your work.

A fruit fly has a longer life span than the average query letter which garners 20 seconds of attention (or less). Then it’s deleted, discarded, or tossed into the "return to sender" pile, or put in the "request manuscript" pile.

You may be thinking, "Twenty seconds to make a decision about a manuscript that took me weeks/months/years to write? That’s harsh!"

Unfortunately, at this point, effort expended during the writing process doesn’t come into play. If you write a confusing, rambling, or unstructured query first paragraph, the agent will assume that since you lack the skills to write three comprehensive sentences, you probably lack the skills to write an entire book.

So, don’t even think about casually whipping out a query letter, unless you enjoy shooting yourself in the foot. Learn to write it correctly.

STRUCTURE

The query letter has a very specific structure: three paragraphs that fit on one page and highlight the important points about the manuscript and the author.

FIRST PARAGRAPH for fiction, describes, in three sentences, the protagonist’s goal (s), challenge (s), and teases at the resolution. For non-fiction, it identifies the central theme.

The purpose of this paragraph, often the only one read, is to:

1) tell the plot, or, for non-fiction, describe the central theme,

2) demonstrate the author’s writing skill,

3) motivate the agent to read the entire query letter.

SECOND PARAGRAPH expands the story and tells more about the protagonist. It’s written like a mini-synopsis. If secondary characters are mentioned, it’s only because their actions are vital to the story. For non-fiction, this paragraph expands information about what is in the book.

THIRD PARAGRAPH describes the author’s background and/or passion for writing the story. It includes the manuscript length and briefly describes the author’s participation in writing classes, critique groups, seminars, etc. For non-fiction, the author explains the market for the book and how their expertise qualifies them to write it.

CLOSING IS BRIEF and to the point.Thank you for your time and consideration.

TECHNICALITIES—APPEARANCE

SNAIL MAIL QUERIES
White paper
Times-Roman, 13-point type with 18 point leading (adjust this under format, paragraph, then set line spacing at exactly 18).
One-inch margins
One space between paragraphs
Flush left paragraphs with a ragged right border (not justified)
Contact information at the top in one line using a simple font, 9-point Ariel. (This gives a few more lines to use for your query)

EMAIL QUERIES 
Place the genre, an enticing comment, title, or whatever is    requested by the agent, on the "Subject" line.
Begin the email with the greeting: "Dear So and So." 
Don't add the date. It's already in the email heading.
Don't waste space by writing the agents full address.
Jump right in and begin your query so the information you want the agent to read totally fills their monitor screen. 
Stack your contact information under your signature at the bottom of the email. 

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#4 EVALUATED QUERIES