The article is about understand that how we should write a query letter.
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Author: Rahul Gupta
Query letter is one of the most important ingredients in cooking the acceptance of your proposal. And so I think the first step to prepare an attention grabbing query letter is to learn what a query letter actually intends. What is its purpose? Why we actually need it?
- First step is to understand the purpose. We need query letters because we are not the only who is submitting the proposal, there are thousand others also. Basically the time constraint and the increasing competition gave birth to query letters. Nobody can read hundred proposals a day to decide which one to work on. So they ask for query letters. This means query letter is a first shared document between you and the person who has the authority to either accept or reject your proposal. Your query letter is your only opportunity to impress that important person. Query letter is a window through which people can see you work and distinguish it from all others. Although query letters don’t guarantee the overall success as success obviously depends on how good your work is but query letter is important only up to the point where a good proposal which has potential of success is rejected only because of a bad query letter. Overall a good query letter is a necessary condition to success but not a sufficient condition. And so is the need to work on the query letter hard and make it as good as we can.
- Second step is learning the basics of writing the query letter. Especially the format. Actually due to very high traffic, editors just need one mistake in query letter to toss it off to the rejection pile and so it leaves no scope for doing the mistake. You should be very well known to the specific submission guidelines of the house concerned. And you should write your query letter in accordance with those guidelines. You should be polite in your language. First write your full contact details and address to which the letter must reach. Then address the person with name and not by his position. After that start writing specifically about your proposal. It should be clear and it should be precise. A thanking note is must with your signature at the end of your letter.
- Third step is the content which is the most important step. What all you are writing in your letter tells about your writing abilities. You are judged on your query letter. I agree that one page query letter is not sufficient to judge on your abilities but the huge number of proposals coming leaves no other way out. Secondly somewhere while doing this same work every day, editors get so much experience that they can judge your abilities only with one page letter accurately at least to some extent.
To start off, give the name, word count, genre, targeted audience of your manuscript. Then point out the main idea of your story as clearly as you can, with as few words as possible. Mention anything that might make you and your work stand out. Try to write everything in a way so that editor starts liking your writing style. But only mention substantial good things in your letter and not the subjective good things. What I mean is that you can write that your story is short because you can prove this with its word count but don’t write that it is very good, it is liked by my friends. These are subjective things and have no importance in eyes of editors. Whatever you are writing about your story, be sure you have not repeated anything as it gives a negative impression. Give an impression that you have studied the market and your proposal is in accordance with it. You have to grab editor’s interest anyhow. - Fourth step is to brag yourself but in a professional way. You have to prove that you have written something good and you can do this by listing him your previous accomplishments. How long you have been writing. That you are a member of some writing community. Or you have won a writing contest. Or you have a degree in English honours. Basically you have to prove that you are eligible to write what you have written. To stand out of others, you can write the ways in which you can help in increasing the sales post acceptance. Do you have any ideas regarding cover letter or publicity? These things show your sincerity, your dedication, your research. These things show that you have not done it out of hobby but out of habit. You are serious about your proposal.
- Fifth step is also one of the most important steps which most of the people don’t do. It is rechecking and rereading what you have written in your letter. Have you added everything into that query that you should. Check it whether it’s length has exceeded from the specified. There should be no spelling or grammar mistakes. Check the typeset, the spacing and every other minute detail. No doubt query letter is just one page long, but keep in mind that it decides destiny of your 150 pages manuscript. Best of luck.
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