The Basics of Query Letter Writing

The query letter plays a big part in deciding the success of a writer. Regardless of how well written a script or book is, it does not matter if the writer cannot convince an agent to read it. Within the parameters of one page of paper you want to make agents desire to read your material. To do this you must be to the point and concise, let the agent know he or she will have the opportunity to work with an intriguing and unique script or book.
To write such a query letter you must first organize a few important things that must be mentioned in it.

WHY ARE YOU QUERYING ?
Ask yourself why are you querying agents. Your answer should be because you have completed a script or book, and you are in search for representation. You should never mention that it is your first script or book. This can discourage agents from requesting to read the material because they think as a new writer the material may not be well written.

LOGLINES
Query letters for scripts always begin with loglines. It is always situated at the top of the paper above the sender's address. The logline is a simple single sentence or two sentences that summaries the story and provides the hook to capture the interest and attention of an agent.

One of the best ways to get good at anything is to see how the masters do it.

"One man's struggle to take it easy." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

"Unchanged men in a changing land. Out of step, out of place and desperately out of time." - The Wild Bunch

"To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman." - The Silence of the Lambs

"After he's wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, a high-powered surgeon escapes custody and hunts down
the real killer, a one-armed man." - The Fugitive

"On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody." - Taxi Driver

THE STORY'S GENRE
What is the story's genre? The genre is the category that the story falls under. For a book it could be fantasy, romance, children, young adult, religious, etc. For a script it could be comedy, science fiction, love story, war epic, etc. Stating the genre is important because in the literature and script markets certain genres are more profitable than others. If an agent is looking for a script in particular, say comedy for example, when he or she sees that genre stated in the letter, this can encourage him or her to request the material.

STORY SUMMARY
The story summary is one or two no more than tree paragraphs. They should be short, no more than 4 sentences each. The story summary should include the main character, the theme- main plot driving the story, the conflict, and what main character must do to resolve it.

STATE YOUR BACKGROUND AND ACHIEVEMENTS
This can be tricky. Handle this part of the letter carefully. Mention any writing awards you have won. ONLY mention previously published books if they have had successful sales. If you tell an agent that you have a book on the market, he or she will look it up to check its sells. If it turns out that sells are good, the agent will be encouraged to request the writer's material. If, however, it shows the book's sells are low this can discourage the agent from requesting the writer's work. In the case of a script, only mention past written scripts if they were sold. If a script was sold and made into a movie, only mention it if it was successful in sales. In short, a writer should not mention unsuccessful works in his or her letter, and DO NOT state you are a new writer. You do not want to mention anything about yourself to discourage agents from requesting your material. If you do not have anything encouraging to say about previous works, focus on the current work you are trying to sell. State briefly what motivated you to write the story. How did you get the idea? This paragraph should be no more than 5 sentences.

When addressing an agent always use the exact name of the agent or the agency name. Never use "to whom it may concern". This is impersonal and gives the letter a "form" appearance. Stating the agent's name or agency name gives the letter a more personal feel.

Query Letter Example

Dear Ms. Volpe,

Eleven-year-old Cass Nordenhauer had always been bundled in the admiration she felt for her mother's storm clean-up work with the Southern Mobile Aid Response Team. Her pride rises near flood level when Mom announces her enrollment in meteorology school, where Toodi Bleu Nordenhauer plans to become "Toodi Bleu Skies." Not so honorable, it turns out, is a soon-to-be-famous mother whose dream will be financed by a new man. Or better yet, a news man.

Reeling emotionally from the storm caused by her mom's betrayal, Cass is sentenced to a summer ride-along with her seemingly lackluster dad, Douglas Nordenhauer, seller of frozen meats. When Cass reluctantly boards her new world-on-wheels, an old RV nicknamed "The Roast," she's increasingly captivated by the mysterious objects she finds - a freshly-glittered wagon, a trunk full of smelly shoes, a tambourine dripping with ribbons, and a unique method of navigation, Ye Olde Sneaker Reacher. It's when Cass is introduced to her dad's alter ego, "Make Believe McClean, Traveling Soap Sliver Salesman," that she realizes she's in for no run-of-the-mill beef jerky road trip. M.B. McClean wears a snug lime-striped suit. He sings Gordon Lightfoot. He's got a suitcase full of magical soap slivers, and a whole lot of sway. And in one summer, M.B. McClean will escort his daughter from wonder to disgust and back home again, where Cass' own special sway can take root.

Sway, a contemporary middle grade novel, is the story of a season with Cass and Make Believe McClean and the wounded-but-wise characters they meet along the way. It's an adventure sudsy with southern gothic appeal, filled with arm-wrestling ghosts, sunken bumper boats, tumped port-o-potties, and fruity-chewy wax lips. It's about the power of old soaps and lost shoes and how just the right combination of the two allow Cass to wash her hands of the past and look toward a future foaming with magic ... with a new appreciation for "1 big can of lye."

In 1993, I received a degree in Fiction Writing from Rhodes College, where I won both the Jane Donaldson Kepple writing prize and the Memphis Magazine fiction contest student award. I've had soap sliver sway oozing out my ears since that year. Thank you, Ms. Volpe, for your consideration of this query. At your request, I will be happy to send along part of the story, which is complete at 32,900 words.

Regards,

Amber McRee Turner

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