From AgentQuery.com
"A query letter is a single page cover letter, introducing you and your book. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s not a resume. It’s not rambling saga of your life as an aspiring writer. It’s not a friendly, “Hey, what’s up, buddy. I’m the next John Grisham. Got the next best selling thriller for ya,” kind of letter. And for the love of god, it is NOT more than one-page. Trust us on this.So...are you ready to read my Query Letter for The Phoenix: A Gathering? I'm sure it's not quite perfect, but I've revised it probably 10 times in the last month or two. I hope it's close!
A query letter has three concise paragraphs: the hook, the mini-synopsis, and your writer’s biography. Don’t stray from this format. You won’t catch an agent’s attention by inventing a creative new query format. You’ll just alienate your chances of being taken seriously as a professional writer. A query letter is meant to elicit an invitation to send sample chapters or even the whole manuscript to the agent. It’s not meant to show off how cute and snazzy you can be by breaking formatting rules and going against the grain. Keep it simple. Stick to three paragraphs. The goal is to get the agent to read your book, not to blow you off because you screwed up the introduction.
Paragraph One—The Hook: A hook is a concise, one-sentence tagline for your book. It’s meant to hook your reader’s interest, and wind them in.
Paragraph Two—Mini-synopsis: This is where you get to distill your entire 300 page novel into one paragraph. Lucky you.
So think of it this way. You had trouble writing the gist of your book in one sentence, right? Now, you get a whole paragraph. About 150 extra words. Here’s your chance to expand on your hook. Give a little bit more information about your main characters, their problems and conflicts, and the way in which adversity changes their lives. Read the back flaps of your favorite novels and try to copy how the conflict of the book is described in a single, juicy paragraph. You can do this. You really can. You just have to sit down, brainstorm, then vomit it all out onto the page. Afterwards, cut, paste, trim, revise, and reshape.
Paragraph Three—Writer’s bio: This should be the easiest part of your query. After all, it’s about you, the writer. Okay, so it’s a bit daunting, especially if you’ve never been published, never won any awards, hold no degrees from MFA writing schools, and possess no credentials to write your book. No problem. The less you have to say, the more space you have for your mini-synopsis. Always a plus.
Your Closing: Congratulations! You’ve finished your query letter. As a formal closing, be sure to do two things. First, thank the agent for her time and consideration. If it’s fiction, alert the agent that the full manuscript is available upon request. And in case you still don’t believe us, we want to reiterate: don’t query agents until you’ve finished your full fiction manuscript. Agents will want to read the whole novel before they offer representation to you and your book."
Dear Agent (this will obviously be personalized),
Seventeen-year-old Ivy Watson has just met the gorgeous Dane Phillips who's annoying, mysterious, and...naked. Unfortunately, just after she finds him, he commandeers her trusty blue Chevy and holds it hostage for a kiss.
As if meeting this strange boy isn't enough, he helps her to finally meet the recluse father she’s never known, who, along with Dane, turns out to be part of an ancient society of regenerating humans. Ivy learns she is a hybrid, a genetic anomaly that shouldn’t exist - humans and Phoenix are incompatible.
Nathaniel Williams, an extremist member of the Phoenix kidnaps Ivy for an experiment hoping to eradicate the human race. Nathaniel soon discovers that Ivy is immune to the effects of his experiment and that she could actually be the destruction of his people. She must learn to embrace the part of her that is Phoenix in order to save herself from a life of enslavement to the one man that has the power to break down all her defenses.
THE PHOENIX: A GATHERING is a Young Adult Paranormal novel complete at 81,000 words. This is my first novel.
Thank you for your consideration,
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