Reasons Your Query Letter May be Failing You

Writers are often told by editors and agents that, in the end, the story is all that matters when it comes to a submission. They will tell you, the query or the submission is not going to matter. Writers will even tell each other that, if your story is amazing, it will sell.

And yet, writers get rejection after rejection on these amazing stories. So what is happening?

It is a poorly written and composed query letter.

I have always loved two quotes that I go back to over and over again when I am teaching writing, whether it is academic, professional or in the field of publishing. The first is, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." The second is from Hallmark - "When you care enough to send the very best." Both are directly connected to that query letter. 

When we open our emails, you need to think about what we are seeing. For many of us, we are using something similar to Outlook. 

So, what are we looking at? The odds are, we are not reading that full email. The "READING PANE" is only going to show us part of your email. For this reason, you have to really hook us immediately. Think about your novels and why the first three chapters matter? If you don't hook the reader early on, you will lose them. The same goes for your email. We can tell a lot from this small glimpse into your query letter. 

So, what are the things getting in your way of us wanting to read more? Let's talk.

• GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR This is a big one! Spelling, grammar, and typos happen. We get it. However, this is a professional business letter and if you are immediately showing us you have a lack of command of the rules of writing, what do you think you are telling us about your ability to write a novel? Take the time to check it before hitting send.
• PROFESSIONALISM Not only is this a business letter, but the language you use, and the things you talk about in the letter matter. Telling me "It would be a shame if you pass on this submission" or telling me "Oprah is considering you book" is not going to help you get your novel noticed. This is an immediate rejection. Even if you are a new author, telling me you don't know what you are doing is not going to help. Telling me I would be your third agent is telling me something.  
• MASS EMAILS If you want to be rejected fast, start your email off with "Dear Agent". We all understand that the years of an exclusive read by an editor or agent are gone. We know you are sending it out to a lot of people. With that said, make it personal. Show us why you are selecting us to read your story. Are you really interested in working with me as your agent, or are you just throwing darts? This also includes making sure you know the name of the person you are sending it to. Guess, what, I am not Mr. Greyhaus! 
• VAGUE Another agent I have worked with once said in a agent panel, "A maybe means a no." If you have a query letter that doesn't give the editor or agent enough to make a decision, we will not ask for more. If I have no sense of your story, you will be rejected. If you tell me you have been previously been published by one of the "Big 5" publishers, tell us who AND when you were published. If you just tell us to go and look at your website or your online blog where your story is posted, we will not go and look. 
• SELF-PUBLISHED This one is a tough one. Some agents and editors will not look at self-published books. Think of it this way. If you self-published the story, and it is doing well, why are you reaching out now. If you chose to self-publish, why did you do it? Were you rejected in the past? Did people already tell you the story is bad? Then why now? With that said, if you were self-published, show us the numbers. I don't want to see your number of 4-star reviews on Amazon. Show us the numbers. How much have you sold?
• TELLING US YOU HAVE ALREADY SENT IT TO A TON OF EDITORS Look, if the editors already said no, there is nothing more we can do. We can certainly try, but honestly, if they said no already, just because it is coming from an agent does not mean they will now take it. Agents are not your "last attempt to save your career."