Is Your Query Letter Failing You?

I get it. You all hate writing query letters. These nasty little buggers are just as bad as writing cover letters for jobs...oh wait, these are the same thing! The point is, your query letter may be the reason you are getting rejected over and over again.

First of all, I want to remind you of one of my favorite quotes. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." That is your query letter. When I open up your email with that query, I will be immediately making decisions about you, your book and your potential. Turn me off there and we are not moving any further with your project.

When you send that query letter, you are supposed to be showing the agent that your story fits EXACTLY what that agent is looking for, and, more importantly, why YOU are the right fit for the agency. I don't care about the fact that you keep hearing it is all about the story, the reality is that, you have to convince us before we even get to your story.

Let me just say that this is the reason why those of you who use Query Manager are probably failing the most. You have your single query letter and all you do is change the name of who you are sending it to. For so many on Query Manager, you aren't even taking the time to do that. You just start talking about your book. What you are telling us is that you really don't care who you sign with, you just want to make money. Hmmmm? Where is your motivation to be a great author? Where is your motivation to want to work with that editor or agent for the long haul. You seem to think it is only about contract negotiation. Sorry, it is about much more.

When you write that query letter, you need to be demonstrating that you have bothered to take the time to know who you are sending it to. What have we said at conferences, on our blogs, on our websites, or articles we have written that fits with what you are offering? What is that makes you a client we would want to work with? Remember, when you apply for a job, the employer is not just looking at how skilled you are, the employer is spending a lot more time determining if you fit with their team. 

The simple thing you can do is read your query letter as if you have no clue who you are. You have never read your story. You have never met you. WOULD YOU HIRE YOU just based on what you wrote? 

If not, fix it.

So, before you spend your day firing off those query letters, take the time to really see if you are selling you and  your book properly.