Tantalize literary agents with these simple-yet-not-obvious tricks for your book pitch. Plus, a line-by-line case study of the query letter for The Crown's Game.
I agree with Mesa! Last January I purchased a "book writing masterclass" from another best-seller. The query section was vague, and I remember my biggest takeaway was the idea to compare our own manuscripts to popular titles on the shelves today, but I love your take of blending TWO popular titles that have been published to give a better idea and feel of your work!
Thank you for this masterclass of a newsletter for querying!
Oh my goodness, thank you for saying such lovely things! (And I just saw your Substack note, too! *blushing*)
I'm really glad this was helpful for you! I was worried it was too long and boring, but it seems like all the detail was actually useful. Hope you're having a great weekend!
Thank you so much for your guidance and experience. I loved the breakdown of each paragraph. It was incredibly helpful. I'm in the midst of writing a children's book but I'm having a hard time finding comps. I have two questions. Is the query letter for a children's book pretty similar and what do I do if I can't find comps that fit? Thanks in advance! I'm so happy I found you.
Yes! The query for a children’s book is pretty much identical.
If you can’t find comps, that’s ok. I would include a very short description of what kind of book it is, like if it’s a picture book, maybe you would say that’s it’s an evergreen picture book that kids and parent will be able to pick up years from now, or if it’s topical, you could say it’s perfect for parents looking for books to encourage their girls to explore engineering…
Basically, you want to give the agent a preview of where your book might sit on a bookshelf store.
Agents are looking for both great writing AND something that is marketable (since that’s what publishers are looking for, too.) I hope that helps!
Although I don't have a manuscript yet, I'm going to save this post for future reference. Very helpful information here. Thank you for sharing, Evelyn!
Thank you, Evelyn, this is so generous and helpful! It’s one thing to share a tip + example. It’s another thing to break it down section by section. Thanks again!
I just love your newsletters...so informative! (And while not the focus, I loved the share about rereading "Outlander" because Gabaldon's style doesn't influence your own while you're in the midst of a manuscript. Such a good point!)
This is so helpful--thank you! I'm glad you included an example. I've written a logline for my wip, but I'll need to tackle the query letter in the *hopefully* near future. (I'm at the revising stage.)
Evelyn, this is all so generous of you! And so incredibly helpful for those of us pondering querying :) Appreciate you!!
I am SO glad, Mesa!
I agree with Mesa! Last January I purchased a "book writing masterclass" from another best-seller. The query section was vague, and I remember my biggest takeaway was the idea to compare our own manuscripts to popular titles on the shelves today, but I love your take of blending TWO popular titles that have been published to give a better idea and feel of your work!
Thank you for this masterclass of a newsletter for querying!
Oh my goodness, thank you for saying such lovely things! (And I just saw your Substack note, too! *blushing*)
I'm really glad this was helpful for you! I was worried it was too long and boring, but it seems like all the detail was actually useful. Hope you're having a great weekend!
I will be referencing back here for ages to come! Thank you for a true behind-the-scenes look at success!! Happy Weekend Evelyn!
This is so brilliantly helpful, Evelyn. Thank you.
Once again, I must implore Substack to add a save feature!
This is so helpful - very clear tips - thank you!
Thank you so much for your guidance and experience. I loved the breakdown of each paragraph. It was incredibly helpful. I'm in the midst of writing a children's book but I'm having a hard time finding comps. I have two questions. Is the query letter for a children's book pretty similar and what do I do if I can't find comps that fit? Thanks in advance! I'm so happy I found you.
Yes! The query for a children’s book is pretty much identical.
If you can’t find comps, that’s ok. I would include a very short description of what kind of book it is, like if it’s a picture book, maybe you would say that’s it’s an evergreen picture book that kids and parent will be able to pick up years from now, or if it’s topical, you could say it’s perfect for parents looking for books to encourage their girls to explore engineering…
Basically, you want to give the agent a preview of where your book might sit on a bookshelf store.
Agents are looking for both great writing AND something that is marketable (since that’s what publishers are looking for, too.) I hope that helps!
That's very helpful. Thanks again!
Although I don't have a manuscript yet, I'm going to save this post for future reference. Very helpful information here. Thank you for sharing, Evelyn!
Always thrilled to help!
Thanks, Evelyn!This is very helpful. I’m looking forward to the forum.
Yay, E!
Thank you, Evelyn, this is so generous and helpful! It’s one thing to share a tip + example. It’s another thing to break it down section by section. Thanks again!
Thanks for making me smile this weekend, Monika! You're so very welcome!
😍
I just love your newsletters...so informative! (And while not the focus, I loved the share about rereading "Outlander" because Gabaldon's style doesn't influence your own while you're in the midst of a manuscript. Such a good point!)
This was so helpful, thank you, Evelyn!
This is so helpful--thank you! I'm glad you included an example. I've written a logline for my wip, but I'll need to tackle the query letter in the *hopefully* near future. (I'm at the revising stage.)
So excited for you that you’re close, Steph!