Who else is struggling with query letters? Come on, raise your hands. Don’t be shy.
I have written query letters for awhile now. I have even put them into the bodies of emails, clicked “send”, and whisked them into cyber space. I have stuffed them into envelopes, licked the nasty glue-like seal, put a stamp on, and slipped them into the depths of a postal box. So why the apprehension now?
I am no stranger to rejection. In fact, I have developed a pretty hard shell. The problem is not the rejections themselves. It is that with each one, I run closer to depleting the list of agents and publishers to query. Sure, I’ve had a nibble here and there. I even had a request for a full at one point. But my novels (and my memoir) still remain unagented and unpublished.
So suddenly my queries are not good enough. I write them. I rewrite them. I agonize over them. Are they too long? Too short? Too…something. Or maybe they’re not enough of something.
From the agent blogs and published books I have read, there really is no set formula on writing the perfect query letter. But now mine has to be perfect all of a sudden. It has to appeal to every agent’s whim and desire—even though that is totally impossible.
So, I ask, does anyone else struggle with this same sense of inadequacy when it comes to fashioning the ultimate query letter? And—if so—how do you work through it. (Hint: giving up is not an option).
1. Slept. I spent last night in the ER with my younger son, Zane. We didn’t arrive home until 1:00 AM.
2. Read. I have been slowly making my way through five different books. Since I am feeling tired and lazy today, reading seemed like a good activity to foster those feelings.
3. Took care of Zane. The ER staff (after running tests) believes Zane is suffering from dehydration from his recent stomach virus. He is being tube fed continuously today, alternating formula and Pedialyte.
4. Took a shower. Typically, this is a given part of my daily regimen. Today it requires some effort. Therefore, it makes the list.
5. Journal writing. A long time ago, I purchased the book, Writing to Heal the Soul by Susan Zimmermann. I bought it after reading her book Keeping Katherine—the story of her life after discovering her daughter had significant disabilities. She realized she needed to grieve the loss of her past life—the life she knew before Katherine. I had not actually read past the introduction of Writing to Heal the Soul until now. But so far, it is an enlightening book. Each chapter contains exercises to work through grief. Given the recent death of my sister-in-law, now seemed like a good time to complete the book. Time to dust off the cobwebbed journal and write. (So, I know, technically this is writing. However, I still am putting off work on my WIP, which I have not touched in a month).
6. Shopping on Amazon. My husband read my query letters. His assessment: they’re not good. Time to buy a book on query letter writing. This Thursday on #ninjachat at Ali’s blog, one of my queries will be critiqued. Honestly, I am not a bad writer. But apparently, my queries say otherwise. No wonder I don't have an agent or a book deal yet.
Dear Mr. Quintero:
I am querying you because I read on your website that you represent quality fiction. Set in Queens, my adult contemporary thriller, QUANTUM PHYSICS, is a mix of Tomie dePaola’s The Quicksand Book, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, and Don Quixote if it took place in the city, except without the horse, the stealing, and the traveling all over the place parts. It is complete at 90,000 words—an adequate quantity by most standards.
Quick-thinking Qaletaqa moves to Queens, New York from Queen Creek, Arizona with a stolen desert quail named Sandy to take a job as a funeral director. What he doesn’t realize is that the funeral home is a front for an underground Quaalude manufacturing facility. Qaletaqa and Sandy go undercover to expose the secret operation, narrowly avoiding a cock-fighting episode, falling in love, and almost dying in the end.
I am quite the catch as far as writers go. I have no biography to speak of—although I do lifeguard at the local quarry and I recently quit smoking. I know I have queried you three times before, and you quietly passed the first time (then accidently blocked my email address). But this time I know you are going to have no qualms about representing me.
My friend, Joe, said—and I quote—“QUANTUM PHYSICS is good.” If you would like the full manuscript, please let me know before the quarter hour. By the way, I sent this to you in quadruplicate in case you lose a copy.
Sincerely,
Me
