Top Ten Querying Mistakes
I recently did a query workshop with Jason Ashlock of Moveable Type and Colleen Lindsay of FinePrint for the Backspace Conference, and it was our job to read author queries and ring a bell when we would have stopped reading. Out of all the queries we workshopped (I'd say we got to at least 30), there was only one that we actually got all the way through. We kept seeing the same problems over and over, so here's a redux of our top ten query red flags:
1) Never, ever, ever say you have a "fiction novel". All novels are fiction. For that matter, never say you have a "non-fiction novel" either.
2) Don't include a mock up of what you think your cover will look like. It won't look like that in the end anyway, and some of them are- to be kind -not very good looking.
3) Don't tell agents how you have been writing all your life, since you could first hold a crayon, and that's why we should take you on. This is not an important piece of your bio.
4) Don't pitch a trilogy. Trilogies are pretty outdated, and most publishers are not going to buy a trilogy when you don't already have a strong sales history. Pitch the first book, which should be able to stand on its own, and say you would like to continue on in a series instead.
5) Word count! Nearly all of the queries I looked at in the workshop were clocking in at or above 120,000 words. That is almost always too long, and makes me think you haven't edited enough. I think an appropriate length for most adult commercial fiction is between 75,000 and 100,000, and YA is between 60,00 and 80,000. Literary fiction usually is harder to pin down; it just has to be super special.
6) Don't call your work literary fiction if it isn't. Sometimes, it's hard to categorize what you're working on, but literary fiction is its own special animal. It's about the language, the craft, and more than just the reading experience. Usually, if you're writing literary fiction, you've got some great journal credits, like Glimmertrain or Tin House, or have studied in an MFA program. Those things aren't necessary, but don't jump to label your work literary if it's just hard to describe.
7) Know your audience. I often see things listed as "mainstream fiction" or "family saga" or "general fiction" and these are very broad terms that don't really tell me much. If you were to go into the bookstore, where would your book be shelved? Who is the person who is most likely to read it?
8) Don't mention that your book has been professionally edited or copy-edited. In fact, why get it professionally edited? Frankly, I want to see what your writing is like on your own. Work shopping is absolutely great, but if I see something professionally edited by someone you've hired, I don't get a good sense of how good or not good you actually are.
9) Don't use a weird font or paper with a picture of a pen in an inkwell on it. This is a business letter, just be straightforward.
10) Tell us what happens in the book. We always see query letters where "something tragic happens". We need to know what that something is! Don't worry about giving away the story, we need to know this information at some point and it's probably your hook. Don't hide the hook!
And here's a bonus 11th don't: Don't start with a rhetorical question.
Now, get out there and spiff up those queries!
-Michelle Brower
1) Never, ever, ever say you have a "fiction novel". All novels are fiction. For that matter, never say you have a "non-fiction novel" either.
2) Don't include a mock up of what you think your cover will look like. It won't look like that in the end anyway, and some of them are- to be kind -not very good looking.
3) Don't tell agents how you have been writing all your life, since you could first hold a crayon, and that's why we should take you on. This is not an important piece of your bio.
4) Don't pitch a trilogy. Trilogies are pretty outdated, and most publishers are not going to buy a trilogy when you don't already have a strong sales history. Pitch the first book, which should be able to stand on its own, and say you would like to continue on in a series instead.
5) Word count! Nearly all of the queries I looked at in the workshop were clocking in at or above 120,000 words. That is almost always too long, and makes me think you haven't edited enough. I think an appropriate length for most adult commercial fiction is between 75,000 and 100,000, and YA is between 60,00 and 80,000. Literary fiction usually is harder to pin down; it just has to be super special.
6) Don't call your work literary fiction if it isn't. Sometimes, it's hard to categorize what you're working on, but literary fiction is its own special animal. It's about the language, the craft, and more than just the reading experience. Usually, if you're writing literary fiction, you've got some great journal credits, like Glimmertrain or Tin House, or have studied in an MFA program. Those things aren't necessary, but don't jump to label your work literary if it's just hard to describe.
7) Know your audience. I often see things listed as "mainstream fiction" or "family saga" or "general fiction" and these are very broad terms that don't really tell me much. If you were to go into the bookstore, where would your book be shelved? Who is the person who is most likely to read it?
8) Don't mention that your book has been professionally edited or copy-edited. In fact, why get it professionally edited? Frankly, I want to see what your writing is like on your own. Work shopping is absolutely great, but if I see something professionally edited by someone you've hired, I don't get a good sense of how good or not good you actually are.
9) Don't use a weird font or paper with a picture of a pen in an inkwell on it. This is a business letter, just be straightforward.
10) Tell us what happens in the book. We always see query letters where "something tragic happens". We need to know what that something is! Don't worry about giving away the story, we need to know this information at some point and it's probably your hook. Don't hide the hook!
And here's a bonus 11th don't: Don't start with a rhetorical question.
Now, get out there and spiff up those queries!
-Michelle Brower
6 Comments:
Thanks, Michelle. That was helpful. The correct word count has been confusing me, so it is good to know a range.
Excellent post! I'm always stressing over my query and wondering what the 'bell ringers' are. This post answered questions that writers ask every time they hit the 'send' button. Thanks!!!
Thank you for the great post! I do have one question, and it's one I've read up on and haven't found a definitive answer for:
How do you want writers to calculate word count? My count in the word processor is long at 89,200, but when I put my book in size 12 Times New Roman and multiply the page number by 250, it comes in at 84,000. Still long, but the difference could be significant for a writer's chances -- especially if the page number is higher only because of dialogue.
What is the way agents/editors want us to calculate? Whichever way gives the lowest word count? :-)
Thanks again!
There really isn't a significant difference between 89,000 and 84,000 so I wouldn't stress- remember, these word counts are just guidelines! No agent or editor will pass on your book because it is 5,000 words too long or short. 50,000 words too long? That's a different story.
Thanks for the post. My issue - to tell or not to tell. You clearly want to know the ending. I'm going to a pitch conference in NY and they are just as clear that the summary should end with a cliffhanger.
What's a newbie to do?
Thanks for the post. My issue - to tell or not to tell. You clearly want to know the ending. I'm going to a pitch conference in NY and they are just as clear that the summary should end with a cliffhanger.
What's a newbie to do?
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