By Laura Jorgensen
As an aspiring author, I have been lucky to work at Cedar Fort Inc., a medium-sized publishing company. It has been a great opportunity to pick up tricks of the trade, get an inside look, and really immerse myself in the world of book publishing--something many authors don't do until they are submitting a manuscript.
Working with your publisher and editor is so key to promoting your book, and it all begins with the query letter. Query letters are the first impression that an editor has of you and your book. AgentQuery.com explains, "A query letter is meant to elicit an invitation to send sample chapters or even the whole manuscript to the agent... .The goal is to get the agent to read your book, not to blow you off because you screwed up the introduction."
To help you write a query letter (or submission letter) so that an agent will give your manuscript the time of day here are the top 3 Do's and Don'ts from our head Acquisitions Editor, Jennifer.
- Give us as much marketing information as possible.
Include the number of friends you have on Facebook, followers on your blog, the number of email contacts you have, the name of your website, schedule speaking engagements, and anything that shows us that you have thought about how you can help sell your book. (See Rebecca Talley's Guest Post for ways to increase your online presence.) - Tell us why you're qualified to write your book.
This is more applicable for nonfiction but we'd still like to know for all of the genres: what writing experience have you had? What education or work/life experience qualifies you to write about the subject? etc. - Proofread your letter.
If it is cluttered with typos or addressed to another publisher, we are not likely to give your manuscript much time. - Don't tell us that you can't or don't know how to market your book.
- Don't tell us that we're making a big mistake if we decide not to publish your book.
- Don't send us your manuscript if you're going to publish with another publisher.
A successful query letter will get the editors excited for your manuscript and gives them a taste of what it will be like to work with you. If you are unprofessional in your communications, a "no" will be quick in coming. Being professional, clear and succinct in your query letter may just be the fresh air the editor is looking for. - Don't forget to include your contact info at the bottom of your letter.
Otherwise we can't tell you "Yes. We'd love to see your manuscript!"
For a sample query letter and more advice go here.
Laura Jorgensen grew up in the Seattle area. After an unusual education she graduated with a bachelors in English. She has a wide variety of work experience, from circus coach to librarian, and from recreation guide to editor. She is currently living in Utah with her husband and working at Cedar Fort Inc. as one of their Web Media Specialists. She blogs on many different topics, but mostly about books and the book industry.
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