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This week: Art of Querying: How to Hook an Agent Edited by: Cinn  
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| As mentioned previously ("Action/Adventure Newsletter (January 4, 2017)" ), I read industry blogs every day because I find them interesting, if absolutely useless to me. You all might as well benefit from my love of research. Who knows better what an agent wants than an actual agent? Same goes for editors and others in the publishing industry. And you know... some of them spend their free time explaining the woes of their positions (i.e. what NOT to do) or answering questions for people. These tips all come from various agent blogs. |
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I have never written a query for agent representation. Why? I write poetry, and poets don't make Bestseller money. Even the best of us don't usually need agents. Short story writers likewise have little need for agents, so this is for all of you Action/Adventure novelists out there looking for traditional publishing. This is step one in that process: Hook the literary agent.
Attitude
Your tone should be polite and rather neutral. Don't praise your own work (i.e. "with beautifully crafted characters and masterful blah blah blah"), as this is akin to telling an agent what to think. It's his/her job to locate manuscripts they can sell... they'll know if your manuscript has any merit without you telling them. These types of descriptions make writers look like amateurs.
The same goes for acting as though you're doing them a favor:
"The next Stephen King"
"The opportunity to be my agent"
"Please respond as soon as possible"
"Sure to be a best seller"
"Easy money"
"Loved by 'anyone who did not buy/publish it'"
Again... neutral. These types of phrases could result in an automatic rejection because they are unprofessional at the query stage (or possibly any stage). Things like "Please respond ASAP" sound like pleading or self-importance depending on tone, whereas "I look forward to hearing from you, 'signed X'" is professional and clean. Don't offer THEM an opportunity, thank them for the opportunity they're giving YOU. Oh, and that last one is true for any group, including "every child who has read it just looooves this children's book".
Formatting
It may seem obvious, but annoying an agent with weird fonts and colors is not a good idea. Same goes for very small margins and tiny font sizes. A one page query should be just that-- one page of normal text. Single spaced, 11-12 sized professional font (i.e. Times New Roman or Courier), one inch margins all around. If you can't fit your hook in that space, you aren't writing a hook... you may be writing a synopsis.
And yes, some agents prefer Times New Roman or Courier and generally will specify if they feel strongly about it. Always follow the directions, but if they don't say, go with TNR or Courier. These are the two safest choices.
While we are on the formatting subject, here is another tip: No pdf files. Unless they ask, just don't do it. This goes for your chapters too. If you don't trust them to leave your precious writing intact, why do you want them as your agent?  Yes, it's a reading format, but it has its limitations as far as usefulness goes.
Words on the Page
So, now that you're starting to come to grips with one page meaning one page (about 300 words), what do you put on that page? How can you possibly get everything you need on just a page? Be concise and be prepared to write many many drafts of that query. First though, include only what is necessary.
Dear Agent's NAME,
Name of Book is a mystery novel complete at 100,000 words.
Hook starts here.
Cut all that bulk from the beginning about "I'm seeking representation" and whatnot. They know that.  Get right to it. Also note that you should use the agent's name rather than "to whom it may concern" or the generic "dear agent".
And what is a hook really? Well, you can get creative about it and have a chance to make a real 'wow' impression (or fall flat on your face). Or, you can go with the easy and clean hook:
1. Who is the main character?
2. What does he/she want?
3. Who/what stands in the way?
4. How does he/she intend to overcome the obstacle?
Simple, no? This is basically all of the information that someone needs to understand what your book is about. Remember, this isn't a synopsis... it's a HOOK. It's meant to entice and intrigue and agent into reading your manuscript. You don't need to give away the ending here... make them want to read the ending. I recommend writing this in 4 short sentences first. Once you have the information in there, you can add detail. It's sometimes easier to add than to remove words.
For your bio section, save yourself some time and space by only including relevant information that will be impressive. Being a semi-finalist for a contest no one has ever heard of? Axe that. Being a PhD biochemist doesn't matter unless the book is about biochemistry or at least science of some sort.
Think: Will this help the agent sell your book? If not, then it wont help you get it accepted by the agent. Include only publication credits and relevant background information. If you have none, just don't include any. End your hook with "Thank you for the opportunity. I look forward to hearing from you" and your name. They will assume that you have no pub credit without you telling them that or wasting their time with useless info.
For those of you with professional experience in other forms of writing, that may or may not be helpful. It doesn't hurt to mention being a professional/published writer in other fields (i.e. copywriter or academic publications). Likewise, it doesn't hurt to mention that you're a professional editor or have experience in the publishing field. Displaying some amount of competence might just say to the agent that you will be easy to work with and have some clue as to what you're doing.
If you're looking for some more tips, you may want to try: "Novel Publication Tips from Pros" by Cinn
Tips and "absolutely do NOT dos" straight from agent and editor blogs. (Action/Adventure Newsletter - January 4, 2017). And now, I'll leave you with a final bit of advice: Scour your query for cliches and remove them all. Just don't use them. "Her life began to unravel" and "downward spiral" and "little did he know" and "his world shattered"... just don't do it. |
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Action/Adventure: July 19, 2017 Issue [#8401]
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