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Letters of Inquiry to Literary Agents on Book Proposals – Three Warnings

First-time writers’ inquiry letters to literary agents often contain numerous errors—errors that are easy to avoid. This tip sheet can save you the embarrassment of making these mistakes, especially in a query letterwhich is the most important letter you will ever write.

If you’re not sure why this is the most important letter you’ll ever write, stop and think about it. If you don’t send an inquiry letter, how will you get a literary agent? And without an agent, you will almost never be able to print a book with a good publisher.

Before we get to the blunders, you need to understand that we’re talking about inquiry letters to literary agents about book proposals. We are not talking about query letters to editors or editors. And we’re not talking about letters of inquiry to literary agents about finished manuscripts. Although in fiction you will need a complete manuscript, the fiction inquiry letter is so different that we will talk about that another day. At this time we are only sending inquiry letters to literary agents about nonfiction book proposals. This is the number one type of inquiry letter agents receive, it’s the most important inquiry letter in a writer’s career, and it’s the inquiry letter you’ll probably want to send first in your publishing career.

It is also the query letter that contains the most errors.

LETTERS OF INQUIRY MUST HAVE FOUR PARTS

The number one mistake is not including the four required parts of the inquiry letter. These are standard, and skipping one will end the story right there: the agent won’t read any further. The four parts of the inquiry letter are the opening paragraph stating why you are writing to that particular literary agent, the second paragraph describing your book, the third paragraph describing your credentials, and the final paragraph. in which you ask the agent to request your book proposal.

The first mistake you are likely to make is not telling the agent why you are talking to him or her. It’s a mistake because he puts you in the amateur category right away. The agent is thinking, “This writer just picked my name from a book. Maybe this writer has contacted fifteen other agents and I’m at the bottom of the list.”

Avoid this blunder. The first sentence of your inquiry letter should be a very simple statement stating why you are writing to that agent. For example: “I am writing to you because you represented The Da Vinci Code.” End of paragraph. Enough to say.

With this opening paragraph, you’ve established that you know who this agent is, you know about this agent’s work, you respect this agent’s work, and you’re not just picking this agent out of a hat. Hopefully his book will also be a bit like The Da Vinci Code. But you get the point, right? He only sends inquiries to literary agents who represent books similar to his. That makes sense, doesn’t it? An agent who only handles mystery novels isn’t going to care about your cookbook.

Select the right agent and start with my suggested one-sentence opening paragraph, and you’ll get an A+ rating so far. I guarantee the agent will keep reading, and that’s more than I can say for most of the inquiry letters they receive.

INQUIRY LETTERS SHOULD SUCCESSFULLY DESCRIBE YOUR BOOK

Succinctly means concisely. It means don’t wander. It means you don’t say, “This book will be a bestseller.” It means you don’t list all your chapters. It means that you get straight to the heart of the matter and, in as few words as possible, state the title, genre, and subject of your book.

How is this paragraph? I will give you an example. Let’s say you’re writing a cookbook about New Orleans. Your paragraph might look like this:

“Informative and topical, like a cross between Julia Child and Martha Stewart, THE KITCHEN OF NEW ORLEANS is the first post-Katrina cookbook to cover the entire spectrum of New Orleans cuisine. Filled with Creole and Cajun recipes, it explains how these cooking styles have changed after Katrina.More comprehensive than other books on New Orleans cooking, and more current, it is the only book that investigates what has changed in New Orleans cooking after the hurricane, and for that reason it will attract to millions of people interested in contemporary Cajun and Creole cuisine.

The first sentence of this example paragraph contains the all-important phrase “the first…” It is important to include this phrase in the first sentence of paragraph two, if you can, because it signals to the literary agent that this book might have a chance. for sale. Anything that is “a first” or new and unique in some way will be of interest to the people who post.

The second point to note is that the book is described succinctly in the first sentence. You need to make this award concise and also comprehensive. That means this award should stand alone. Imagine that the agent sees nothing but that sentence. To get an idea of ​​how to do this, look at the back covers of similar books. You can get great ideas from the ad copy you’ll read there. Also note that this short paragraph compares your book to its competition, suggesting that yours will be better in some way. If you can fit that in, it will go a long way in selling your book to an agent.

LETTERS OF CONSULTATION MUST OBJECTIVELY INDICATE YOUR CREDENTIALS

Your third paragraph is about you and your credentials. This is the place to list previous posts, if you have them. If you have work experience, that is included in this paragraph, whenever relevant. For example, you could say:

“I’ve been cooking New Orleans-style food for the past twenty years in a Louisiana restaurant that was partially destroyed by Katrina. After the hurricane, our food supply changed and our cooking style changed as a consequence. I also work as a restaurant critic for New Orleans Food magazine, and in that capacity I have seen how restaurants in this area have modified their menus after the hurricane.My work has been syndicated in four newspapers.I have also appeared before the local Supper Club, giving lectures on cooking.”

In this paragraph, the writer states the credentials that will convince a literary agent that they can write the book. While this writer did not have many previous posts, the fact that she has worked as a reviewer is in her favor. She puts everything that is relevant in the paragraph, but also leaves out what is irrelevant. For example, if you’re a scuba expert, skip it as it won’t help sell this cookbook.

YOUR INQUIRY LETTER MUST CLOSE CORRECTLY

The final paragraph simply asks the agent to request your proposal. It can be as simple as: “Please let me know if I can email you my book proposal. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration.”

By avoiding the three biggest mistakes of beginning writers, you can be sure that your query will receive a lot of attention. Remember to state why you are writing to this particular agent, describe your book succinctly, and provide your relevant credentials. Your professionalism will be evident in your inquiry letterAnd if the agent is looking for new clients, you’ll get a call or email asking for the book proposal.

Then you can go out and celebrate.

Copyright © 2007 William Cane