Landing An Agent
Elements
Of A Winning Query
Tips and
Updates From Writer's Digest
Every writer
knows a strong query letter is essential for getting an agent. But
what goes into a winning query and how does one go about finding
representation? "Guide to Literary Agents" asked five
recently published authors just that, and they all responded in
detail. Here are a few of their pointers on the do's and don'ts of
querying.
1. OFFER BENEFITS TO THE AGENT
Mark Lee, active playwright and now
author of "The Lost Tribe" Picador, USA), waited three
months after finishing his manuscript to start his agent search.
"I think writers should put as much effort into their query
letter and their contacts with agents as they do preparing the
manuscript itself," says Lee, who worked on his query for
three days and sent it to about 14 agents. Within this succinct
letter, Lee wanted the agent to get three impressions: this writer
is not going to waste my time; this writer can make me money; this
writer will be a joy to work with.
2. SET THE HOOK EARLY
For his nonfiction book, "The
Phishing Manual: A Compendium to the Music of Phish" (Hyperion),
Dean Budnick had specific criteria in mind when he began looking
for an agent: someone younger who had (or who wanted) experience
agenting music and/or pop culture. Budnick learned the formal
procedures of finding a nonfiction agent through lots of reading
and talking with other writers. "All I can tell you is I did
what they told me to do and it worked!" Part of what he
learned was the importance of the query's lead sentence--he spent
about two days creating a killer first sentence. "I wanted to
communicate as much as I could about the band and their audience
right off the bat to at least keep [agents] interested enough to
read down to the paragraph where I start talking about why I
should write the book."
2. KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND
Donna Woolfolk Cross, wanted Jean
V. Naggar to represent her first novel, "Pope Joan."
"I knew who some of her other authors were," says Cross.
"So I knew she handled my kind of writing, these books did
well, and these were authors I liked. I knew she ran a
well-regarded, mid-size literary agency. That was enough for
me." So Cross went for it. Cross captured her audience (Naggar)
by being direct, emphasizing her research, and then mentioning
some of the more exciting events of the plot.
4. FIND EVERY ANGLE TO SELL
YOURSELF
Knowing what to say in a query is
one thing but making it concise is another. "I think it's
really important to work [the writing] to the bone, to really
condense it to the essence," says Glenn Kleier, who secured
representation for his first book, "The Last Day"
(Warner). Kleier's professional side urged him to look at query
writing more from a marketing than a literary perspective. "I
had to step into [the agent's] shoes and give her what I thought
was important to her," says Kleier. So, he emphasized in his
query that the book was both marketable and timely. He was able to
support his stance because he referred to current events relevant
to his manuscript, a number of which happened to pop up in the
media at the right time (e.g., an "Adweek" article on
the millennium appeared the week before he sent the query). Such
events were incorporated into the letter and gave the query
direction.
5. DON'T SELECT JUST ANY AGENT
Faye McDonald Smith advises authors
looking for agents to do some research. Find out if the agent's
clients are happy with the way they are being represented. Next
ask what kind of background the agent has. "I think authors
may get excited when any agent expresses interest," says
Smith. "But you have to check out that agent, and not just
sign up with anybody simply because they identify themselves as an
agent. That person may not be working for your best interests and
may not be the right person for you. I think it is a matter of
trying to have a good connection and the agent's enthusiasm, and
not just settling for any agent who responds to you."
Again, for this and nine other back
issues of "Tips and Updates From Writer's Digest," visit
http://www.writersdigest.com/tips.html.
|
