Query question.

From what I've read and heard from agents, a great query is a great query, and if the hook is fantastic and the story good, they'll keep reading. That said...being unable to be consise in your query is a strong indication that you might also be unable to be concise in your MS. A wordy query = a wordy MS. You signal negative traits before the agent has even read sentence one.

Nathan Bransford says the sweet spot for queries is 250-350 words. Most successful queries fall into this range. Successful queries have also fallen outside this range, so you can make it work, but I do think you'd have to meet a higher standard to pull it off.

I don't know that there is any information out there that says. I know that I can tell when a query reads long. There are certain expectations in reading queries as compared to a book that factor in here.

Length of the query is also a function of the length and complexity of the book. Especially in nonfiction, you can go over a page and get away with it because some subjects are complex enough and the writer's background important enough to include. My query for EQUINE LIABILITY ran a page and a half and got 2 out of the 5 publishers it was sent to interested.

For fiction, a book legitimately running 120 - 180k could have a query that justifies more than a page. The query would need to be showing a very deep level of plotting. In addition, it would probably need to have a biography that justifies a fair amount of information.

But normally one page should be all you need. It should show how tightly you can write in getting information across. Otherwise, you create the impression that Danthia describes of creating the impression your book is going to need a lot of editing.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe