Novel vs. Query

I recently received a personalized rejection from a publisher who said my query and synopsis didn't reflect how well I write. She said when she read my sample she wouldn't have expected such good writing based solely on having read the query and synopsis. (She rejected my work because she said it sounded YA and they don't do YA.)

Drag. I worked hard on the supporting documents and still can't get them right. So, yes, it's possible to write well and still produce a shitty query.

You can certainly suck at one and not the other. I'm sure many people have the opposite problem, whereas their novel is weak but their query rocks. Sad fact of the matter is, you need to be able to do both well.

So far, I have two out as partials which didn't require a query as in the first case I met the agent in person, and in the second the publisher accepts submissions of six chapters and a synopsis. I'm dreading doing a query. It took me forever to knock the synopses into any kind of decent shape and the thought of re-working either of them as a query is enough to make me lose sleep.
I will try to do so, after all the chances are that both will be rejected and I will need a query letter for the next submissions. Hmmmm... cleaning the oven has developed a huge appeal all of a sudden...

Sorry about the rejection. Those "it sounds like" comments really hurt.

I can totally relate to the trouble, though. It's hard because the query has to be so good. Better than good, perfect. Your query really is the virtual "salesman" trying to sell your book. This is why it's so hard for a lot of writers to get their queries just right. The pressure is ON!

That said, I know it's really difficult to just "sum up" what your story is about. Think about it this way: You're telling your friend about this movie you just saw, only the movie is your book and you've gotta sum it up to let your friend know what it's about. Get to the heart of your story. What is it really about?

And I can only say that Query Hell has been mucho helpful, as far as my query goes. Paying a visit there might help you, too.

I have had my story for YEARS and I can't come up with a good hook. It is frustrating!

Interesting isn't it? We can craft detailed worlds, characters, and their interactions with each other. Spanning tens of thousands of words and hundreds of pages, and then spend months editing and polishing it...

The real problem comes when we have to write a short paragraph summing all of it up.

Zipotes said:

Please tell me you can have a good novel and suck at making a decent query!!
I can't believe how hard it is to sum up my novel in a few paragraphs. I'm starting to think it's beyond me. I either make it short and sweet, but with too little detail. Or end up being too long and it sounds more like a synopsis. When I write my books, it's so easy to get into my voice. But, when I'm writing the query I feel like I'm in school again and it sounds so fake.

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A query is really just a business letter that includes a summary of your work. The business part is pretty basic. For the summary, try letting your main character write it. Use your voice for it as well as the novel. Sometimes that helps.

Also, try thinking of a query as the answer to these questions:

Who is the main character and what is he/she trying to achieve? Is it to find love? To save the world? To solve a crime? To stay alive? To seek revenge? You should be able to sum this up in one or two sentences. And to be honest, if you can't your novel is probably flawed.

What/Who is the primary conflict or obstacle keeping the main character from achieving that goal? And what will happen if he/she doesn't achieve that goal? In other words, what is at stake? The future of the world? The main character's life? The mc's sanity/happiness/future? In addition to external obstacles, give brief mention of any character flaws your MC has that may hamper the efforts, such as a drinking problem or a heart that's been broken too many times, leaving her bitter. Also mention any other key characters, but only the truly pivotal ones, and what role they play in the above issues.

How does your MC overcome the primary obstacles (assuming he/she does, which should be the case for most types of novels).

In what type of setting does the story take place? This needs little mention for most novels, just a couple of words or one sentence to give a general idea of the setting and time ("Cambridge professor, John Smith," or "John was desperate to escape the boredom of his farm life in Kansas but World War I taught him to be careful what you wish for," or "Megan came to New York City hoping to find love but..." or "On the planet Boogoo in the Andromeda galaxy...".

Take the answers to all these questions and write them out using strong active verbs. Avoid adverbs and use adjectives minimally but wisely to get the most mileage out of them. Slash any unnecessary words by looking at each word in each sentence and asking yourself if that word is truly necessary and the best word to do the job. Rearrange the words in your sentences to make the sentences shorter and/or more effective. Try to keep the whole summary down to two paragraphs at most. Then add in all the business stuff.

Hopefully when you're done you'll have a pretty decent query.

Beth

In a query workshop I went to with Donald Maass at the Surrey International Writers' conference, he said in fact that it didn't take much to hook an agent, and that people who tried to put all of their book into the query were doing themselves a disservice. This was what he said he was looking for:

1. protagonist
2. setting
3. conflict
4. something unique to differentiate the book from every other

and that's it. So one way to approach this is to write these four things down and then try to create a paragraph around them. Using your character voice in the query is tricky, but can make the letter sound less dead and thus can help you. I think the toughest thing about queries is that to do them well you have to step back and take the long view on your manuscript. Don't worry, though, you'll get there.

Good luck!

Assuming you haven't shared yet, first, read the stickies at the top of the Query Letter Forum. Then, once you've followed the instructions as best you can, post your attempt. A group of lovely helpful people will baby you through the thing. The best assistance you can get.

A weak query letter often DOES point to a weak novel. Not always though.

In a lot of cases, the query for a strong novel will come easily, but some folks just don't fit well into the "query writer" skill set.

There's an easy way to test this. Pick four or five of your favorite novels. Then, write a query for each one. Was it easy? If so, the problem may be with your novel.

The thing is...since I've become published I can't tell you HOW many times I've had to conceptualize my novel in just a few words LIVE and in INTERVIEWS and in written responses...and I'm doing the same thing with my second and third novels.
Queries, synopses and pitches are tools I use all the time and take just as much effort and struggle as the novel itself. I start what can be termed my short back flap copy when I start each novel and work on it as I write- I don't wait until the novel is done...
I actually disagree that these things are two different skills...you HAVE to be able to articulate what your story is about in just a few words - if you can't it often times means that you have a lack of clarity in your novel as well...
I don't mean to sound harsh but over the last year I have been STUNNED to realize how many times I'm asked to tell someone what my novel (s) is about...
And how few interviewers have read my novel-
In London I was on the BBC televised for the Orange prize and had to converse with someone who had no idea about ANY of the short listed books...

I really feel with lots and lots of practice (and I even made up ones for classic books) and lots of reading good hooks of published books you get a feel for the way novels are described and reading good working query letters help as well.
BUT an excellent query letter will not convince an agent to buy a book that they don't fall in love with, AND a crappy query letter wont get a manuscript read...

I hear a lot of people say that a query is a business letter, and I think they are missing an important distinction: it is a business letter written by a writer. Your query should read like your novel. If it is quirky and funny, your query should be too. If it is historical melodrama, that needs to come through in your letter. The letter is the thing that most agents will see, so make sure your voice comes through.

And make it short. The shorter it is, the more likely it is to be read.

Zipotes said:

Please tell me you can have a good novel and suck at making a decent query!!
I can't believe how hard it is to sum up my novel in a few paragraphs. I'm starting to think it's beyond me. I either make it short and sweet, but with too little detail. Or end up being too long and it sounds more like a synopsis. When I write my books, it's so easy to get into my voice. But, when I'm writing the query I feel like I'm in school again and it sounds so fake.

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Oh, definitely. Common problem really.

SO not looking forward to having that problem, though I know I'll have to face up to it eventually.

ORION said:

I actually disagree that these things are two different skills...you HAVE to be able to articulate what your story is about in just a few words - if you can't it often times means that you have a lack of clarity in your novel as well...

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Not always. My latest MS has two conflicts, each of which is the cure for the other, and the hero is the only common point to both. I have a synopsis that works, but only by describing one of the conflicts and leaving out the other. Putting them both in makes it too long.

Writing query is a totally different skill -- a business writing skill, really. A synopsis is an analytical skill -- to summarize something complex into a few pages.

Not all writers can do both well.

It took me only three drafts to get my novel in shape. But it took me over 12 drafts to get a query I liked, and probably about the same for the synopsis.

We should, however, always have an "elevator speech" ready. A tagline or something that is fewer than 20 words. Not only is it a good practice so you can tell someone "what your story is about," but it's good to keep yourself focused, so you're not going all over the place with your story....

Query vs Synopsis

The synopsis is 2 to 5 pages. Query is one page (the ultimate short story!). Sounds like you want to send the Synopsis?

I'm to the point that I'm certain that my query isn't any good. my book is awesome (so says every person who's ever read it. My weak point is business type writing. What I need-and others here, I'm sure-is for someone to read it.

maestrowork said:

We should, however, always have an "elevator speech" ready. A tagline or something that is fewer than 20 words. Not only is it a good practice so you can tell someone "what your story is about,"

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"My novel sucks."

How's that?

caw

Zipotes said:

Please tell me you can have a good novel and suck at making a decent query!!
I can't believe how hard it is to sum up my novel in a few paragraphs. I'm starting to think it's beyond me. I either make it short and sweet, but with too little detail. Or end up being too long and it sounds more like a synopsis. When I write my books, it's so easy to get into my voice. But, when I'm writing the query I feel like I'm in school again and it sounds so fake.

Click to expand...

How do you know you have a good novel???

The thing that put me off was a line in Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, etc. which said 'The Query letter is the most important letter you will ever write' or something like that...talk about piling on the pressure before you strike a key.

I still haven't perfected mine, I shall keep polishing until it feels right and until it's truly written in my voice.

firedrake said:

The thing that put me off was a line in Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, etc. which said 'The Query letter is the most important letter you will ever write' or something like that...talk about piling on the pressure before you strike a key.

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Oh, yeah. No pressure there >.>

Maybe he was trying to eliminate the competition?

My query is close to perfect now... I think... Awe hell, I don't know

God, I hope so.