Query Letter Question

NateGang · Dec 27, 2009

Is this the right spot for this? If not, sorry.

Just wondering-- if you're emailing a query letter, do you include the date and the person's address? Most of the things I've read indicate you include that stuff in a query letter but that seems really unnecessary/redundant in an email, in my opinion.

What I mean is something like this:

December 15th, 2009

Mr. XXX XXXXX 
The XXXX Group
2800 Blah Blah Drive  Fort Worth, TX 76109

Dear Mr. XXX:

Would you include that? Or just go straight to the "Dear", since they obviously can figure out the other stuff in an email?

thanks

ishtar'sgate · Dec 27, 2009

Good question. In thinking back to what I do myself I'd say no, don't bother. The email address IS the address. The date isn't necessary either as it's recorded on the email. Occassionally I include the date in bold if what I'm sending has a time deadline.

katiemac · Dec 27, 2009

NateGang said:
Is this the right spot for this? If not, sorry.

Just wondering-- if you're emailing a query letter, do you include the date and the person's address? Most of the things I've read indicate you include that stuff in a query letter but that seems really unnecessary/redundant in an email, in my opinion.

What I mean is something like this:

December 15th, 2009

Mr. XXX XXXXX 
The XXXX Group
2800 Blah Blah Drive  Fort Worth, TX 76109

Dear Mr. XXX:

Would you include that? Or just go straight to the "Dear", since they obviously can figure out the other stuff in an email?

thanks

You don't need in for an e-mail query. Really it just takes up space, and if agents are reading on a Blackberry or other smart phone, you're making them scroll extra lines to get to your query.

You want as much of your query as possible to fit in the e-mail window.

RJK · Dec 28, 2009

A query letter is a business letter, and as far as I'm concerned should follow a business letter format. Your name and address info first (if it's not in the header), followed by the date, followed by the person you are writing to, followed by the business address, followed by Dear ___:, then the body of the letter, followed by Sincerely, Your name.
You can't be criticized for using the formal business format.
Perhaps, in the future, a new format will develop for email business letters. After it's in the Chicago Manual of Style, I'll use it.

Terie · Dec 28, 2009

RJK said:
A query letter is a business letter,...

But a query e-mail is a business e-mail, and it's NOT standard to start a business e-mail with all those details at the beginning. It's standard to begin a business e-mail with your salutation.

As others have said, it's not necesary to include the recipient's address, date, and so on in an e-mail query. You can put your snail-mail address and phone contact details after your name at the end.

RJK · Dec 28, 2009

More than half of the agents now accepting email queries have done business the old way, with formal business query letters via snail mail most of their careers. I believe it's better to ease them into the electronic age a step at a time.
This would be a good question for Ask the Agent.

Tuuli · Dec 28, 2009

It annoys the Query Shark when e-queries come in with the address at the top. She then has to waste time scrowling through the info first. Typically you include it at the end of the letter, after your name. But do include the information just in case the agent can't get a hold of you via email (for whatever reason), or they want to phone you.

Terie · Dec 28, 2009

RJK said:
More than half of the agents now accepting email queries have done business the old way, with formal business query letters via snail mail most of their careers. I believe it's better to ease them into the electronic age a step at a time.
This would be a good question for Ask the Agent.

Why would you assume that just because an agent is old enough to have worked in the 'old way' they aren't hep to current e-mail practices before they start accepting e-mail queries?

Or look at it another way: when was the last time you personally received a business e-mail formatted like a business letter, with all that stuff on top, before the salutation?

Bufty · Dec 28, 2009

That's both patronising nonsense and a waste of their time to even bother answering that question.

RJK said:
More than half of the agents now accepting email queries have done business the old way, with formal business query letters via snail mail most of their careers. I believe it's better to ease them into the electronic age a step at a time.
This would be a good question for Ask the Agent.

ishtar'sgate · Dec 28, 2009

Terie said:
when was the last time you personally received a business e-mail formatted like a business letter, with all that stuff on top, before the salutation?

I haven't. They begin with a salutation and their own company info appears under the signature line in case I want to contact them by snail mail or fax or....

AryaT92 · Dec 28, 2009

katiemac said:
You don't need in for an e-mail query. Really it just takes up space, and if agents are reading on a Blackberry or other smart phone, you're making them scroll extra lines to get to your query.

You want as much of your query as possible to fit in the e-mail window.

And they read with iPhones / Blackberries alot.

RJK · Dec 30, 2009

I worked for several years for the federal government. All of our formal email communications went out in business letter format, just as if they were mailed, and that's the way we received correspondence.
There's a difference between email messages and email correspondence, if you've worked in the business world, you probably would have seen that.
If you believe the agent is that concerned about so much scrolling, why don't you just tweet them instead of a formal query letter.

bonitakale · Dec 30, 2009

The only person I know who puts his address at the top of an e-mail has worked for foreign universities for years. Maybe they do that there.

And, apparently the government does it.

But my thought is this-- do you want an agent who cares deeply about that? And if you do, how are you going to find out which way they care-- email them and ask, "Does this annoy you?"

I'd skip it on the grounds that it's just extra verbiage at the beginning; RJK would put it in on style manual grounds. If you meet an agent who's deeply offended by either of us, that's probably not someone you want to deal with regularly anyway.

jclarkdawe · Dec 30, 2009

In query letter hell, we had a discussion on this that morphed towards the end of I am seeking representation ...(

1 2). You might want to take a look at it.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

RJK · Dec 30, 2009

Sorry Jim, the link wouldn't open.
So you other folks are saying, when sending an email you skip the date and the addressee info, start with Dear soandso, and enter your contact info after your name similar to a personal letter?

Jamesaritchie · Dec 30, 2009

Put in the address. It takes up very little space, never, ever does any harm, and can be very useful for an agent or editor.

RJK · Dec 31, 2009

The link opened after about a dozen tries - interesting thread.

Terie · Dec 31, 2009

RJK said:
Sorry Jim, the link wouldn't open.
So you other folks are saying, when sending an email you skip the date and the addressee info, start with Dear soandso, and enter your contact info after your name similar to a personal letter?

Yes. I've worked in the business world since e-mail began, and never once have I ever seen a business e-mail with contact details of the recipient at the beginning. Not once. Ever.

The date is in the e-mail header. The company knows its snail-mail address. You don't need to tell them that info. Putting your own address (when necessary) at the end is the way it's done. My company's stationery is set up exactly like that.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 31, 2009

Terie said:
Yes. I've worked in the business world since e-mail began, and never once have I ever seen a business e-mail with contact details of the recipient at the beginning. Not once. Ever.

The date is in the e-mail header. The company knows its snail-mail address. You don't need to tell them that info. Putting your own address (when necessary) at the end is the way it's done. My company's stationery is set up exactly like that.

I've seen hundeds of them. And lost count long ag of how many I've received, and certainly of how many I've sent.

My guess is you've nver seen one because too many people out there think there's never a reason an agent or editor will need them. There often is.

There's simply no good reason not to include contact information in an e-mail. It never harms anything, and it beats the hell out of forcing an agent or editor to send another e-mail, or make a phone call, asking for them.

Terie · Dec 31, 2009

Jamesaritchie said:
There's simply no good reason not to include contact information in an e-mail. It never harms anything, and it beats the hell out of forcing an agent or editor to send another e-mail, or make a phone call, asking for them.

None of us have said not to include our own contact details. The OP's question was whether to start the e-mail with the recipient's contact details. Which, no, you don't have to do in an e-mail. You put your own contact details at the end, after your signature. Good grief, don't you actually read these posts?

eveningstar · Jan 2, 2010

The Query Shark mentioned this very topic today. Most pertinent part:

1. Don't put your contact information at the top of an electronic query. Put it at the bottom, under your name. If you're including pages in the real query to real agents, put your contact info below your name and BEFORE the pages.

Query Letter Question

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