aes25
08-06-2005, 01:25 AM
"For Fiction: Mail a query letter, short synopsis, first chapter and a S.A.S.E (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)."
These are the instructions: pretty cut-and-dry. I do have two issues on which I need advice, and I'll be forever indebted to you all.
First, I've never written a query letter. I've read a couple of vague, somewhat contradictory Dos and Don'ts. To anyone who is truly knowledgeable on this subject, where can I go to read a couple of good examples of query letters, so I can gain a better understanding of what agents specifically do and do not want to see in them? Relevant info: my manuscript is 100% fiction, not autobiographical, I'm unpublished, and other than the fact that I live in the city where the story takes place (and thus know what I'm talking about when it comes to the setting), I have no experience, skill set, or background that would set me as an author apart as particularly marketable--it's just the writing.
Second, my first "chapter" is about 11,000 words. I recognize this may not be the type of length this agent is looking for in an introductory writing sample. The first comfortable break in the writing is at about 7,500 words. Should I send the first true chapter (11,000 words), the abbreviated first section before there's a break in the action (7,500 words), or an even shorter sample of writing?
I'd appreciate any advice you can give to a virgin of the agent queries.
These are the instructions: pretty cut-and-dry. I do have two issues on which I need advice, and I'll be forever indebted to you all.
First, I've never written a query letter. I've read a couple of vague, somewhat contradictory Dos and Don'ts. To anyone who is truly knowledgeable on this subject, where can I go to read a couple of good examples of query letters, so I can gain a better understanding of what agents specifically do and do not want to see in them? Relevant info: my manuscript is 100% fiction, not autobiographical, I'm unpublished, and other than the fact that I live in the city where the story takes place (and thus know what I'm talking about when it comes to the setting), I have no experience, skill set, or background that would set me as an author apart as particularly marketable--it's just the writing.
Second, my first "chapter" is about 11,000 words. I recognize this may not be the type of length this agent is looking for in an introductory writing sample. The first comfortable break in the writing is at about 7,500 words. Should I send the first true chapter (11,000 words), the abbreviated first section before there's a break in the action (7,500 words), or an even shorter sample of writing?
I'd appreciate any advice you can give to a virgin of the agent queries.