I'm specifically talking about email queries, since my postage problems prevent me from sending many snail mail queries. I've been wrestling with length in my various versions, juggling snappiness and voice with clarity and length.
Some people say "a page", which could include some pretty long hooks, and then I read other sources that say you shouldn't do more than two paragraphs in an electronic query.
The longest version I have is 336 words. The shortest is 236.
The short one has the general idea of the story, and not much else. The longer one is more showy, but I don't want to kill my chances by using a long query if agents frown upon them.
I mean, does any of this matter? On one hand I want to think, hey, I've done the job in less words, so this one's better. But I think the long one is more interesting to read. I'm not sure where the priority should be in this case.
Some people say "a page", which could include some pretty long hooks, and then I read other sources that say you shouldn't do more than two paragraphs in an electronic query.
The longest version I have is 336 words. The shortest is 236.
The short one has the general idea of the story, and not much else. The longer one is more showy, but I don't want to kill my chances by using a long query if agents frown upon them.
I mean, does any of this matter? On one hand I want to think, hey, I've done the job in less words, so this one's better. But I think the long one is more interesting to read. I'm not sure where the priority should be in this case.
