Query Letters -- paper and envelopes

I've only sent two off so far but I did nothing special to the letter or email. I got a request for my MS on the email but still no reply from snailmail so maybe it's not the way to go normal on the snailmail sendoff...

My writing friends and I sent dozens of queries through the mail and some used professional letterheads they’d designed and others simply typed their query in a business letter format. Some used regular bond paper and others used a little nicer paper they’d purchased at an office supply store.

I didn’t do a formal survey, but I believe, as in the actual manuscript, it all
depends on how it was written.

Make your query interesting and dynamic, and you’ll be fine. Of course there are at least forty-dozen different theories on how to make that query dynamic. That’s the problem, not the type of paper.

It's not the messenger...it's the message...

No need to get fancy. Basic paper and business-size envelopes are fine.

mollyluna said:

Not really helpful, guys. Envelopes? Labels? Handwritten?

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lol

I'd never show my hand writing if I'm pitching a book, they would think I was 12.

Envelopes, business envelope has always been a request from agents "10 business size envelope.

Labels is up to you, I did not use any but I think if you can aquire printed labels in a nice clean way it can be a plus =)

I just handwrite...no labels.

One reject and one request via snail mail, so take that for what it's worth.

I used basic #10 business envelopes for queries. I didn't get fancy with labels or anything--I just block printed the addresses in small, tidy letters.

mollyluna said:

If nothing else, at least I don't feel like a complete idiot for sending my previous queries on white bond. But I'm still wondering about the envelopes. Labels? Or handwritten? Doesn't someone in the mail room open them anyway? E-queries are looking better and better...

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Like I said instant reply from the publisher when I e-queried

I use plain copier paper and plain old white envelopes. I moved up to the self-adhesive kind, but for me, not for them. I use the "stronger" envelopes for larger-sized subs (still white), and shipping boxes that are not exactly "sizzling" for full MS subs.

I print by hand my return address on the SASE and I print by hand the address to the agent/publication. I do have return address mailing labels, but again, that's for ME, not them.

My agent didn't seem to have a problem with it. And no agent or publisher has ever said, "I'd have taken this, but you didn't buy expensive letterhead and get label-printing software! For shame! For shame!"

To paraphrase what someone else already said, it's what you've got that will sell them, not how you package it. Clean and legible is a lot more important than "pretty".

I think this is another example of why many writing books are a whole lot of hooey.

Okay, here's my 2 cents on this:

Manuscripts should be presented just like any other professional communication: printed clearly on decent-quality bond paper. The cover letter should be on "stationery"-quality paper, which is nicer and more expensive. You should use white paper for the manuscript; for the cover letter, you can use white or cream or light gray or light blue.

You certainly don't need your own letterhead, and it's absolutely not a "given". However, do put your return address and telephone number on the cover letter.

As for envelopes, any sturdy envelope you can find at your local office-supply or stationery store works. I like the white Tyvek envelopes, because they're sturdier than the brown kraft-paper envelopes. Large manuscripts (over 400 pages) should be in a manuscript box, which you can get from said office-supply or stationery store, or from your local photocopying place.

I always hand-write the addresses on large envelopes, but I have gorgeous handwriting. Using labels is just fine. I think the clear labels look nicer than the white labels.


I wonder if some of these people are coming to this from the screenwriters' perspective, where there really is a One True Way about script format, down to the kind of fastener you use.

mollyluna said:

thank you. Apparently, I'm just as unprofessional as the next author. I've had four requests (two with my first novel, two with this one). And I'm sending this stupid book back to Amazon because it's getting worse the more I read.

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Books are never stupid, just the context written inside =) j/k

*Holds up a cross* back, back, I say Back!

mollyluna said:

Do you have your own letterhead that you use to query?
If so, then did you design your own and just print it on your own paper? If so, what kind of paper?
If not, then do you just print it on regular bond white paper that goes through the laserjet?

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No. I don't use letterhead. I do set it up like a business letter, though, with my contact information in the upper right corner and the date and the agency's contact information aligned left next, followed by the salutation, the body of the letter, and the closing line.

When I'm sending information out by postal mail, I try to use 22-lb paper, 96 brightness. It's a little whiter, stands out a little better on a desk, is a little easier on the eyes, and smoother to write on. However, I've been known to use 20-lb paper with a far lesser brightness when that was all I had on hand.

I print it on the HP inkjet, not even a laserjet, that's currently sitting next to me.

What about envelopes?

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To send it out, I use the white Tyvek envelopes. They're far more expensive than a manila envelope, but in my experience, they're more durable. It's all about protecting the contents, right?

For the SASE, I use a #10 self-sealing envelope with the security lining. Of course, I use these for everything that doesn't require a 9x12 envelope, including sending out bills that don't come with their own envelope.

Do you print the return and send to address directly on the envelope?

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I used to do this on the SASE, but it took more time to keep a supply on hand and ometimes, the envelope catches in my current printer.

Or use printed labels?
Or handwrite it?

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I use printed labels, but again, I do this for everything. I rarely handwrite my address anymore. I keep a sheet of labels with my return address printed up. For everything else, it's pretty easy to pop in some labels in the printer and run the address through. Again, I do this for pretty much everything. It makes it easier for the post office to read and makes it more likely for it to be delivered in a timely fashion.

Do you use envelopes that match your letterhead?
If so, where do you find the right kind of envelopes?

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Nope. No letterhead. Who has the time and the money? Look, I love different types of papers and envelopes and all that, but there's really no need to make this that complicated. You can buy most of your office supplies wherever you pick up kids' school supplies or the things you've always needed for personal use.

Take it for what it's worth, but spend your time working on your query and synopsis and researching the agents rather than stressing over paper types and envelopes.

ORION said:

It's not the messenger...it's the message...

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Ha! Couldn't have said it better.

mollyluna said:

Took one last look at the query section of this book before boxing it for Amazon. Every query starts with a rhetorical question. I think Nathan Bransford would love this book.

"Would you be interested in an 83,000-word historical suspense/mystery titled ....?"
"What if a dying murder victim left you $50,000?"
"Is Amanda Winslow a grieving widow or a cold-blooded murderer?"
"Have you ever gotten the vibe?"

Is this still the way people are doing HOOKS? I worded mine quite differently and not in a rhetorical question. The book is still going back, but this gave me a chuckle.

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Noooooooooooooo

Query Letters - another cost!

mollyluna said:

Well, I never thought I'd be asking THESE questions ...

I'd never heard of personalised stationary being favoured and I hope it doesn't become the norm. I'm published in Australia and hope to have my book published in Canada in the near future. For Zeus Publications (Australia) I used plain paper for the query but Lachesis, thank goodness, accepts (even prefers) email submissions. Otherwise it costs me over AUS$60-00 to post the manuscript to the USA.

So please, anyone with influence in this area, please disuade publishers from preferring personal letterheads.

Mumut

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I think it's incumbent upon you to share with us the title of this book, so future generations are forewarned to avoid it!

Funny you should mention that book...it actually helped me TREMENDOUSLY. It taught me how to write viable queries. And no, they don't start with rhetorical questions.

I've gotten fantastic query responses since that book. (Except for our dear Nathan, of course, who keeps sending me forms.)

I used email for most of my queries, but I used formal business letter style (address block, date, appropriate greeting, etc.) within the email and I was sure to include all of my contract information under the signature line.

On the rare occasion I had to send snail mail, I use Microsoft Word and go to "View", then "Footer/Header" and under header type your name, address, phone, email, etc., centered, and make it look like stationery. Put it in a different font that looks "classy" like Rockwell or Occidental.

And I just use regular paper sent through an inkjet printer, nothing bonded or fancy.

And I always use printed labels because I have horrible, horrible penmanship. We're talking serial killer handwriting. It's very sad.

The main thing with query letters is to treat it like business correspondence. Use formal style, no slang. Proofread everything and then have someone else proofread it. Make sure the letter is tailored to each recipient.

Do your homework. Make sure you're sending it to agency that handles your genre. Direct your letter to a specific person. Spell that person's name correctly. Only include sample chapters or illustrations if they are requested in the agency's submission guidelines.

And, always include a SASE with query letters.

Because query letters are only one page, and even a big wave is only a couple of dozen, I use the very best paper (technically "rag," not paper, because it contains no wood pulp): Crane's 100% cotton, with matching envelopes. It costs about $.50 a sheet, but so what?

I don't think it makes it any more likely that an agent will want to see my work, but the fact remains that a query letter is the first (and in most cases, the last) an agent will see of your work, so why not "break the bank" and spring a buck per letter?

I do believe that especially today, with so many writers querying by email, a hard-copy query gets more attention (and you can tell by the feel of Crane's that it's superior to ordinary bond paper). When an agent gets hundreds of queries a week, I want any edge over the competition I can get.

(Crane's, BTW, is the company that makes the rag your money is printed on, assuming your money is American.)

We would have a very hard time finding anything other than photocopy paper here, and it would be prohibitively expensive. And, like Mumut, it costs us around $60-80 US to send a manuscript to the US or the UK with no guarantee that it would actually leave the country (the postal service here is far worse than you can imagine, unless you also live in, say, a third world country). As much as possible, we're going with agents who willingly handle email.

mollyluna said:

Do places like OfficeMax or OfficeDepot carry it? There are no stationers where I live--none, nada. Nearest one is probably 120 miles away.

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I live in San Francisco, and even here, stationary stores are an endangered species (thanks to OfficeDespot and their ilk).

They're online here:
Crane's link

Since you can't see them up close online, I recommend the "ecruwhite" stuff. The "pearl white" is a little too white for my eyes.

I work in a law firm and I read a lot of briefs and pleadings,written by paid writers (lawyers and judges) at $150 an hour or more. You would not BELIEVE how many of these things have obvious typos on the first page, glaring spelling errors, handwritten scratch-out corrections and so on. Regardless of the brilliant legal minds behind whatever it is, they just end up looking stupid, and it's actually a bit sad. So, I dunno if there's any winning formula as far as nice paper, envelopes and so on, but I don't think you can possibly go wrong if you type the thing, make it look professional and check it all over the place for errors. YMMV.

That's exactly what I used (the Southworth stationary) mostly because I had a ton left over from sending out resumes in law school. I totally agree that it's the message and not the messenger, but I was also very superstitious when it came to querying and I wanted to make the query look as good as I could.

I actually designed a letterhead -- just my name at the top center and then my address/phone/email underneath. The rest was just like a business letter.

I printed my envelopes on a laser printer -- both the one to the agent and the SASE. Also, I used self-sealing envelopes for the SASE.

Honestly, these are not things to worry about, it just made me feel calmer going through those motions (the same motions I used when sending out professional letters at work). But no agent is going to request/reject anything based on the type of paper (within reason -- no pink construction paper) or whether the envelope is hand-written. They want to find the best books they can and not much will stand in the way of that.