Is your query letter funny?

twnkltoz · Feb 5, 2008

Nathan says that if you supposedly wrote a funny book, you'd better make him laugh in the query letter. Do all agents feel that way? I'm worried that if my query letter is funny, they won't take me seriously. I have this image of agents as being stodgy, very serious fellows who take the whole writing business very, very seriously.

Irysangel · Feb 5, 2008

My query letter was funny and I dropped a few choice words in there that I probably wouldn't have used in a conversation with the agent. But they were perfect for the book, and it landed me an agent.

If your book is funny, why on earth would you query with a serious tone? Or vice versa - don't be funny if your book is emo.

Stay true to what you are pitching.

TrishD · Feb 5, 2008

The tone of your query should match your manuscript. So yes, by all means, if your book is funny, a bit of light-heartedness in your query is definitely a good thing.

That doesn't mean you should be informal when you address the agent, though. Sandwich the fun description of your work between polite and respectful greeting and closing.

ExposingCorruption · Feb 6, 2008

I would think that a query with a serious tone conveys the message of a serious book. You don't want an agent to be in a serious mood if you want him to represent a funny book. At the very least, he should be smiling because of the tone of your query.

FWIW, my query letter reflects how serious my book is.

Stew21 · Feb 6, 2008

It's difficult to match tone of query to tone of book for me. The book is first person, the query isn't. It's very difficult to bring that character's voice into third person.
My query isn't funny - my query sucks.

Trish, working on it

TrishD · Feb 9, 2008

Stew21 said:
It's difficult to match tone of query to tone of book for me. The book is first person, the query isn't. It's very difficult to bring that character's voice into third person.
My query isn't funny - my query sucks.

Trish, working on it

My MS is first person, so I had that same sort of challenge. But it can be done!

~The other Trish

VallartaVixen · Feb 11, 2008

My query is funny and my book is funny. When I wrote to an esteemed author in the area that I'm writing about for a quote for my platform, he replied, "if your book is anything as funny as your email, I think you've got a winner." I think that humor is powerful esp. in non-fiction.

twnkltoz · Feb 11, 2008

Thanks all for your input! It's hard for me to be funny on demand...funniness just comes out at random and I try to make the best of it when I can! I'll work on it.

Is your query letter funny?

twnkltoz

Irysangel

She of Many Names

TrishD

ExposingCorruption

AW Addict

Stew21

TrishD

VallartaVixen

twnkltoz