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- Mar 21, 2012
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Basically, when you're writing a query, should you be trying to interest agents and editors in the same way you'd pique the interest of normal readers -- by showing them what's interesting about your story and trying to make them want to read it this way -- or should you be aiming to show them that your book has the potential to be marketed and to sell?
I know they're generally mutually inclusive (books that sound engaging are likely to be eaten up) but there are some small differences that make it all a bit unclear in my head.
Pretend we're back at the start of the vampire boom. I've just written a story about selkies, which aren't as known or as popular as vampires; there aren't that many selkie books in existence and the few ones that are on the shelves haven't sold well in the past (though they haven't sold terribly). People show no sign of outwardly wanting selkie books. In this case, should I be doing my best to show that my story is engaging (by the way I describe my story in the query) or should I write the query in an attempt to draw attention to the factors of my story that are usually popular or that have sold well in the past?
To be a bit clearer, one approach involves presenting the core of the story in as personally enticing a manner as I can. The other approach involves writing the query a little differently, so that the marketable elements of the query are on the surface.
So, to sum up: While they do need to contain both, should your queries really be written to tempt the reader side of an agent or editor, or should they be written to appeal to the bussiness-person side?
PS: I'm not actually writing about selkies, but I hope this is a good example of what I'm trying to say
I know they're generally mutually inclusive (books that sound engaging are likely to be eaten up) but there are some small differences that make it all a bit unclear in my head.
Pretend we're back at the start of the vampire boom. I've just written a story about selkies, which aren't as known or as popular as vampires; there aren't that many selkie books in existence and the few ones that are on the shelves haven't sold well in the past (though they haven't sold terribly). People show no sign of outwardly wanting selkie books. In this case, should I be doing my best to show that my story is engaging (by the way I describe my story in the query) or should I write the query in an attempt to draw attention to the factors of my story that are usually popular or that have sold well in the past?
To be a bit clearer, one approach involves presenting the core of the story in as personally enticing a manner as I can. The other approach involves writing the query a little differently, so that the marketable elements of the query are on the surface.
So, to sum up: While they do need to contain both, should your queries really be written to tempt the reader side of an agent or editor, or should they be written to appeal to the bussiness-person side?
PS: I'm not actually writing about selkies, but I hope this is a good example of what I'm trying to say
