Question about queries ..........

It is purely a stylistic thing. An agent is not going to reject you for having the title and word count at the end of the letter just as they are not going to stop reading just because it is at the beginning.

Sometimes, for dramatic affect, starting with the hook is a good idea. Especially if you have a really good hook.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide which is better suited to your query. Title first if it is eyecatching and compelling or hook first if it is grabbing.

Richard

BTW: The query that gets a possitive response is the right way to do it regardless of the format or styling.

I generally start off with a catchy logline containing the title, and then, parenthetically, the genre and word count. If you're way off on the word count, though, you might want to bury it.

Either way will work. Some think that the agent is more likely to be intrigued if hit with a strong synopsis first.

If I were an agent, I'd rather get the title, genre and word count first, so I knew at once what I was considering.

Unless you can use your telepathic powers to get into each agent's mind or the agent somewhere states (or implies) a preference, you'll just have to got with your own gut preference.

dpaterso said:

If I had to guess why folks would suggest this... to immediately put the query reader into story mode. The technical details can wait for a few seconds, can't they?

-Derek

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Good point. Though I suspect agents scan these things looking for reasons to reject. Many probably look to genre and word count first, then to the bio.

I agree with Derek.

Also, I've not really considered it a no-no to put genre in the beginning, but have preferred to place word count at the end. By doing that, you'll avoid blasting the agent (or pub) with that hard fact, instead letting him/her work into your pitch, getting a feel for you and your project... before they see it's too short or too long (or whatever) and automatically place a tally in the "con" column. IMHO, of course.

Best of luck!

As told many times in writing the novel, do not upset your reader. When the genre is not at the top, your query may appear to be a romance or a thriller and in the last paragraph the true genre horror or sci/fi is revealed. The agent is ticked. Even the greatest query is almost impossible for an agent to represent when they have no connections to that genre.

Smiles
Bob
I truly believe word count does not overly concern an agent, a good story and the edit process resolve that issue.

MagicMan said:

I truly believe word count does not overly concern an agent, a good story and the edit process resolve that issue.

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The word count is a HUGE concern to agents, and to editors. An agent is not looking to take on a book that requires a lot of editing to whittle down the words and still have a cohesive story. Don't fool yourself. Wordy books are a hard, if not impossible, sell these days, especially if you're trying to break in with a first book.

This is certainly subjective, but I believe that agents and editors want to know the genre and word count within the first two paragraphs. I don't think most want to go hunting. But that's just the way I've always done things.

Karen Duvall said:

The word count is a HUGE concern to agents, and to editors. An agent is not looking to take on a book that requires a lot of editing to whittle down the words and still have a cohesive story. Don't fool yourself. Wordy books are a hard, if not impossible, sell these days, especially if you're trying to break in with a first book.

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Karen, the key is the story/plot. If the story/plot is good, which should be related in the query, the agent will move on it.

I operate bookstores, and see first time authors with word counts all across the map.

Some agents actually like a higher word count for first time authors, simply due to the reduction in word count from the edit process. If you have a 80,000 word book, and the edit removes 30,000 words. You no longer have a novel to publish. I am not saying excessive but within 30,000 words of the upper range. Eg 130,000 words when the norm is 100,000.

Smiles
Bob

Most of my queries are by email so I always put "MG query: Title" in the subject line so they know what they are getting into. (MG stands for "middle grade" for those not in the kidlit world.) Then I open with the hook/synopsis, then the genre and word count at the end. I think it's pretty much a stylistic choice though. Personally, I hate the blandness of the opening line "I'm seeking representation for a 40,00 word middle grade novel," but I doubt agents have a problem with that line and I'm sure some may even prefer it up front.

I think it's relevant to point out that, just as we see varying views here within this thread, agents are going to feel differently about how they like the info presented. This tells us we just have to go with what works best for our query's content and flow.

Good luck, Overkill.