What percentage of the plot should a query cover?

Daggilarr

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I have heard it said that a query should only cover 30% of the plot. Is this true? What is the wisdom on this?
 

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A query should cover enough of the plot to get the agent interested enough in your book to request a full.

You can't assign a percentage to this. It's meaningless.
 

Daggilarr

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A query should cover enough of the plot to get the agent interested enough in your book to request a full.

You can't assign a percentage to this. It's meaningless.

So not all of the plot, not how the plot resolves.
 

Old Hack

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There are no hard and fast rules about what to include and what to leave out.

A query aims to get agents to request the full of your book. So write a gripping query, and you're good. There is lots of information in our Query Letter Hell room: go there, read the stickies, and read as many successful queries as you can.
 

Pisco Sour

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What Old Hack said, but I will add that my most successful query letter led with the Inciting Incident, then thrust my MC into major conflict. I detailed some pretty stark and concrete consequences for her decisions-or lack of. In other words, don't say things like '...or the consequences will be dire', or 'she'll face life-changing decisions'. If the consequences are truly dire, then spell them out. If it's life-changing, say how. Vague statements are boring, and therefore your book is boring-that's how (many) agents think. You've got to trust me on this one. You should not give away the ending (this isn't a synopsis, where the ending is required!) A query is meant to entice the agent/editor into reading your full, so don't take off all your book clothes, or there won't be anything left for an agent to discover.;) HTH
 

SciSarahTops

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Just read this yesterday on Query Shark blog. Janet Reid seems fairly set on her answer. I have no experience of a sucessful query, and she is one agent...

2) The book has 3 acts with tension and stakes building. This query is about the final conflict. Is that okay?

No. You want to tell me about what happens in the first act. If you're querying with what happens at the end of the book, it's sign that you don't have enough plot or enough at stake.
 

WeaselFire

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I have heard it said that a query should only cover 30% of the plot.

The actual figure is 28.6%, derived from a statistical analysis of submitted versus accepted query letters.

Unless of course it isn't. :)

Bottom line is that there are no rules like this that work. Your job on a query is to hook an agent into wanting more. It's the same principal as writing your first line and first chapter. You don't start your story with the middle, or the end, do you? You start at the beginning and tell enough to get the reader to turn the page.

Yes, Query Letter Hell is where you want to be. Read, and when you have the best query you can come up with, submit.

Jeff
 

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I saw an agent tweet the other day that she wanted the whole plot, spoilers included, summarized in the query. I'm new to this, and certainly nowhere near the query phase, but I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I get there. I am sure that there are differing opinions on this among agents.
 

The Otter

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I've heard "roughly the first 50 pages" as opposed to a percentage. And yeah, there are no hard and fast rules, but that's true of anything involving writing; it still helps to have a general guideline or standard to aim for. I agree with the agent's comment. If your query gives away 90% of the plot, then you're probably doing it wrong. A query isn't exactly like a movie trailer or blurb, but it serves a similar purpose: to whet the appetite and intrigue someone enough to want to watch/read the whole thing. If you feel the need to include 90% of the plot to have enough material for the query, then either there's not enough plot or you're not adequately capturing what the plot is.
 

rusoluchka

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Definitely go check out Query Shark and read the archives. Enticing the agent to request a full doesn't mean telling him or her about themes. Make the query about the premise/concept, engaging writing, inciting event, and make the stakes clear.
 

Layla Nahar

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Adding to the voice that says 'There are no rules for this.' Oh, and read Query Shark.
 

Cyia

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Your query's only, sole, singular, exclusive, and dedicated purpose is to entice the agent to read the whole thing, so how much of your plot is necessary to make that happen? Premise? 1st act? 1st major twist? Big betrayal? Halfway through? You're the only one who knows what makes your story unique and interesting, so however far you need to go in order to convey that thing is how far you need to go. Voice is key. Word choice is key. Beyond that, just do your best and see how it goes.