how do you even query letter?

abdall said:

I've been having some trouble with getting in touch with agents and publishers and I think, upon further reflection, that my query letters may be part of the issue. I'm really not the best at writing anything short, sweet, and to the point. Anyway, does anyone have any tips for me, or a template they suggest I follow? I think I need to make some changes and any input or advice is welcome.

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Visit Query Letter Hell here on AW. Read through the stickies and some of the Query threads!

All the best,
Riv

Also Query Shark is a great resource for learning how to write them.

The basic idea behind a query is that it sells the book. It's related to--though not exactly like--back cover copy. You want to focus on the story, and less is usually more so long as you give an agent enough to be intrigued, have a grasp of who the character is and what s/he wants, and what the broad stakes of the plot are. Or some combination thereof--there's no magic formula.

As Riv said, Query Letter Hell is a great resource. You're only four posts away from being able to put yours up and get critique, so that's the avenue I'd suggest you take.

The stickies are a very valuable resource and you should dig into them even though they're a bit overwhelming.

Query letters are hard. I've been working on mine for a good while and when I eventually get 50 posts, I do plan on posting it here for some further feedback. In the meantime, something I've found most helpful is critiquing others' query letters and paying attention to others' critiques of those same letters. It can help you apply it to your own.

I've read all the blogs about how you should write a query but it was actually reading queries with a critical eye that helped me understand how to write them the best. Good luck!

Ugh... Thank you for reminding me to post something because I read and don't post and dangit, I do want to get to 50.