Janine Cross: Writing a Compelling Query Pitch

Janine Cross

You’ve completed the manuscript of your novel to the best of your abilities, and now you want a publisher to buy it. Your next step?

A query letter—sometimes called a query package or query pitch—is a sales tool, usually sent by email, which a writer uses to entice an agent or editor into requesting a manuscript. It’s typically accompanied by a writing sample, often the first ten pages or first chapter of your manuscript (follow online submission instructions closely, as guidelines differ from agent to editor), and a novel synopsis (a one-page summary revealing the ending). Each query letter should be addressed to a specific person, not Dear Sir/Madam, and shouldn’t be longer than one page, single-spaced.

There are four essential elements to a query letter:

• Your pitch: a compelling description of your novel (100–300 words);

• Your facts: genre, word count, title;

• Your credentials: previous writing sales, significant awards, relevant education/profession/subject-matter expertise (50–100 words);

• A closing thank you.

If you met the agent/editor at an event and your material was requested, mention this in your opening line. If there is a reason why you’ve chosen to send your material to this particular agent/editor, personalize your query by mentioning it in the opening, e.g., In a recent interview in Publishers Weekly, you said you are looking for historical romances with a speculative twist, and I believe my Victorian time-travel novel may be a good fit for you.

There are two other common methods of beginning a query: leading with fact and leading with story. Leading with fact is when you start with a straightforward statement: “(Title) is an 85,000-word psychological thriller…” This allows you to either segue into your pitch or mention comparable titles with a phrase like, “which will appeal to fans of Stephen King’s Misery and Tana French’s The Searcher.” Comparative titles inform the agent/editor that you know your market while providing a snapshot of your premise, especially if you are combining genres in a unique way, e.g., Little Women meets American Psycho.

Leading with story, on the other hand, grabs the attention of your reader up front with your compelling pitch, also called a hook, and begins immediately after your salutation. In the case of most speculative fiction, this usually involves establishing the setting/time period, like in Isabel Ibanez Davis’s opening sentence in her query for her novel Sea of Rivals: “The year is 1715, the dawn of the golden age of pirates.”

A good pitch incorporates character and plot and gives the reader an idea of why we care about the protagonist and the engaging problem(s) faced. I always start by stating who my character is, what it is they want, and what obstacle they face in trying to get it. I mention the pivotal consequences from choices the protagonist makes and include any dramatic twists.

Here are three formulas to help you start crafting your pitch.

Option 1—open with a compelling one-sentence summary of: character name/description; the conflict they’re going through; the choices they have to make.

Option 2—open with what your character wants, why they want it, and what’s preventing them from getting it.

Option 3—open with a factual sentence: I have completed a (word count)(genre) titled (title) about (protagonist name + small description) who (conflict).

Crafting a clean, compelling query letter is a necessary step in selling your work to a traditional publishing house, and with practice, creating them gets easier.