Get a Literary Agent: The Complete Guide to Securing Representation for Your Work (12 page)
Read Get a Literary Agent: The Complete Guide to Securing Representation for Your Work Online
Authors: Chuck Sambuchino
When you write a formal hardcopy letter, your contact information goes at the top of the letter, centered. However, in a query to an agent, it’s recommended that you put your contact information at the bottom—under your name, after the complimentary closing.
This is the place to list a website and blog if you have such sites. This is also where you list your phone number. There is no need to list your e-mail address (the agent already has it, unless the letter was sent by snail mail) or your home address (most correspondence will be by e-mail, and the agent will ask for your postal address if she needs it).
Those composing straight nonfiction (i.e., not memoir) should approach their query letters differently than those writing a novel. The biggest change you will see is a shift from a pitch-centric letter to a query that, perhaps more than anything, hinges on a compelling
bio
. Remember again that we’re discussing all nonfiction titles
except
for memoir, because memoir is unlike its other nonfiction counterparts and is pitched like a novel.
The intro section of a nonfiction query can follow the same rules as a fiction query—you will explain the book category and your connection to the agent. However, if you choose, you may wish to start off by inserting one to two lines about your platform and credentials to prove up front that you’re the perfect person to write this book. Solid marketing credentials catch the eye of agents as well as anything else can—and we’ll explore marketing and platform in depth in
chapter twelve
. Here are some examples of nonfiction query intros.
I am seeking representation for my nonfiction book, THE MILE-HIGH JUNGLE, an exposé on Denver’s growing role in the national drug trade. Currently, I am an investigative reporter for
The Denver Post
and also freelance for publications such as
Wired
and
Vanity Fair.
HIDDEN LIVES OF CATHOLIC SAINTS is a religious guide for anyone who wants more information on the lives and miracles of Catholic saints. Currently, 62,000 Twitter followers pick up my inspirational-news tweets every day, and I am the founder of Saintinfo.com, which receives more than two million page views each year.
The pitch is where you start to see how a nonfiction query differs from a fiction one. First of all, the seven-step formula for a fiction pitch is nixed. While a query for a novel has to have voice, flair, and style to paint pictures and elicit emotion, a nonfiction query—especially one that has no narrative at all in the story—can actually be quite dry. Your goal is to spell out exactly what the book is about and what makes the content unique and/or timely. For instance, books about great white sharks were written in the past and others will be written in the future. But if you want to sell one
right now
, you must make a case as to why
now
is an optimal time for the book’s sale and release. You could make a case by saying, “After last year’s five great white shark attacks and the resulting media coverage by CNN,
USA Today
, MSNBC, and dozens more media outlets (full list in the proposal), interest in these oceanic predators is reaching a fever pitch—or should we say, feeding frenzy.”
Here is a full nonfiction pitch example.
While several books have been written about eclipses, no one book has done all of the following:
- Provided the best high-quality artwork
- Explained the history of eclipses and the scientists who helped to study them
- Explained their place in folklore, mythology, and tales
- Listed all the lunar and solar eclipses to happen in the next ten years
- Profiled active eclipse chasers
With the release of the supernatural bestseller, FULL MOON RISING by Author XYZ and the upcoming film adaptation in the works, interest in eclipses and eclipse chasing is at an all-time high. I intend to interview dozens of experts on astronomy regarding the subject and to gather the best photography and fine art available to supplement the text.
You would never be able to get away with something such as bullet points in a fiction query, but it works fine here. After the author used the bullet points to list the book’s subject matter, he noted how the title is timely and addressed the important question of who is going to collect the images that accompany the text. It’s as if the writer here understands exactly what questions agents might ask when reading a nonfiction query—specifically, “What is the book about?”, “How is it unique?”, and “What is the takeaway value for the reader?”—and he answers them without being asked.
The bio is likely the most important part of a nonfiction query. The author of a nonfiction title must have (1) the proper credentials to write the book and (2) a solid platform—i.e., a means to sell thousands of copies to people who will buy the book. Since nonfiction authors are the primary marketers of their work, the bio must clearly elaborate on all your marketing channels and platform planks.
In
chapter twelve
, we’ll look in more detail at platform and marketing; here we’ll simply discuss how these critical pieces are expressed in the query. Sometimes the bio can require two paragraphs to appropriately spell out, which is why nonfiction queries generally get a pass if they slightly exceed the usual one-page length.
I hold a PhD in astronomical studies. I am the founder of eclipse chasers.org, and the site receives approximately ten thousand hits each month, while the site newsletter reaches 4,200 individuals (and is growing at a rate of 7 percent a month). I am often quoted in both the mainstream media as well as science blogs concerning eclipses, and I speak at several science conventions each year, including an annual invitation to Boston’s ScienceCon.
I am a broadcast, print, and digital journalist. I am the sole blogger for
Home Post
, NPR’s San Diego Argo blog. (NPR launched the Argo blogs in 2010 with the goal of each blogger “reporting and aggregating news about a single topic relevant to the hosting station’s city.”) As Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab reported, my blog averages more than 100,000 monthly visitors. I have fifteen years worth of experience on live radio and television, and have close friendships with radio and television news directors, producers, and reporters across the country—in major markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Sacramento, Atlanta, and Reno. Specific contact names and media outlets are listed in the full proposal.
These bios immediately get the credentials out of the way and make room for what will take longer to explain—marketing capabilities. Note how each author lays out specific, concrete means he has to market (a blog, public speaking) and wisely throws in some figures here and there (e.g., 4,200 newsletter subscribers). These bios could go on, but for the sake of space, the authors choose to lay out the greatest hits—and presumably explain a lot more specifics in the book proposal itself (which we’ll dive into in
chapter eleven
).
NONFICTION QUERIES
“When I receive a new query, I’m hoping to discover that you: (1) have a deep mastery and understanding of your topic, (2) have a long-burning passion for what you are sharing, (3) have clearly and concisely expressed your book concept, and (4) have developed an authentic and original writing style. I also hope to see that whatever you’re doing in your career—whether you’re a writer by profession or you work in another profession of which this book is an extension and an expression—you’re doing it out of a deep-rooted vision and inspiration. Practically speaking, I appreciate queries that are no longer than three to four paragraphs and highlight your professional training and platform.”
—Kristina Holmes (The Holmes Agency)
“Ideal nonfiction authors come with an established author platform. Create an interesting blog; it is sure to raise your visibility as an author. Don’t limit your publications. Seek opportunities both online and off. Increase your followers, and stay active in social media.”
—Dawn Michelle Hardy (Serendipity Literary Agency)
“If you have a ten-point plan to save America, your book proposal should not be the first time the world hears about it. You should be recognized as an authority on the subject you wish to write about.”
—Melissa Flashman (Trident Media Group)
“In a query, I’m looking for the types of plans the author has to promote their book. It’s a tough business. Promotion is what will help your sales. Books no longer sell themselves. Authors can’t just write. If you’re not willing to promote your work, most publishers aren’t interested.”
—Dawn Dowdle (Blue Ridge Literary Agency)
“I want to know what the book is about right away. I would like to see a thoughtful title, even though it may change. I like to believe from what I’m reading that not only is this a great new idea, but that this author is the best author to write this particular book.”
—Sheree Bykofsky (Sheree Bykofsky Associates, Inc.)
“When I teach classes … I always counsel my students not to begin their query letters with ‘I am submitting for your consideration a narrative nonfiction novel.’ But you would be surprised how many of those I get.”
—Andy Ross (Andy Ross Literary Agency)
“Avoid the words
I
,
we
,
us
and
our
[in your query], unless the book is really about you. Editors are wary of authors who overuse the word
I
. Unless you or your experience are part of the book, write about the
subject
, not yourself. Also, avoid the words
you
and
your,
[as if] addressing readers directly … . Do that in your sample chapter. The most effective way to sell your book is to stick to your subject and your idea.”
—Michael Larsen (Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents)
QUERY LETTER EXAMPLES
Spelling out dos and don’ts can help you, sure, but to write a great letter, you need to see some examples of queries that worked. In this chapter you’ll find six real-life query letters that writers used to get their agents. In addition to the letters themselves, the agents who received them explain exactly what the writer did well to catch their attention. No two query letters are structured exactly the same way—and that’s fine—but all do a wonderful job of drawing the agent and pitching the story or book concept.
Agent commentary from Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary Services
Dear Ms. Ranta:
NOT A DROP TO DRINK (69,000 words) is a postapocalyptic survival young adult novel.
Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond (a). Seven years later, violence is her native tongue in a time when an ounce of fresh water is worth more than gold, and firewood equals life during bitter rural winters. Death wanders the countryside in many forms: thirst, cholera, coyotes, and the guns of strangers.
Lynn and Mother survive in a lawless land, where their once comfortable home serves as stronghold and lookout. Their basement is a lonely fortress (b); Father disappeared fighting the Canadians for possession of Lake Erie, the last clean body of water in an overpopulated land. The roof offers a sniper’s view of their precious water source—the pond. Ever vigilant, they defend against those who stream from the sprawling cities once they can no longer pay the steep prices for water. Mother’s strenuous code of self-sufficiency and survival leaves no room for trust or friendships; those wishing for water from the pond are delivered from their thirst not by a drink, but a bullet (c).
When Mother dies in a horrific accident, Lynn faces a choice: Defend her pond from a band of outlaws alone or band together with a few neighbors and strangers she’s been raised to fear, including her crippled neighbor, a pregnant woman, a filthy orphan, and Eli, the teenage boy who awakens feelings she can’t figure out.
I have been a YA librarian in the public school system for seven years (d), allowing me to spend forty hours a week with my target audience. The first three chapters are in the body of this e-mail, per your submission guidelines. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mandy McGinnis
- I love the punchy first line, the spare prose, and the gradual introduction to all the book’s main players.
- I also love the specificity in this query—I know who the main character is, where she is, what world she lives in, and what’s at stake—without getting so microscopic that the query feels bloated and slow.
- The letter conveys all the right information but also has a flair for language that promises good writing in the sample to come.
- I appreciated the mention of her job working with her target audience, which showed some industry savvy.
Agent commentary from Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency
Dear Ms. Jeglinski:
I am seeking representation for INK, a 75,000-word young adult urban fantasy set in Japan.
When her mom dies, sixteen-year-old Katie never expects to end up living in Shizuoka with her English-teaching aunt. It’s bad enough that she can’t read or write much Japanese (a), but when Katie stumbles into the middle of an ugly breakup, it puts her on the radar of Yuu Tomohiro, her new school’s arrogant and gorgeous kendo star. After his bullying provokes her to spy on him, she discovers his secret passion for drawing and that his badass attitude is mainly reserved for his kendo matches (b).
But it isn’t Tomohiro’s kendo talent that has Yakuza gangsters homing in on him—it’s his drawings. Because everything Tomohiro sketches in ink comes to life, and something always goes wrong (c).
Now Katie has to decide whether to stay away from the guy she’s falling for or face the Yakuza alongside him. And the worst part? The ink itself is hunting Katie, and there may be one person Tomohiro can’t protect her from—himself.
I have been previously published as the 2007 Fiction Contest winner in
Room Magazine
(d) and in the Drollerie Press anthology
Playthings of the Gods
(Feb 2011). I have a story forthcoming in the
Tesseracts 15
anthology (Sept 2011).
Thank you for time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Amanda Sun