Questions tagged [queries]
This tag should be used for questions about query letters, which are short and formal letters that writers send for example to publishing houses to propose an idea for a literary work.
34 questions
2 votes
1 answer
218 views
Should I include my prologue in my query as a sample chapter/sample pages?
I am currently querying agents for a novel that has a prologue. A lot of literary agents ask for sample chapters (three, for example). Should I send the prologue and the first two chapters, the ...
- 179
3 votes
0 answers
136 views
Is a comparative title in an ongoing book series considered a recent comp or not?
I have a novel where I have an excellent comparative ("comp") title in mind, but the book is part of an ongoing series of novels (scifi/fantasy, if it matters). The suggested time range for ...
- 13.8k
6 votes
1 answer
647 views
Include book cover in query letter to agent?
I'm emailing a few agents about a novel I wrote. Typical query letter, attaching a summary and the first three chapters, as they request. I happen to have commissioned a book cover for the novel, ...
- 1,707
1 vote
2 answers
112 views
Can I query a book in two countries simultaneously?
Can I send a query to agents in non-English speaking country and translated version to agents in English country at the same time? I assume I have to inform them about this upfront. How it will affect ...
- 121
14 votes
2 answers
4k views
How can I know that I'm not plagiarizing?
New to the web. I just recently started to write again. I won a few highschool prizes writing short stories. Around the same time, I began to play Roleplaying games and to write different stories for ...
- 251
1 vote
1 answer
140 views
Should Person Write Query Letter and Synopsis in Chronological Order Even Though Story is Told in Pieces
I am attempting to write my first novel, a historical fiction. To help focus my story, I wrote the Query Letter and Synopsis in chronological order. However, the story is a narration by an old lady ...
- 627
2 votes
2 answers
224 views
Does Blind Querying Literary Agents Actually Work? Is That How Authors Find Agents?
I have been BLIND QUERYING agents for nearly three years to no avail, and I am wondering if this approach is a realistic one. I have used countless templates in crafting my query letter and all my ...
user42900
11 votes
4 answers
3k views
Can you pitch an outline?
Here's my question: can you pitch an outline of a novel to an agent? I.e. you have two to three chapters complete to a high standard and at full outline of the rest. Would any agents agree to ...
- 530
7 votes
1 answer
259 views
Should one invest in a professional editor before querying?
Let's say you have completed a novel. Since you're not totally naive, you have also complete a few drafts, where with "few" I mean at least more than two. You are at a point that your book seems ...
- 15.9k
1 vote
1 answer
87 views
Is it acceptable to include articles written for assignments in one's portfolio?
Background: I'm coming from science and will start trying my luck at science journalism. I already have clips from unpaid work on online media and my own blog posts. However, a few articles that I'...
- 131
3 votes
2 answers
443 views
Multiple Books in a Single Query
I recently decided to make a long delayed return to a genre where I had early publishing success, upper-level picture books. Given that I now have school-aged children, I have a number of stories ...
- 56.7k
5 votes
3 answers
804 views
Ensemble cast novel - pitch and synopsis
My mystery novel features an ensemble cast of seven characters. Since I can't talk about all of them in the short span of the query letter, I've decided to focus on the antagonist. He's the main ...
- 185
4 votes
1 answer
170 views
Forum to Get Feedback on Queries
I'm a big fan of query letters, and have had great success getting reads with them in the past. But it's been over a decade since I've queried any fiction, and I'm not sure I still have the magic ...
- 56.7k
5 votes
3 answers
1k views
What is the "Proposal" Part of a Query Letter?
I'm trying to follow query guidelines that include a query letter, proposal, outline, author bio, and sample chapters. What is the 'proposal' part of the query letter? I have not been able to find an ...
- 457
4 votes
3 answers
438 views
Can I retell a popular manga series as a novel and query it to an agent?
I’m working on my first draft of a retelling of a popular manga series from the 90s. It has been adapted and redone at least 6-10 times as an Asian drama TV series in many different countries. I’m ...
- 291