Fiction Query Letters I

I'm numbering this post with a "I" not because I have enough stuff for a II but because I know there'll be a II sometime. Probably soon.

Of all the stuff fiction writers have to go through to get published, one of the most traumatizing events is cramming all your accomplishments plus a blurb of your story into a one (or at most two) page overview--the dreaded query letter.

Based on a conversation I had with Molly, one of the SeriousWriter girls, I've dug up some (hopefully) useful links on query letters. Now there's no excuse....(said specifically for Molly!). Get querying!

Writing the Perfect Query by Lee Masterson (be sure to check out Lee's great site for writers while you're there--Fiction Factor)

Advice from the Nelson Literary Agency (Scroll down a bit to get to the query letter stuff. Great sample letter, too).

The Complete Nobody's Guide to Query Letters by Lynn Flewelling

Query Letters for Children's Book Fiction by Margot Finke (don't let the title fool you--excellent example for all fictional subgenres)

Common Fiction Query Letter Mistakes by S. Thompson (although if you're writing--or thinking--these things in a query letter, you have a LOOOONG learning curve ahead of you...)

Query Letter: How to Write the Perfect Query Letter by Ali Lane (dissects parts of the query).

There you go. That should get you started. Query letters on a Monday morning...if you live through that, what's next? Sunday synopsis workshops?

Happy querying,
Beth