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Karen's Keynotes – Query Letters

Karen MacLeod

Sending in a Query Letter to a Potential Publisher

You've prepared your manuscript to be the best it possibly is. You've had "beta readers" take it apart, critique it, and help you "vet" it. You have made the spelling perfect (and don't count on your computer's spell checker, it lies) as well as checking the continuity, grammar. You've given it a total proofreading for any errors. If you have NOT done this, or had someone else do it for you, this is the first step to getting your manuscript published.

The second is to prepare a package of materials, including manuscript excerpts, to send to a potential publisher. Part of that package is the important query letter.

I suppose there are as many ways to send in a query letter to a publisher, as there are ways to tell a tale.

Before submitting your manuscript to a publisher, investigate what genre(s) your work falls under, and which publishers may be interested in the type of work you have written.

Searching the internet will guide you to potential publishers' websites, where their guidelines should be available. Follow those guidelines exactly, for the best chance at getting your work noticed and published.

Examples of those guidelines might include the following:

Guidelines for Authors:
All book length fiction, all genres. Everything: romances of all types, plus westerns, mysteries, crime, historicals, paranormal, sci-fi, horror, suspense, thrillers and blends. The majority of books will be romances.
No porn. We are interested in good books that have fallen through the cracks, that don't meet normal guidelines.

Send: First two chapters plus a synopsis. SASE. Also a short letter indicating your experience, whether you are a member of a writing organization, the length of the book(s) being sent, and the type of book. If it is a blend, mention that: is it more western than romance or whatever. If published, let us know if this book is unencumbered. If you wish to send more than one book, send the synopsis and first two chapters of one book and just a brief synopsis of the others.

No electronic submission, please. If your book is not yet finished, say so, and tell us how much still needs to be written. The length should be from 60K to 100K, more or less.
Simultaneous Submissions Accepted.

There are a few "givens" that you might keep in mind as you write that all important, first impression letter:

1) Write it in formal, business style. In Office 2000 there are letter templates to help with this. Either the "elegant letter" or the "professional letter" format is suitable. If you are not using a program such as office, library books are available that outline secretarial typing and letter styles. My thirty-year-old secretarial school typing manual is just as accurate in format as the provided templates are today.

2) Let the publisher know briefly and concisely what it is you are offering them, and asking for in return. Use appropriate language, formal yet warm. You're not writing the publisher as if you would write a close friend or family member.

3) Be sure that whatever you send to them is "disposable." If you want your material returned to you, it is your responsibility to provide a postage-paid envelope for the return of the items. Specify in your letter what to do with the items you have provided.

Be sure to write a polite follow-up letter if you have been contacted after your initial package has been submitted. Follow any instructions you have been given.

I've included two examples to get you started:

An actual query letter (all addresses fictional) used with permission of the author, Elizabeth Caldwell. The manuscript she names is real, and is "going the rounds" to find a publisher for it. I worked extensively with Elizabeth on "Sacred Honor," before she (or should I say, "we") decided it was ready for marketing.

The plot synopsis of "Sacred Honor" is also used with permission.

Read more about Karen at the Karen Leslie MacLeod Bio page.