Query 101: The Story
Why do we need (yet another) writing blog?
There are so many fantastic blogs out there. There are ones that are more established than this. And when I first started querying, I spent a lot of time on them. Blogs like Query Shark taught me a lot about what a good query looked like. But they didn’t answer the questions I had on how to query.
As I was dipping my toes into the querying pool, I realized that this was a confusing process. I didn’t know where to turn for information that was both accurate and up-to-date (and since I’m a PhD student by day, I crave information). I was baffled by terms like “partial,” “comps,” and “trad pub.” I did a lot of googling to figure out what people on forums meant when they wrote “ms,” “PM,” and “QT.” What were all of these things that agents were asking for, and how was a pitch different than a synopsis, and why were both not a query letter?
How was I even supposed to find agents to query anyway?
Now that I’m out of the query trenches, I’m convinced that it really doesn’t have to be this confusing.
I want to make querying easier and more accessible for everyone, especially authors who don’t have a million hours to devote to research on querying. I want this blog to be a one-stop-shop for information on how to query so that you can spend your time polishing your manuscript, not trying to figure out the mechanics of the query process.
What is this blog (and what is it not)?
Likely you couldn’t care less about who I am, what I write about, and what I personally think about writing.
Luckily, that is not this blog. I’m not going to waste your time with anything that isn’t related to querying.
This blog will give you explainers on all aspects of the query process. It won’t teach you how to get an agent or help you polish your query, but it will tell you that your query letter should be 300-400 words. (Did you know that? I didn’t.) In other words, the mechanics of querying—Querying 101.
Why would you listen to me, though?
Look, I can’t guarantee that I’ve gotten it all right. (And in fact, I should disclaim that all information presented here is based in my personal experience, and therefore isn’t meant to be end-all-be-all advice. And following this advice won’t get you a certain result, etc. etc.)
But I did query, and I did get an agent. And in doing so, I learned a lot, and that knowledge is what I’m here to share.