Posted by The right words can be the difference in whether you get a call from an agent or editor. To be fair, not all people read the query, but if you’re like me and spent months (years?) working on a story, you don’t want the query or pitch to give a reason for someone to say no before even opening your submission.
After attending two pitch critique events, I’ve been reading up on querying! So with no further ado, here are some resources to help you dig in!
Video Resources
Got Queries?: Holy QueryLand, Batman! Bookends literary has an entire playlist of discussions about the querying process. The Perfect Query blurb is where I started.
Elevator Pitch: Ding! You have the space of one floor to discuss your book with an agent and editor, what do you say? In this brief video, the Book Doctors break it down.
Blog Resources
Electronic Submissions: did you know that a Twitter pitch and a query pitch should be different? This article breaks down the differences between the pitch and query, written by Jan Fields from Institute of Children’s Literature.
The Role of the Query Letter: Agent Kelly Dyksterhouse of Raven Quill Literary discusses all things Query Letter. I especially like her take on how certain elements of the letter can affect the reader’s bias going in.
Comp Titles: Da-da-duummmmm! No worries, Agent Jacqui Lipton tackles comp titles and how they can be used to help your pitch shine.
