How to Write a Good Query Letter for a Novel
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Wondering how to write a good query letter for a novel? Consider your query letter hook, which is the eye-catching element of your pitch, also called a logline or a succinct summary of your story. I often refer to this as your book's "mission statement" when discussing self-editing and revision. What is your story all about? Who is the primary protagonist? What is the major dramatic question? What’s the source of story tension? And what is the overriding universal theme or big picture idea? If this list seems overwhelming, then you know why it’s hard to figure out how to write a good query letter for a novel. But you don’t have to do it alone. With these tips, you can nail it, so read on.
How to Write a Good Query Letter for a Novel: The Pitch
To craft an attention-grabbing query letter hook, contemplate what the key takeaway from your story should be for the literary agent or publisher—a point that will make them sit up and take notice. This should include elements of:
Character
Plot
Theme
An example of a logline for an adult novel might be:
When a well-liked community leader is killed at a school function, it turns out that everyone in the close-knit community has a reason to want him dead. (Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.)
An example for a YA novel might be:
As two teenage peers from highly divergent backgrounds and priorities face a future of uncertain separation, they must choose whether to seize the opportunity to explore the possibility of love. (The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.)
Now, something to take note of is that these loglines both raise a lot of questions. Who died? Who killed the person? How will the community be impacted? For the YA, I wonder: Will the teenagers give love a shot? Will the character be deported?
When researching how to write a good query letter for a novel, consider starting with the hook first. This logline is what sparks interest and encourages agents or publishers to keep reading.
How to Write a Good Query for a Novel: Revealing the Ending
While some thought leaders, such as the amazing Jane Friedman, may disagree, I suggest you give literary agents and publishers a peek of your climax and resolution, especially if you use any intriguing plot twists and reveals. Doing so is sure to create a bit of tension and intrigue.
Jane Friedman insists that teasing and withholding information about your ending in the query is the way to go, but I disagree. If you’re wondering how to write a good query letter for a novel, especially a mystery/thriller/suspense genre, then consider showing off your surprise reveal. If you've crafted a compelling plot, show it off!
An agent wants to know if you can create a story that grabs their attention, and the best way to do that is by providing more detail and context. Let me assure you, as a former literary agent: it takes more than a query letter to provide a comprehensive glimpse into the world of your novel—it takes a healthy dose of information, too.
Agents don’t have the time to puzzle over an ambiguous query letter—your specific description of your story’s substance will really impress them instead. Even the most tantalizing rhetorical question or clever hook in a one-page query letter won’t “trick” them into making a full manuscript request. If you’re wondering how to write a good query letter for a novel, you need to make a convincing case that the story you’ve written is worth the writing agent’s time. I guarantee they’ll care more about how you pull off your ending, rather than what the ending is.
Our two examples, above, would become:
The husband is killed not by his spouse, but by a woman looking out for her friend.
Though deportation seems like it’ll be a setback for Natasha and Daniel—they reunite years later, giving the universe the chance to demonstrate its magical capabilities.
By revealing the plot twists and unexpected endings of your stories, you'll likely spark the curiosity of agents and publishers. They will be eager to see how you take readers on the journey from Point A (the set-up) to Point B (the climax and resolution). I'm confident that unveiling the plot twists and unique endings of your stories can help create much more exciting interest than a vague rhetorical question or limp tease could ever do.
That, combined with a strong initial hook and a marketable premise, is how to write a good query letter for a novel.
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Click here to purchase Irresistible Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.