Once you have written a book and you have made it as strong as you can, you are ready to submit the manuscript to agents. You may know you book is fabulous. Every agent out there wants it. Right? You find literary agents on the Internet and send - a few e-mails with your book attached. Here’s the deal. You are not going to get past the spam filters. For works of fiction, the proper way to approach an agent is through a query letter. A query letter is a short one page letter or e-mail that grabs the attention of the agent. A query letter has three parts:
1. An introduction. 2. A synopsis of your work. 3. A summary of your qualifications to write your book.
It’s that simple. Some agents prefer to only look at queries sent through the traditional mail. How can you learn their preferences? Do your research. A good place to start is AgentQuery and another is Query Tracker. Chuck Sambuchino’s Guide to Literary Agents Blog is another place to start research.
Many agents want more than a simple query. Each agent has some specific instructions generally available on agency websites. Some agents require potential clients to use an online form to send in a query. Others request sample pages or chapters. Some allow a one to three page synopsis. Occasionally they want to read the entire manuscript. It’s important that you follow these instructions exactly. Ignoring simple instructions is a quick way to communicate to a potential agent that you might not be worth the effort. It is unlikely you will see a response if you do not send in exactly what is requested.
Now let’s cover the non-fiction writer’s package. Non-fiction writers submit a query, but need to add a couple of specialty pieces to their package. Many non-fiction writers do not write the book first. Instead they submit a proposal, a table of contents and a detailed outline with sample chapters. A non-fiction writer’s proposal should include the author’s credentials, the author’s platform, some marketing information (who will be interested in the book’s content), and details about the book’s potential competitors.
Take these pointers to heart. Do your research and follow all instruction to ensure that your materials are taken seriously by agents.