Another Attempt at Sending Out Query Letters

The Query Letter is one of the more crazy things in publishing. But to actually send them to strangers is one of the scarier aspects of this process. To tell you the truth…I am nervous.

I’ve heard that most authors hate the query letter. I think the real reason for this is that it could be done a hundred different ways and still not be right. But, there are almost always a few ways that can get the agent or publisher to look at your book.  That is really what it comes down to. A query is an audition for your manuscript.  But when we get rejected – it can be painful. But that is the name of the game and it isn’t always a bad thing. Round one of my query letters really taught me a lot. I ended up completely changing my manuscript into a far better one. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that the outcome will be any better this time around.

I’ve read a ton of other query letters and some of the ones that succeeded  I didn’t like very much. While others that failed had some interesting aspects. But collectively I could see why they failed. It’s all a matter of opinion and what gets you on a certain day.

I’ve written about 20 different query letters and a few of the times I thought that they would work. I cooled off and read something else or worked on a different manuscript and came back to them. Each time, until recently, I wanted to make more and more changes. I am excited about my latest attempt. It feels and reads more solidly. I think it captures more of my story and the way I want it to be seen. But in the end…the agents will be the final judges.  So…..off we go.