Whether you are writing for a scientific journal, a magazine
feature, a romance imprint, or a children’s book publisher, you need to
introduce yourself.
Depending on submission guidelines, you may require a query
letter AND a cover letter. As I’ve stated many times before, you need to follow
submission guidelines as closely as you can; these are often found online on
the publisher’s website, inside the front cover of a magazine, or in a
directory such as Writer’s Market. Some of the variations might include
querying before submission, submitting the first three chapters (of a novel),
or submitting in full from the beginning. You’ll also find out if the query and
submission are to be made via email (attached or in the body) or sent by U.S.
Postal Service.
Your first contact needs to introduce you AND the piece you
are submitting in a catchy way that will give the editor (submission editor in
larger companies) incentive to want to read your manuscript. Think of this
incentive as the back blurb on a book or attractive packaging on a cereal box —
it needs to HOOK the reader and it needs to grab them from the opening lines.
If you are querying with a hard copy (via postal mail) use a plain white sheet
of paper and a standard business format; unless you are using letterhead stationary
TYPE your address at the top with the
date to the right and the recipients (company) name and address to the left.
Use a formal salutation “Dear Mr. Abrams” [obviously using the correct name];
or “Dear Editor”, and never “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Friendly
Publishing House”. Single space the body of the letter with an extra line
between paragraphs. And when you are mailing your query (or your submission)
always include a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope or postal card) for a
response. Be sure to type and hand-sign your name at the end.
In an emailed query letter, if this is what the submission
guidelines specify, put a clear subject line in (such as “Query letter: romance
novel “ABC” by [your name]), type the letter beginning with the salutation and
including your contact information after your name. The query letter should
never be longer than one (typed) page whether hard copy or email. Open with
your hook, give a few sentence synopsis (not a detailed description of the
story), and introduce yourself briefly (such as previous publications and/or
expertise in the subject matter). Be careful with your wording; do not be
negative about your book, past writing experience or the market. And never tell
the editor that they would be “passing up the next great novel” if they don’t accept
your book for publication. If you are attaching a partial or full submission,
as per guidelines, change the subject line to read “Submission attached” and
the details.
Assuming you queried first and have been asked to submit the
manuscript (mss), you should always send a cover letter. This cover letter
should be simple and business like. Say something like “Here is my manuscript
of [title] as requested by [editor’s name]. Again, use the proper headings and salutations.
Remember to include a SASE in mailed submissions, however you can include just
a letter sized envelope and ask them to recycle the manuscript paper if it
doesn’t meet their publication requirements if you would prefer to save on
postage.
Good luck!
Writing Exercise: 1) Write a few two-to-three sentence “blurbs”
about your book; give enough to say what your story is about and make it
enticing to the reader. 2) Write a few “taglines” for your story; taglines are
BRIEF catchy statements about your book/story/article — think of lines of 140-characters
or less.
Writing Prompt:
Think of the last grocery shopping experience you had and list at least
ten items you purchased. Write one-to-three words for each item explaining WHY
you bought that item/brand.
Challenge Assignment:
Write a short story about the manager of a department (you choose what
business) in charge of a team and a special project. There are two members of
the team who keep trying to “back-stab” each other and divide the rest of the
team’s loyalty; this of course is hurting the team’s progress. The team leader
has to help these members work together and keep the team moving towards its
goal. Write this from the perspective of the manager/team leader and write it
in first person.
