Overview Markets: Part Two: Query

Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults

FIRST: Read the guidelines for each publisher/agent before you send. This week agent Karen Ball described what happens to your manuscript otherwise. And she is not only being very honest, but kind as well. I have heard many other editors and agents give the same advice but with a great deal more frustration due to time waste and misconnections for themselves and the writers. See her article at: http://www.stevelaube.com/i-just-deleted-your-proposal-without-reading-it/

Query Letters/Proposals/One Sheets will all contain some common material but the focus and presentation will be slightly different in each. Three purposes are common ground for both you and the potential publisher. Remember you are looking for a business match.

1. This is my product. 2. Are you interested? 3. May I send you the full manuscript?

Query Letters.

Query letters are a quick way to find out whether your particular article, theme, story, genre, will or will not connect with this particular publisher. And for query letters you can send out several at a time as long as you have researched the intended market.

Suppose you have written an excellent article on the very first bicycle and your audience target is ages 10 to 14. You are thinking of a spring launch that might interest new riders for summer fun.

            However, even though you have followed all the directions accurately, you may not know that the publisher has already purchased two or three articles already and are full up. A quick rejection comes through and you both move on. Or joy, they say send it.

            Query letters need to be short and succinct. Opening: if you met the editor or attended a presentation where they were say so. I enjoyed meeting you at…Thank you for your invitation to query… . Or let them know you’ve done your homework. I see in your guidelines you are interested in… I have been reading your magazines over the past year and have not seen this aspect of your requested subject… mentioned.

            Next, the body: My article is for ages….. My subject is…. My focus point is…My qualifications are….(only if it needs some authority) Give a brief bio that connects you in some way to your topic if possible. Example I have been working at a camp for teens and run the bicycle trips… Or I have written/published…Otherwise just say who you are.

            Close with a thank you. Your contact information should be in the header but if there is anything else pertinent to contact put it here. Don’t include your telephone number unless you have a concrete reason. But be sure to have email, blog, website contacts if available.

            Set up a simple tracking method for all your correspondence: title, sent to, date, return, sent to next market, purchased, published, paid. Make it as easy as possible to maintain. One-sheets and proposals next week. 

Action Steps:

1.     Choose five possible markets for your article in process.

2.     Re-read their guidelines.

3.     Write up a query letter for each of them.

Share: What main difference or similarity did you see in the guidelines you checked?

Read deep, marcy