Tip the scales

What tips do you have to get your query letter noticed and pulled from the slush pile?

By Dietrich

You’ve poured your soul into the manuscript, polished it until it sparkles, bled on the keyboard, cried over plot holes until the wee hours, and finally declared it done. But you’re not done. You have to write a stand-out query letter, not to mention a second-to-none synopsis worthy of the back of the novel, and/or an elevator pitch with a killer hook. You’ll need the pitch for when you meet a writer you admire at the next convention, and they ask what your book’s about. The last thing you want to do is freeze like a deer in the headlights (been there, done that).

A killer query gets you read, but weak pages and pitches get you rejected fast.

Your opening needs to punch them in the feels. Introduce your protagonist, their goal, the conflict, and the stakes. Never start with “In a world where love is forbidden...”

Use comp titles—“The Office meets Practical Magic”—but pick realistic ones. Skip “It’s the next Harry Potter but better” unless you want your email deleted instantly.

Don’t call your novel “hilarious, heart-wrenching, and groundbreaking.” Let the pitch do the work. Agents decide if it’s good; you just need to make them curious enough to want to read it.

Voice is king in the slush pile, just like in the novel.

Mention writing credentials, relevant experience, or fun facts that tie into the book. No need for your life story. Skip “I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was…”

Never ever predict your future bestseller status or movie deals.

Agents and publishers are drowning in query letters. Yet a few manage to get fished out, manuscripts get requested, and shiny book deals get signed.

Don’t blast the same query to every agent with a pulse. Agents and publishers can smell a mass email from a mile off, and it’ll get an instant eye-roll, followed by a tap of the delete key.

Follow guidelines exactly. Don’t ever ever ever misspell the agent’s or publisher’s name. And don’t add attachments when the guidelines said no.

Dig into their “Manuscript Wishlist” and check recent sales. Oh, and verify the sale: Use Publishers Marketplace to confirm the agent actually made the sale (And it wasn't just a book they praised on social media). Personalize the opening: “I’m querying you specifically because you rep [similar author/book] and mentioned loving [trope/element] in your recent interview.”

Match the vibe: If the agent's wishlist uses casual, enthusiastic language (e.g., “I'm dying for a goblin market romance!"), match that specific phrasing in your trope mention.

If nothing else, this shows you’re not lazy. And hopefully, it’ll flatter them without seeming creepy or too obvious.

One page. Seriously. Walls of text get skimmed or skipped.

Use short paragraphs, Arial 12, and get to the point. Hook → Book pitch → Bio → Thanks and goodbye. If it spills onto page two, cut it back to one.

Make the subject line clear and professional. No fancy fonts, colors, or creative formatting. This is a business letter, not a page in a scrapbook.

Tweak the query based on any feedback before you send out the next round.

Time it right: Avoid December holidays and peak summer.

Understand that great books get rejected all the time. But a sharp, personalized, error-free query with a compelling pitch increases your odds. For one thing, it shows respect for the agent’s time and signals you’re a professional.

Write the best damn book you can, then query like you mean it. And if it doesn’t work the first round, revise and try again. Persistence plus craft beats luck every single time.