Queries should include the following three elements:

1. Something about the book (literary submission)
2. Something about you (author bio, marketing advantages)
3. The first three-to-four chapters (more than 10 pages for novels) of the manuscript pasted into the email

* Only attach items if the agency/publishing company distinctly allows it

l        A great query starts with a few sentences designed to make Black Rose Writing want to read your book. To figure out how to do this, read the back-cover-copy or flap copy of your favorite books. The goal is not to give a detailed synopsis (which can come later in the e-mail), but instead to write something catching and informative enough that we would want to read more.

l        Include some information about yourself, specifically why YOU are the correct person to write this book. What marketing and publicity ties do you have that will catch the publisher's attention? For Non-fiction: What are your qualifications? Are you a published author? What's the most important thing I need to know about your platform? For Fiction: What's your writing background? Have you written or published any other books? What have you done to ensure that your manuscript is publishable quality?

l        The letter should be no longer than the equivalent of one typewritten page, about 3 to 6 paragraphs (not including the sample pages/chapters).

l        This is a personal LETTER, not a book synopsis dropping into our inbox as if out of the sky. Adding a synopsis doesn't hurt, but that can't be the only content besides your sample work. You are writing to an actual person. Therefore the query should be addressed to the recipient by name, and it should not only give your pitch and your personal information, it should ask for what you want (e.g. "I am seeking agency representation and would appreciate your consideration").

l        Include the genre. Make sure you're clear on whether it's fiction or non-fiction to start with. Then within either of those two categories, list your genre. If you don't know about genres, please do some research and learn prior to querying.

l        Check the submission guidelines of each agent and/or publisher you're querying. Different publishing agents/companies specify different preferences.

l        Let me know what's available if we should request more. A full book proposal? A completed manuscript? More poems/short stories?

l        No attachments, please, unless specifically requested. They will not be opened.

l        Please do NOT ask Black Rose Writing to click on a link, such as a link to your website or blog. You should be able to tell us what I need to know in the 1-page query letter format. Your signature can include links to your blog or website, and if we find your query particularly interesting, I'll click on it. But DON'T rely on us only clicking over to get the information we need. If it's that important, put the info in your query!

Remember... Always Spellcheck! Nothing shows laziness and insults a publisher more than multiple misspelled words in your query or informative text.

© Black Rose Writing & Reagan Rothe

Reagan Rothe not only writes books, he publishes them as well. He is the owner of Black Rose Writing, an independent publishing house that believes in developing a personal relationship with their authors instead of relating to them as just another number on a page. Rothe has authored three full-length novels, Dreams and Baseball, Misanthropy: Book I: The Tower, Misanthropy: Book II: The Cellar Door, and also a children's book, Give Wings to My Triumph. Black Rose Writing