Queries

Blogger: Wendy Lawton
So. . . you need a literary agent. You know you’ve got a knock-em-dead manuscript but now you have to find an agent willing to represent you. You’ve done everything right. You’ve gone to the agency website to see…
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By Wendy Lawton on Mar 5, 2013 in Agents, Blog, Contests, Finding an Agent, Queries, Writer's Conferences, Writer's Conferences | 135 Comments

Blogger: Rachel Kent
I started seeing mention of these Bad Query Contests on Twitter this week so I thought it would be fun to host one on the Books & Such blog. Please take a moment to jot a quick query…
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By Rachel Kent on Feb 20, 2013 in Blog, Queries | 291 Comments

Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Last week I picked up the phone and made an offer of representation to an author. I won’t tell you who it is because she is a regular member of our blog community, and it’s up to her…
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By Wendy Lawton on Nov 27, 2012 in Agents, Blog, Book Proposals, Business of writing, Finding an Agent, Queries | 147 Comments

Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Before I begin my rant–I mean blog post–let me say for the record that I’m usually an upbeat, easy-going, glass-half-full sort of person. Right? I normally avoid snarkiness and try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.…
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By Wendy Lawton on Oct 2, 2012 in Blog, Queries | 193 Comments

Blogger: Michelle Ule, filling in for Wendy Lawton while she and Janet Kobobel Grant attend meetings and Book Expo of America, in New York City.
More on Queries 101! Yesterday I gave you five pointers for writing good queries. Today I’m going to…
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By Michelle Ule on Jun 5, 2012 in Agents, Authors, Blog, Book Proposals, Finding an Agent, Queries | 27 Comments

Queries 101: Five Elements of a Good Query Letter
Blogger: Michelle Ule, filling in for Janet Kobobel Grant and Wendy Lawton, who are in New York City for meetings and to attend Book Expo America.
We receive a lot of queries here at…
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By Michelle Ule on Jun 4, 2012 in Agents, Authors, Blog, Finding an Agent, Queries | 34 Comments

Blogger: Wendy Lawton
We talk so often about all the elements necessary for a writer to (a) get an agent (b) get a contract (c) find his readership and (d) build a successful career. As a blog reader your head must…
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By Wendy Lawton on May 15, 2012 in Blog, Business of writing, Finding an Agent, Queries | 97 Comments

Blogger: Michelle Ule
Part 3 of 3
Today I’m going to talk about what we like to see in a nonfiction query and what causes us to ask for a full proposal. I’ll start with statistics so you can see what you’re…
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By Michelle Ule on Mar 9, 2012 in Blog, Business of writing, Finding an Agent, Nonfiction, Queries | 11 Comments

Blogger: Michelle Ule
Part 2 of 3
Yesterday I explained how our agency’s query system works and why. Today I’m going to look at what makes us enthusiastic about a fiction query.
First, the numbers.
I chose a random month in 2011 and did…
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By Michelle Ule on Mar 8, 2012 in Agents, Authors, Blog, Business of writing, Fiction, Finding an Agent, Queries, Writing Craft | 16 Comments

Blogger: Michelle Ule
Why Don’t I Get a Personal Response?
Part 1 of 3
We received a thoughtful e-mail last week from a writer who asked a pertinent question: “Why don’t you respond to our queries personally? It would only take a minute…
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By Michelle Ule on Mar 7, 2012 in Blog, Queries | 22 Comments