Electronic querying

Although it is best to write a query letter for a specific agent or editor, it is impractical to start from scratch every time you have to send one. It is possible you will send scores of letters before finding an agent. You can't sit down with a blank page each time.

I have a basic letter, one that covers all the areas agents commonly want to see. There's the hook for the story, the body and the resolution, a paragraph stating the genre and length of the book, something about me -- what I have written, what organizations I am in -- and a conclusion asking for representation and thanking them.

I vary this a little but each letter has all those elements.

After that, I try to customize the letter for a given agent. It is generally only a line or two at most. Then it is cut and paste into an e-mail -- no attachments. No one wants attachments -- and a push of the send button.

But last night I was on the website of an agent on my B-list and they wanted responses pasted into a form already on their website. It had all the elements I mentioned before but separated into categories on their formatted form.

It was all okay. Took me quite some time cutting and pasting and tailoring my responses and, after nearly an hour, I was nearly done when, BANG!, their form disappeared from my screen and everything I had done was gone. It was after midnight at that point and I was faced with a choice of doing nothing and going to bed, querying another agent or going back and starting again with this agent.

I said they are on my B-list but they are high on the list. So, I started again.

I don't particularly like formatted forms on an agent's website. It's impersonal and you get the feeling that it's only going to get read my some guy in the cyberspace equivalent of a mail room. In fact, that's one of the reasons this agent's firm is on the B-list.

But I did it anyway. And I got an automatic response from the agency saying they got the query. So, we shall see. It's on to the next.

Just wanted to drop a word today. I hope you are enjoying your day and are being productive.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.