Twitter’s #QueryDay

I ran past the #queryday hashtag on Twitter today and somehow became hooked on it most of the day.  Basically what happened is a few agents took questions from the Twitter public about query letters and answered them publicly with the #queryday hashtag.  Honestly, I hadn’t thought about a query letter since school.  And while I don’t see submitting my non-novel in progress, I think it’s possible I might have one good enough one day to submit.  And really, some of the advice was directed towards the book itself, not just the query letter so I loved that.

I know a lot of bloggers are aspiring writers so I thought it might be helpful to share the tweets I favorited today.  A big thanks to all the people who gave such great advice.

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davidalexanderm@angelajames One thing TV drummed into me: get into the story as late as possible, and out as early as possible. #queryday

RachelleGardnerIf I can change my two-spaces-after-a-sentence habit after 25 years of typing, so can you. One space is standard in publishing. #queryday

RachelleGardnerTip: If you want to draw me into your novel, don’t write your query in a dry, boring, uber-business-like and/or academic style. #queryday

RachelleGardnerTip: Don’t send us something outside of our guidelines and try to impress us with how “out of the box” you are. It’s been tried! #queryday

RachelleGardnerTip: If you mention a previously published book, better make sure I’ll be able to find it on Amazon because I WILL look it up. #queryday

RachelleGardnerTip: I prefer your query NOT tell me what a great movie your book would make. If it has movie potential, trust me, I’ll notice. #queryday

ColleenLindsayAttached entire manuscript and a head shot. Fail. #queryday

RachelleGardnerChristian writers: Best NOT to say you’re going to explain something about the Bible that no one has ever understood before. #queryday

RachelleGardner@TerriMo I do everything by email. No need for hardcopies… everything goes on my Kindle. #queryday

achelleGardner@TerriMo Never, never, never phone an editor or agent unless they’re YOUR editor or agent. #queryday

RachelleGardner@MaricarMac No need to reveal entire plot in query; give the set-up and premise; make me want to read it. #queryday

RachelleGardnerTip: A query that talks only about the THEME of your novel is rarely effective. You need to tell about the STORY. #queryday

ColleenLindsay@luckychica Humor very very hard to sell unless you have a major platform or are a well-known comic. #queryday

DanielLiterary@moonbridgebooks Yes it’s fine, most agents expect it. Don’t really need to mention it. #queryday

moonbridgebooksIs it okay to query many agents at once; if so, do we need to tell agents this? #queryday #queryday

DanielLiterary@Selestial I don’t like to hear anything about series in a query. Often scares me off. #queryday

BostonBookGirlPass: The entire query is about how important it is that this person tell their own story. The query is written by someone else. #queryday

RachelleGardnerReality check: If you are your family’s breadwinner, plan to keep your day job even after you sell several books. #queryday

DanielLiteraryIf you don’t do enough research to address me by name or at least by my agency name, you’ll almost certainly be rejected. #queryday

DanielLiterary@ChristaCarol Only if you get huge traffic. 5,000 unique visitors a day at least. #queryday

RachelleGardner@gempari We need word count, not page count, to determine if it’s something we represent. #queryday

RachelleGardner@jennnixon Most agents only want to know if you WON a contest. The finals, MAYBE. Other than that, it’s not helpful info IMHO. #queryday

RachelleGardner@waterfallbooks I rarely find mixed comparisons helpful (“Jane Austen meets Frank Peretti”). Works in Hollywood but not for me. #queryday

skyladawn#queryday Don’t name more than 3-4 characters in your synopsis. I’m not going to keep them all straight. Just give me the MAIN plot.

michellewitte#queryday Last advice before I start work: Keep your spirits up. If you’ve written a great book eventually someone will want it. Persistence

ElaineSpencer@Daylilie222 depends on genre, & of course there are excptions to evry rule, you could have gr. novel at 50k, but that is not norm #queryday

LeighEllwood#queryday Titles can matter in romance. My mostly female readership might be turned off by “Biker Sluts Weekend in Vegas”.

RachelleGardner@christinerose You don’t need comparative titles in the query, but in the PROPOSAL, you do. #queryday

skyladawn#queryday Don’t send me a manuscript without any dialogue in the first twenty pages. Really. Don’t be afraid of people talking!

RachelleGardnerTip: DON’T say “the book gets exciting in chapter 5” or “the pace really picks up toward the end.” Make it shine from page 1. #queryday

BJMuntainRt @RachelleGardner loves queries that are straight-to-the point and don’t try too hard. The matter of fact approach is refreshing #queryday

ElaineSpencerIf ur novel is over 120k I can’t help but be a little afraid. Plz explain why (or at least acknowledge) ms is so lengthy #queryday

RachelleGardner@janastocks Listing comparable books is important, it puts yours in context, shows u know your market, helps agent “get” your bk. #queryday

RachelleGardnerWhen people send queries on Christmas, New Year’s, Easter… I WANT to auto-reject on principle! But I don’t. #queryday

RachelleGardnerFor me, previously self-published is totally irrelevant. Neither helps nor hurts. See my posts: http://bit.ly/spTIb #queryday

JoeBerkowitzAnd never sidestep the comp titles issue by saying “there’s never been any book like this before.” There totally has! Find them! #queryday

BJMuntainRT @RachelleGardner Query that makes me laugh is a great thing! Whether or not the book is for me, it definitely gets my attention #queryday

RachelleGardnerTip: This may be hard to hear, but I suggest you avoid being in a rush to get published. Take TIME to develop your craft. #queryday

RachelleGardner@mbsmith090801 You must include the genre. Publisher, bookstore, consumer all need 2 know! Find books/websites that discuss genre. #queryday

BostonBookGirlUnnecessary query info: I assume you have edited your work, have a writers group and have shown this to someone who likes it. #queryday

RachelleGardner@AdelleLaudan Depends on whether I feel assaulted. But cursing’s often used as shortcut; u should be able to express self w/o it. #queryday

LeighEllwood#queryday What kills the yes in a potential ms? For me, improbable situations, and characters who aren’t endearing.

zumayabooks@TheaRauth Beginners can replace lack of creds with info on how they prepared manuscript–critique, editor, whatever. #Queryday

DanielLiterary@jjochwat If I were a writer trying to find the right agent, I’d pay for access to Publishers Marketplace.com. #queryday

RachelleGardnerTOP reason I say “no” to queries is the story doesn’t sound unique, fresh, exciting. The problem isn’t the query, it’s the book. #queryday