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Why, you ask, am I posting at three in the morning? Because of the party next door. Which I finally realized was never going to stop, at which point I got up, got dressed, and went out into the very cold night to interrupt. The excuse? "We're moving tomorrow-- that's why we're partying tonight."
Why, you ask, am I posting at three in the morning? Because of the party next door. Which I finally realized was never going to stop, at which point I got up, got dressed, and went out into the very cold night to interrupt. The excuse? "We're moving tomorrow-- that's why we're partying tonight."
I frequently see people (most recently ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
oracne) wondering how to write a synopsis and/or query letter. Though those are two different animals, they have significant similarities: they must accurately describe your book and they must make the reader want to read your book. Ideally, they will embody the style of the book. They are not dry plot descriptions; they are lively plot descriptions. Think of them as if you were describing a book that you loved and which you're recommending to a friend, then drop the parts where you directly praise the book. My opinion is that a query letter should fit on one typewritten page, even if you have to tinker with the margins to make that happen.
But this is all academic. I reproduce below the query letter I wrote for my memoir, which I sweated blood over and polished and tinkered with over a very long period of time. It's addressed to my agent, not to a publisher, and is the actual one I sent him. I sent it over email addressed to "Submissions," which is why I don't begin by saying "I'm writing to submit this memoir for your consideration." Incidentally, the third sentence is no longer correct.
The letter below contains spoilers for the memoir. If this would put you off buying the memoir, please don't read the letter.
( the irresistable query letter )
oracne) wondering how to write a synopsis and/or query letter. Though those are two different animals, they have significant similarities: they must accurately describe your book and they must make the reader want to read your book. Ideally, they will embody the style of the book. They are not dry plot descriptions; they are lively plot descriptions. Think of them as if you were describing a book that you loved and which you're recommending to a friend, then drop the parts where you directly praise the book. My opinion is that a query letter should fit on one typewritten page, even if you have to tinker with the margins to make that happen.But this is all academic. I reproduce below the query letter I wrote for my memoir, which I sweated blood over and polished and tinkered with over a very long period of time. It's addressed to my agent, not to a publisher, and is the actual one I sent him. I sent it over email addressed to "Submissions," which is why I don't begin by saying "I'm writing to submit this memoir for your consideration." Incidentally, the third sentence is no longer correct.
The letter below contains spoilers for the memoir. If this would put you off buying the memoir, please don't read the letter.
( the irresistable query letter )
I frequently see people (most recently oracne) wondering how to write a synopsis and/or query letter. Though those are two different animals, they have significant similarities: they must accurately describe your book and they must make the reader want to read your book. Ideally, they will embody the style of the book. They are not dry plot descriptions; they are lively plot descriptions. Think of them as if you were describing a book that you loved and which you're recommending to a friend, then drop the parts where you directly praise the book. My opinion is that a query letter should fit on one typewritten page, even if you have to tinker with the margins to make that happen.
But this is all academic. I reproduce below the query letter I wrote for my memoir, which I sweated blood over and polished and tinkered with over a very long period of time. It's addressed to my agent, not to a publisher, and is the actual one I sent him. I sent it over email addressed to "Submissions," which is why I don't begin by saying "I'm writing to submit this memoir for your consideration." Incidentally, the third sentence is no longer correct.
The letter below contains spoilers for the memoir. If this would put you off buying the memoir, please don't read the letter.
( the irresistable query letter )
oracne) wondering how to write a synopsis and/or query letter. Though those are two different animals, they have significant similarities: they must accurately describe your book and they must make the reader want to read your book. Ideally, they will embody the style of the book. They are not dry plot descriptions; they are lively plot descriptions. Think of them as if you were describing a book that you loved and which you're recommending to a friend, then drop the parts where you directly praise the book. My opinion is that a query letter should fit on one typewritten page, even if you have to tinker with the margins to make that happen.But this is all academic. I reproduce below the query letter I wrote for my memoir, which I sweated blood over and polished and tinkered with over a very long period of time. It's addressed to my agent, not to a publisher, and is the actual one I sent him. I sent it over email addressed to "Submissions," which is why I don't begin by saying "I'm writing to submit this memoir for your consideration." Incidentally, the third sentence is no longer correct.
The letter below contains spoilers for the memoir. If this would put you off buying the memoir, please don't read the letter.
( the irresistable query letter )
.