Blow Me Away

When submitting a manuscript to an agent for consideration, I get that a query letter and the synopsis is important.

I was a little surprised to read an article by Jessica Faust over at BookEnds concerning the query letter from the agents POV. This is not the query from author to agent, this is the agent to editor query letter - the one they write trying to sell the manuscript they agreed to represent for you.

Stepping back for a moment; obviously agents shop around your work by submitting it to editors, but they don't just make a gazillion copies and send them to all the publishing houses in the phone book. They craft a query letter. And I mean seriously craft a query letter.

It only makes sense that we extend agents the same courtesy. As J.A. Konrath is fond of reminding all us noobies - be professional about your writing career.

So if you are submitting your manuscript out to agents, or hope to so at some stage, then ensure you spend a similar effort in preparing your synopsis and your query letter as you did in polishing and agonising over the story itself.