Write a polished query letter that captures an agent's attention with a compelling hook, clear stakes, and professional presentation that follows industry standards.
Help me craft a query letter for submission to literary agents using the following details: Book Title: [YOUR TITLE] Genre: [SPECIFIC GENRE AND SUBGENRE] Word Count: [FINAL WORD COUNT] Comparison Titles: [TWO TO THREE COMP TITLES - RECENT BOOKS IN YOUR GENRE] Target Agent: [AGENT NAME AND AGENCY OR LEAVE BLANK FOR GENERAL] Protagonist: [NAME AND ONE-SENTENCE DESCRIPTION] Core Conflict: [WHAT THE PROTAGONIST WANTS AND WHAT STANDS IN THEIR WAY] Stakes: [WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PROTAGONIST FAILS] Unique Hook: [WHAT MAKES THIS STORY DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS IN THE GENRE] Author Bio: [RELEVANT CREDENTIALS, PUBLICATIONS, PLATFORM, OR LEAVE BLANK] Please develop the following six sections: Section 1 - Hook Paragraph Construction Craft five different opening hook paragraphs that each take a distinct approach to capturing the agent's attention within the first three sentences. Options should include a character-driven hook that immediately establishes voice and stakes, a high-concept hook that communicates the premise in a single compelling comparison, a situational hook that drops the reader into a pivotal moment, a thematic hook that frames the story around its central question, and a voice-driven hook that lets the prose style itself be the selling point. For each version, explain what it accomplishes and what type of agent or agency it would best suit. Recommend the strongest option and explain why. Section 2 - Story Summary Paragraph Develop the core query paragraph that communicates the story's premise, protagonist, conflict, and stakes in approximately one hundred fifty to two hundred words. This paragraph must function like jacket copy, giving the agent enough to understand the story while leaving them wanting more. Cover who the protagonist is and what they want, what event disrupts their world, what choices and obstacles they face, and what they stand to lose. Avoid revealing the ending. Ensure the paragraph conveys genre, tone, and voice without explicitly naming them. Provide two versions: one that emphasizes the external plot and one that emphasizes the emotional or thematic core, then recommend which is stronger for this specific book and genre. Section 3 - Metadata and Comp Title Paragraph Craft the business paragraph that communicates the book's vital statistics: title, word count, genre, and comparison titles. Provide guidance on how to frame comp titles effectively, explaining the formula of combining two unexpected but accurate references to position the book in the marketplace. Suggest three alternative comp title pairings if the writer's choices need refinement. Explain how to handle word counts that fall outside genre norms. Address how to position the book if it crosses genre lines or does not fit neatly into a single category. Include guidance on when and how to mention series potential without making it sound like a liability. Section 4 - Author Bio Paragraph Develop a professional bio paragraph that establishes credibility without overselling. Address how to handle different situations: the writer with extensive publication credits, the writer with relevant professional expertise but no publication history, the writer with a significant platform or following, and the debut writer with no credentials to mention. Explain what to include and what to leave out, and how to frame non-writing experience as relevant to the book. Address how to mention MFA programs, contest wins, workshop experience, and writing group memberships without sounding like a resume. Provide guidance on tone, maintaining confidence without arrogance and humility without self-deprecation. Section 5 - Personalization and Agent Research Strategy Explain how to research individual agents to personalize queries effectively. Provide a framework for identifying the right agents based on their recent sales, stated preferences, and client lists. Demonstrate how to write a personalization sentence that shows genuine research without crossing into flattery or presumption. Address how to reference an agent's existing clients or stated interests in a way that positions your book as a natural fit for their list. Provide guidance on querying etiquette including simultaneous submissions, response timelines, nudging practices, and how to handle offers of representation. Include a tracking system for managing multiple submissions. Section 6 - Query Letter Polish and Common Mistakes Provide a final revision checklist that catches the most common query letter mistakes. Cover formatting standards including length, font, spacing, and email subject line conventions. List the phrases and approaches that immediately mark a query as amateur, including opening with rhetorical questions, comparing yourself to bestselling authors, mentioning that your family loved the book, and explaining your theme rather than showing it through the story summary. Provide a professional tone calibration guide. Include a before-and-after example showing a weak query transformed into a strong one, with annotations explaining every change. Address how to handle rejection constructively and when to revise a query versus when to revise the manuscript.
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[YOUR TITLE][SPECIFIC GENRE AND SUBGENRE][FINAL WORD COUNT][AGENT NAME AND AGENCY OR LEAVE BLANK FOR GENERAL][WHAT THE PROTAGONIST WANTS AND WHAT STANDS IN THEIR WAY][WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PROTAGONIST FAILS][WHAT MAKES THIS STORY DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS IN THE GENRE]