The importance of the query is something I've only just realised. Being new to this game, it's a three steps forward two back, learning curve thing. But, what's the point in perfecting chapter 49 and making sure you haven't spelt penguin wrong in chapter 68 if no one ever reads it?
It's occurred to me, and I'm probably wrong I usually am, that those three paragraphs that make up the query are the most important ones you'll ever write. They're the ones that get the proverbial foot in the door. Make a halfhearted job of it and your manuscript will remain a load of 1's and 0's on a hard drive or be self published and bought by 20 people. This is common knowledge and I'm sure I've read or heard it many times before, but it's just clicked.
within an hour of sending out the new query, an agent asked for the first 50 pages. This is either: a fluke, he was bored/a sadist or the new query has worked a lot better than the old one.
That brings me nicely to the title. If your query is too good, can an agent prosecute you under the trades description act for wasting his/her time when they actually read your manuscript? I'll let you know...
No pie pictures today. Oh, go on then. This is the alternative Sausage Roll Finger cover.
1 comment:
'Within an hour'? Are you kidding? From all the agent blogs I read, I thought that two months was their standard turnaround time. And even that only with omitted lunch breaks and 20-minute power naps at 3 a.m.
Well done, you (and your mystery query letter co-writer.)
Post a Comment