One of the most important aspects of a query, or the way you introduce a novel or other book to an agent, is the query letter.
Yesterday, I learned that my query letter sucked.
I sent it to The Query Shark, where an agent looked through it and critiqued it thoroughly. So I have an expert opinion that it sucked.
This is good news, actually, because it may be the reason that my queries are bearing no fruit. It's not an easy fix, but an important one. The query is the introduction to the book, after which the agent will either request more pages or pass. The query letter is the first thing they will read in the query.
In a query letter, you have to accomplish several things: you have to introduce the agent to your book using a synopsis in a couple paragraphs. You must give specifics about the book such as genre and number of pages. You must provide a brief bio.
The problem with my query letter is that my synopsis wasn't capturing the spirit of the books, nor were they involving the reader personally with the characters' development. They were bare recitations of the plot, and they lacked the fantasy element. In a way, my query letter didn't sell my book at all.
I am working on that blurb, and it's completely different. I think I have the right idea this time.
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