Metro Review

Before you begin your letter, remember you are selling your writing to this agent so it must be well thought out and intelligent. This is your “interview” or your audition piece with the agent. You want to get the agent’s attention so your letter must stand out from all the other letter spread across the agent’s desk. What is your writing niche? It must shine in your quesry letter. Have you been published previously? How many people saw or read your publication? Why did those people read your publication and more importantly consider what drives you to write? All these things must be “felt” by the agent as your query letter is being read without all of it having to be said. You want this agent to read your letter and drop everything to accept you as a writer before someone else does.
Your letter must start with a hook; something from your writing that will catch the agent’s attention and keep his attention to continue reading your letter. You could start with your lead paragraph or most intriguing paragraph from your work. You could also start with a description of your book using the setting and the main character set-up. Whatever you think makes your writing award-winning; worthy of this agent.
Nest, you will want to give the agent an overview of your book. Something that might be written on the back of the book to interest a reader or on the inside cover. Make sure your first paragraph flows into your book overview or the agent will think you are a disorganized author and disregard your letter.
The last paragraph should be a short biography of yourself. Again, something that would be written on the inside jacket of your book, or something that would be published around your article so people can relate to you as an author and a person. Be careful to keep this short and interesting. Maybe here you could include other publications you may have. Just remember to keep it interesting. You want this agent to want to contact you immediately so he can sign you before someone else can even read your query letter. Be strong and confident in your query, just as you were when your wrote the peice you want to sell. Your writing is a part of you and it has to be in you and shine through you no matter if you are writing a book, poem, article or a query.