My Query Letter
***UPDATE (08/22/2023) This is the query letter that got me my first agent who I am no longer with. I will post an updated query letter blog that ended with me signing with my current agent hopefully soon.
Hey! So everyone knows writing a query letter can be very stressful (or at least for me it was). While I was querying I read as many query letter blog posts as I could as I found them so helpful. I always write my query letters after I finish my first draft, so that I can see what’s missing and what I need to work on next. Once I complete the book I’ll go back to it. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote and rewrote and—okay you probably get it by now, but I spent hours on these tiny little paragraphs. The main thing to remember is that you’re selling something, so what is the hook? I want to note that I got a lot of feedback on my query letter from others before sending it out because I wanted to make it as strong as I could, so I really owe them a lot for helping me out! Before I get into my letter, here are some useful links of other query letters that helped me craft mine!
Alexa Donne's Query Form Examples
Marissa Meyer's Cinder Query Letter
My Query Letter:
Dear (AGENT’S FIRST AND LAST NAME),
One thing is for sure—no one ever made it into Vogue by playing nice.
Milton Swan, a superstitious eighteen-year-old, knows that he is destined to become an award-winning fashion designer. The regular tarot card readings he receives and his effortless ability to work a sewing machine can attest to that. Unfortunately, he is stuck in a town where people think fashion can be found in their local department stores’ bargain bins. The only good thing about Lewiston is his best friend and neighbor Graeme Orr. This all changes when a legendary fashion icon comes back to their hometown to host a fashion show competition. The winner will be granted an internship and enough prize money to start their clothing brand, or, in Milton’s case, his one true chance of escaping his town and making a name for himself. Winning is his only option, which shouldn’t be a problem, as it’s quite literally written in his cards.
However, Milton didn’t account for his feelings towards Graeme to shift into a terrifying crush. He can’t afford to confess because he could ruin their friendship forever if Graeme doesn’t feel the same. It’s fine, totally not soul-crushing at all and besides he has designs to sew. As Milton’s obsession with winning leads him to impulsive, reckless decisions—decisions that could very well disqualify him from the competition entirely—he finds himself torn between the greatness he’s always known he was destined for and his overwhelming feelings for his best friend. With the show approaching and his relationships rapidly falling apart at the seams, Milton has to decide if winning is worth it if no one is left to celebrate with.
(INSERT PERSONALIZATION) IT’S IN HIS CARDS is an LGBTQ+ YA contemporary rom-com complete at 73,000 words where the relationship dynamics of Becky Albertalli’s and Adam Silvera’s WHAT IF IT’S US meets the obsession for greatness as seen in Michelle Quach’s NOT HERE TO BE LIKED.
(AUTHOR BIO)
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Isabella Galbraith
