My Query Letter (The Sequel)

Hi! Yes, this is another query letter post. I’m finally posting the query letter that led to me signing with my second literary agent. I’m posting this as I found reading other author’s query letters SO helpful when I was querying, so I hope this helps! I’m just going to dive right into the letter, but for reference this letter received 33 full requests along with an offer of representation in a little over a month.

Dear (AGENT NAME),

I’m excited to share THE ONE, a 78,000-word LGBTQ+ YA murder mystery with NA crossover potential, where the snarky contestants of The Bachelor fight Lord of The Flies style on an island. Told with interspersed transcripts from the show’s Meet The Ladies podcast, it will appeal to fans of the cliquey group dynamics of Alexa Donne’s The Ivies. (INSERT PERSONALIZATION HERE).

Constance Berardi, an eighteen-year-old aspiring journalist, signs up to be a contestant on the teen reality dating show The One to prove that she's not heartbroken over her ex-girlfriend anymore. What seems like a free vacation and a chance to win the heart of bachelor Easton Lexington takes a sinister turn when the pilots mysteriously die, the plane catches fire, and a contestant is killed. And the murder weapon? It’s in Constance’s hand—a blood-stained stiletto heel. Red bottoms suddenly take on a whole new meaning. 

With her memory missing from the night of the murder, Constance finds that she is now the prime suspect and the only way to clear her name is to find out who killed the contestant. There’s the model, with more scandals than photoshoots. The wannabe influencer who wants the fame of winning. The sports star with a reputation to protect. The prodigy, who is far too smart to be here. Easton, the nepo baby with more fans than friends. And then, there’s Constance—who’s unsure if the contestant’s blood is on her hands.

With Easton (whose eyes seriously aren’t that piercing) convinced of her innocence, together they search the island for clues and uncover dangerous secrets along the way. Her getting cast wasn’t a twist of fate, and neither was the fire. Someone planned this. With tensions and temperatures rising, Constance is forced to put her journalism skills to use or die trying.

(AUTHOR BIO HERE) Note: I did mention that I had left my previous literary agent here and that this manuscript has never been on submission. In case you wanted an example of how to word that: I was previously represented by (AGENT/AGENCY NAME). This manuscript has never been on submission.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

(NAME)