Chris' Christian Blog

Preparing a query letter

An important aspect of publishing is presentation. A good query letter is essential but query letters are useless if the publisher is not currently accepting submissions. Many publishers will send out an open call for submissions and some will only solicit manuscripts through an agent. If you plan to offer your manuscript to a publisher that is currently seeking manuscripts there are a few things to bear in mind. For example you will want to be aware of exactly what type of manuscripts a publisher is interested in. If a publisher is soliciting poetry manuscripts for example you will not want to write them a query letter attempting to present them with a historical fiction novel. Instead you will want to find out exactly what the publisher is looking for. If the publisher sends out a notice that they are accepting submissions of poetry, you will want to find out what kind of poetry they are accepting. In layman’s terms you want to “find an itch and scratch it.’ The publisher may indeed be accepting poetry, but they may specifically be interested in sonnets or triolets so you would not want to present them with free verse poetry. There are several ways you can find out if the manuscript you have is what the publisher is looking for. The primary way in our modern era is the Internet. Almost all publishers use the Internet to solicit manuscripts. Do not hesitate to go to their website and read their submission requirements. This is often your primary way to find out what a publisher wants. Another way is to shoot them an email. Most publishing companies do not mind sending you a rejection slip via e-mail if what you have to offer is not what they are looking for. It saves them a postage stamp and every penny counts! Of course you can also call but chances are you will get a secretary that doesn’t know beans about what the editor is looking for.
So you have received a positive response from the editor and they are interested in your manuscript. They have asked you to send them a synopsis and samples of your work. What now? Now the real work begins! The first thing you will want to do is polish your manuscript so that it shines like the dome on the West Virginia State Capitol! (The dome of the West Virginia Capitol is solid gold so you see it for miles.)
Make sure every I is dotted and every T is crossed in the sample you send and in your query letter. Nothing will get you a rejection slip faster than poor grammar and sloppy work! So shine up your work and make it presentable. Good luck and keep writing!