Writer's Fallout Shelter

Still too long, but it's getting there.

Can you tell me about your story in one paragraph? Just one? Also, don't tell me what it's not. Tell me what it is. The audience that you have in mind, what other books have they read? Specific books by specific authors.

I know you keep referring to it as literary fiction, but I'm just not getting where it qualifies as literary fiction from the summary you've written. It sounds like a thriller to me.

Why the change in word count in your query letter? Did you really cut 20,000 words? Despite what Rebecca said about the length of your manuscript, do not lie about the length. There's nothing more annoying than a writer who lies about the length of their manuscript just to get a read or to try to deceive the recipient into thinking it fits into their guidelines. As soon as they receive the manuscript, they'll know and, if you're not honest about that, what else won't you be honest about? Remember, you're not interviewing for a job, but looking to establish a mutually beneficial partnership. Honesty is key.


Check out the links Emerald provided you for how to write a good query letter. Agent Query {Link: http://www.agentquery.com} gives some good advice on how to write a query letter, too. I don't personally agree with everything they say, but it's still good, solid advice.