July "do-over" query contest Now closed. Let's have a little video chat about the query letter~ |
Give yourself a head start and download my FREE Query Letter Workbook~
Simply click on the link included in my July email. What? You didn’t receive an email? My goodness! You can remedy this right away. CLICK HERE to join my mailing list and receive twice-a-month emails which will give you a head start on contests and special offers and introductions to agents looking for writers. As soon as you sign up, your download of my query letter workbook will fly into your inbox. The Contest~ Applies to the query letter first paragraph only. The Rules~ Your first paragraph must show/tell the following:
Here’s a great example of a three-sentence, query letter first paragraph. "Three years ago, rural Missouri housewife Stella Hardesty stopped her wife-beating husband in his tracks for good. After being acquitted of his murder, she launched a career helping other abused women put an end to their problems. When Stella's on the job, abusive husbands and boyfriends disappear--sometimes to the far side of town, and sometimes forever." This paragraph works because it identifies the protagonist and her goal of stopping abusive husbands from hurting their wives. Although unstated, it’s also clear that she places herself in dangerous situations not only with the abusive husbands she helps to "disappear," but also with the long arm of the law. FYI: This paragraph was written by Sophie Littlefield, author of the delightful series, "Bad Day For . . . " that follows Stella’s adventures in her unusual career choice. BEWARE of excessive adjectives and adverbs, as well as wimpy verbs and boring nouns~ Pack your first paragraph with words that convey pictures. Re-read Sophie's paragraph. Rich words she uses to introduce her story and writing skills include: rural Missouri housewife, wife-beating, stopped in his tracks for good, abused women, abusive husbands, acquitted, disappear. And the winner receives~ Follow the structure rules above and put some effort into crafting a query first paragraph that could win a FREE one-hour (60 minute) consultation with me on your query, synopsis, first page, and/or evaluation of your manuscript first five pages. Or, maybe you want an in-depth discussion regarding the pros and pitfalls of self-publishing. Whatever your need, when you're the winner, you pick the marketing area that is most challenging to you. PLUS, the winning query will be posted on the winner’s page, along with comments and a few lines about the winner's actual book project. This means some free promotion of your work and the potential of being noticed by agents looking around for talented writers. (Yes, they do troll internet sites looking for the next best selling author). Writers who followed the contest rules exactly will receive a critique comment (after the contest closes) from me to help revise and strengthen their query first paragraph. Contest now closed. |
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wining query letters from prior contests. Click here to read manuscript first page winning entries from prior contests. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .
Free query "Sales Pitch" eWorkbook~ The information and writing exercises in my eworkbook will help you learn to write a sizzling query "Sales Pitch" first paragraph--often the only portion of a query the agent ever reads. You'll learn how to reveal the "guts" of your story (otherwise known as the plot) by introducing goal-obstacle-resolution in a dynamic manner. This is what agents want to know. Who is the story about? What do they want? What stands in their way? What is the terrible event that will occur if your main character does not get what they want? When an agent reads a query that clearly and quickly reveals this, they jump up and down with excitement and order pizza. Nothing makes an agent's day more joyous than the discovery of a talented writer who has professionally presented themselves and a unique story with "best seller" written all over it! My workbook is free, a gift for you when you join my mailing list.
For more information on how to receive your link to the workbook download, CLICK HERE! What's inside: the workbook:
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