How to Write Attention-Grabbing Query & Cover Letters

Beyond fundamentals of letters, this valuable resource has great guidance on what to say and not say, to whom, and when, in pursuit of publication. This being my current (and not previously accomplished) aim, I am deeply grateful for the assistance in not shooting my chances in the foot.

I've rated this book based on it's value overall, not just it's value for me. In other words, I'm trying to be objective.This book would be a valuable resource for me if I were a non-fiction writer. The sections on non-fiction book and article proposals took up most of the book, with the section on the novel proposals, query letters and synopses taking up about a quarter of the book.On a positive note, the book does include good examples of things writers shouldn't do when writing and submitting these documents. Many books on the subject describe your formats, but don't show you an example of a well-written document.One thing I noticed immediately upon opening the book, was the large typeface. I liked this, as it made the book easier to look at. I've read entirely too many books with miniscule typefaces, only to come away with a headache from squinting at it once I'm done reading. I liked this, but then, the large typeface also made the book longer and made it look as though it contained more material than it actually did.I couldn't give it 5 stars for reasons mentioned by other reviewers, but if you are a non-fiction writer or a fiction writer in need of additional references, this is a good book.

This guy presents a query format I've never seen, and it certainly is evey-catching. He proposes that you start out your query letter with a 3 line blurb, kind of like what you might see on the back of an already-published novel, which is a technique no one else has ever suggested in the dozens of other "how to write query letters" books I've read. He covers how to write queries for just about every type of writing you an imagine, even magazine articles. Very thorough and helpful.

Now we can know why writers receive rejection letters. John Wood has been there--on both sides. As an editor he reviewed over 25,000 query letters, seeing all the mistakes repeated over and over--and the occasional gem, which always followed a few simple rules. As a writer he has lived through the frustrating write/rejection cycle firsthand. He is as qualified as anyone to write this tutorial. The quality of his writing proves it. His book is dead-on, with easily understood descriptions.After homilizing on the general decay of "The Art of Correspondence," Wood presents an interesting chapter on how the editor/writer relationship--and each respective role--is viewed from both the writer's and the editor's perspectives, including the myths and misconceptions. This lays the groundwork for the meat of the manual: the list of ten query "commandments" and ten query "sins." These are made particularly instructive by the inclusion of actual samples letters, both good and bad, and his own created "ideal" letter.While the book focuses mainly on magazine article queries, there are chapters for fiction and non-fiction book writers too. Most of the rules seem to apply to all types of submissions, although he does a good job of delineating the subtle differences. The book goes on to cover various other types of correspondence a writer might send to editors and publishers.The one flaw (relating only to my personal needs) was his short treatment of the fiction novel synopsis, which he convinces is fundamentally important, but then devotes only two pages to, and fails to include any samples. Overall, the book is excellent. You may have written the greatest article or book in history, but without Wood's help, it may never see the florescent light of the bookstore. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

If you've ever written anything, you know that getting your query letter together to send to a publisher is the scariest thing you have to do. Everything you've written hinges on the acceptance of an editor, and his acceptance hinges on your query letter. If it doesn't look good, then no matter how good your book is it won't see the light of day. This book will take you step-by-step through every aspect. Don't neglect the most important part of your book - the query that gets you noticed