Query Letter Basics
By Natalie Bright

1. Address your letter to a person; the right person.
2. How do you find the right person? Do your homework.
3. Research online: For agents you can find client lists, interviews with information such as what they are looking for and they’re favorite books, and agency information. For editors you can find interviews about what they want to see in their inbox, what they like to read, and what they like to see in query letters.
4. Keep the tone professional, not silly or stiff.
5. Begin with specifics: genre, word count completed, main hook.
6. Describe the elements of your story that will appeal to readers, the heart of your story, the essence.
7. Describe your life experiences as they relate to writing, but be brief.

Good luck!