A Detailed Breakdown of My Query Letter [CC]
I give you an in-depth look into my query letter, breaking down each section into tips and tricks to help you out during your querying journey. This is the query letter for my debut novel coming out from Simon Pulse in 2021, and got me my literary agent, and most of it was also used to pitch editors at publishing houses.
In case you didn't know, a query letter is a pitch that you send to literary agents when you're pursing traditional publishing. Literary agents then use this to decide whether or not they want to request more material from you, so it's important in helping get your foot in the door.
If you have any additional questions about querying or query letters, feel free to leave them in the comments for me.
HOODIE @ ETSY STORE: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/74548...
ADD #BLACKWITCHESBOOK TO GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
MY AGENT'S INFO
Kristy Hunter @ The Knight Agency
Website: https://knightagency.net/about-us/
Twitter: / kristyshunter
Instagram: / kristyshunter
Sione Aeschliman Editing: https://www.writelearndream.com/
RELEVANT VIDEOS
How I Got My Agent: • How I Got My Literary Agent [CC]
10 Querying Tips from 10 Writers: • 10 Querying Tips from 10 Writers [CC]
THE FULL QUERY LETTER
Dear Ms. Hunter,
I read on your Twitter #MSWL that you’re interested in seeing more #ownvoices YA fantasy and think that my novel would be a good fit. Best described as Labyrinth Lost with This Mortal Coil’s genetic hacking, [#BlackWitchesBook] is a 98,000-word young adult #ownvoices urban fantasy that follows a family of black witches living in Toronto, 2099.
Surviving suffocation on her family’s dining room table is not what sixteen-year-old Voya Thomas expected her Calling—a trial each witch must pass to come into her powers—to be like. And no one in her family lineage has ever failed...until her. When she gets a second chance to avoid ending magic for every Thomas born after her, she agrees to complete the new task the spirit of her ancestor gives—kill her first love before the eve of the Caribana festival.
For Voya to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy. She catches a break when the NuGene company, famed for their advances in genetic therapy, offers a beta matchmaking program. The plan is to become a participant, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she didn’t count on was the NuGene CEO’s obsession with her family’s genome or being paired with Luc—a trans boy who is both adorable and infuriating.
Magic is not a party trick—it’s a culture that’s shaped and protected her family for generations. And this time around, failure means every living Thomas witch, not just future ones, will be stripped of their magic. With mounting pressure from her family, Voya’s caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood and intention are everything.
I was raised in Toronto, Ontario in a blended family and all eight of us lived together under one roof. This is what inspired me to create a story about Voya's huge family, and the mix of Trinidadian and Canadian culture she grows up with mirrors my own experience. I was previously published in a short story and poetry anthology titled Lake Effect 6. I was also a #RevPit 2018 winner and received a full developmental edit including line edits from Sione Aeschliman who I worked with over a five-week period.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Liselle Sambury
Word Count - 396 words
#Authortube #AmQuerying
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Writer Website: https://lisellesambury.ca
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