I've sent out a few query letters over the past couple of days. Maybe you're wondering what the hell a query letter is? Well, it's basically a pen-to-paper representation of the little kid at the end of the line in gym class. The one who yells, "Pick me, pick me!" over and over.
It's a letter (in my case, an e-mail) to literary agents, asking them if they would please review some of my manuscript. The reason I'm doing this, is because my end goal is to find an agent that believes the work is marketable. That's the key, right? Agents and publishing houses need to make money just like the rest of us.
It's difficult to do these query letters, however, because they can be so strict. "You MUST include this," and "Do NOT include that," are some of the more common lines you might see on an agent's page. I understand why they have to be so stringent. The average agent is overwhelmed each day with e-mails and letters from hopeful authors. The sheer volume of work that arrives in the inbox of a literary agent is uncanny from what I've read.
Still, I am one of those hopeful authors, and I do hope they read my email. A couple of them wanted the first five pages of my work. Another wanted fifty pages! We'll see what happens. I feel my book is a good read. I feel it is marketable. However, convincing someone else of that can be difficult (and nerve-wracking). I've read that many agents only look at someone's submission for three to four seconds before they make their decision and move onto the next one. How could they not be so cruel and dismissive, what with the thousands of e-mails they have?
It's a kill or be killed world out there. I guess I better get to sharpenin' the old knife.
I'll keep you informed.
Barry