Nathan Bransford - The Forums

I notice many query thread originators edit their opening posts after they have been replied to. I think this is okay if the edit consists ONLY of a notice to see revised sample further down in the thread. Unfortunately instead many threads have had the original query removed and replaced by a revis...

I don't see how anyone can polish as they go, but that's just me. People do it. For one, I didn't know where my story was going, despite my attempts to outline ahead, so many of those perfect paragraphs later went out the window, a waste of time. For two, it slowed my momentum for getting the story ...

Erica75 wrote:I think most of Quill's advice was good, but half of the suggestions were that you were too vague and half were that you were too specific and I don't think that worked out very well.

Where did I suggest he was too specific?

Hi Quill and Ellie G Your comments are exactly why I decided to test my query here. First, Quill, it seems you want a synopsis rather than a query. From other posts in this forum, and other forums, there is a lot of discussion about Show versus Tell. Have more-or-less decided a Query is Show wherea...

UPDATE - HERE IS VERSION 6.5 - the latest and with huge thanks to Forum members PLEASE SKIP OVER EARLIER VERSIONS Dear [Agent Name], I chose to submit to you because of your tastes in literary fiction and suspense, and because your blog is a consistent source of information and a pleasure to read. ...

I tried boiling it down: Fifteen year old Lee Ruccio is a juvenile delinquent. His aunt and uncle send him to a special reform school in the Idaho wilderness. Through esoteric disciplines he learns to harness the energy the Chinese know as Chi. The School Master asks that he investigate a nearby sil...

There is no synopsis in a query. Instead there is setting, hook, and conflict, in one paragraph, usually. The purpose of the query is not to tell the story, it is simply to get an agent to request more. The query contains your pitch. A synopsis is altogether different. The reasons for your rejection...

Below is my actual Query Letter. I have visited many sites that have example letters and advice but I am not confident that my letter is catching the right kind of attention. Any advice or comments would be appreciated. Dear Agent: Hello. I’m looking for an agent to represent my book, Greeting not ...