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The Book Deal

No response to your query letter? Try this instead

June 20, 2008 by Alan Rinzler

M ost agents and publishers recommend a brilliant and scintillating letter that pitches and pleads for the right to send a full proposal and sample of the manuscript itself, but frankly I don’t encourage it.

Break this rule!

The only thing writing a query letter demonstrates is how well you can write a query letter, and they’re so easy to just delete or toss without answering.

Send the full proposal

Even if it’s against conventional advice or rules, I recommend sending a full proposal and at least 20 pages of the book itself so the recipient can really understand your idea and see how well you can write. All it takes is an email attachment.

Most agents or editors will take a peek and if you can hook them at the get-go, they’ll stay for more. How many query letters actually get any response at all?

Confidence and aggression are good qualities in a writer

Send the whole thing, I say. What have you got to lose?

Next up: The book proposal: what publishers want

Comments

Antoinette Pippens says

July 24, 2009 at 10:27 am

. . . I love your style and approach Mr.Rinzler! Of all the ”advice” that I’ve come across in my recent ‘Internet agent search’ quest, your advice seemed to bear the 100% ”common sense” element that I feel is necessary for a writer to get my foot in the door!

Antoinette Pippens
P.S.Don’t worry – I didn’t disclose my recent book selling attempt to the proposed agent, and I’ve not yet attempted to sell any of my advertised books.

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