The Secret to A Good Query Letter: Get Lost (Season 1, that is)

There are many blogs out there that offer great lists of tips on how to write a good query letter and how to survive the agent hunt with the least possible amount of bodily harm and psychological trauma. I don’t want to waste your time by repeating their advice. (But in case you want to check out Nathan Bransford’s one-stop shop for topnotch query advice, swing by HERE.)

I will offer you this one little suggestion though: WATCH THIS.

J.J. Abrams, the creator of LOST, Alias, and Cloverfield, talked about the importance of the MYSTERY BOX in television and film. I’m going to stay away from debating about how LOST ended (sigh), but I will take my hat off to Mr. Abrams for the incredible job he did at reeling viewers into the mystery of the show’s first season. Who wasn’t dying to know what “the numbers” meant or who “the Others” were? He threw in a “smoke monster” and we were hopelessly hooked.

I believe the power of the mystery box applies to query letters as well. An effective query letter is like a good blind date – you give enough away to pique a person’s interest, but leave him/her wanting more. Give too much, and kiss a second date good bye. Give too little, and the crickets will break into a chorus. So my humble advice is, dress well, comb your hair, and keep a smoke monster in your pocket at all times.

* Switches to Sir David Attenborough’s voice * If you hide quietly behind the bushes and wait patiently, you may just see that rare and elusive creature known as the literatus agentus climb into your carefully laid mystery box.

p.s. I know that the characters from BEFORE EVER AFTER were supposed to stop by this week, but I’m still getting clearance for the excerpts I’ll be sharing with you. Stay tuned! But as promised, I did bring chicken wings. The beer’s in the fridge. Make yourself at home :-)

How I Met My Agent :)

A lot of people have been asking how I found my agent. The long version of the story involves a chicken (seriously), but I’ll save that for my interview with Oprah. The Secret says to put it out there, right? ;) Instead of just telling the story, however, I thought it would be more fun if I showed it to you:

Aug 22

Dear Ms. Rostan ,

I understand that you are drawn to fresh and engaging commercial fiction. I am submitting BEFORE EVER AFTER, an offbeat romantic novel complete at 85,000 words for your consideration.

Mosaic artist Shelley Gallus’ happy ending ended when her husband died three years ago. Today she learns that her tour guide husband Max is alive and well. This is pinch-me-twice wonderful news, or at least it would be, if Shelley could just overlook two tiny details: Max was blown to pieces on the Madrid subway three years ago; and the bearer of this news is her thirty two year old husband’s thirty two year old grandson, Paolo. Unfortunately, Shelley is a stickler for detail.

BEFORE EVER AFTER takes place along the back roads of European history as Shelley pursues the only clue she has to the mystery of her husband’s vastly improved health - her memories of “The Slight Detour,” the European budget tour package where she met and fell in love with her scruffily handsome guide. As a heartbreaking secret emerges from Max’s accounts of bloody Parisian barricades, smelly medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.

BEFORE EVER AFTER is my first work of fiction and was inspired by my experience living, studying, and traveling through Europe. I have included sample pages below. I am committed to a long-term career in writing and would be happy to send you the complete manuscript. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Samantha Sotto-Yambao

*****

Aug 24

Hi Samantha -- I read your pages and I think this is off to a fresh, fabulous start. I'd like to read the rest. Would you send me the complete manuscript as an email attachment and I'll get back to you as soon as possible?

Best,

Stephanie

*****

Aug 24

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you for your interest and kind words. I have attached my novel as a PDF file for your review. I hope you enjoy reading the rest of the manuscript. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Sam

*****

Aug 26

Hi Samantha -- Well, this hasn't happened to me for quite some time, but I have a habit of reading the first few pages of new material when it comes in to decide how to prioritize my reading, and every once in a great while, I can't stop. I had already read the first few pages of your book in your email, so I read a few more when the manuscript arrived and, as I said, couldn't stop. I stayed up late and finished the whole manuscript last night. I loved it -- and I'd love to represent you. Would you like to speak by phone? Which part of the world are you in now?

Best,

Stephanie

*****

Which part of the world was I then? Nowhere. I was over the moon! :)