Life Writing for Publication

My last column convinced you, I hope, of the importance of literary agents in the author-to-reader publication chain. Once you've done the research to find the agent most likely to enthusiastically represent your writing, you need to convince him or her of its merit. Because memoirs dwell in the realm of nonfiction, you'll almost certainly sell the book before you actually write it. (This fact surprises many first-time nonfiction authors, and delights not a small number of them.) Rather than a full manuscript, your agent will present to potential publishers a book proposal (which you, not your agent, will write...more in a later column) outlining your book, giving a sample chapter from it, summarizing your credentials, and presenting your market research to demonstrate the book's salability. On the quality of the proposal depends your chance for publication and a reasonable, if not generous, advance.

However.

Few agents will bother to open your book proposal unless they've already agreed to read it. To request this favor, you need to write a query letter.

Perhaps best summarized as a miniature version of the longer (40-60 pages or so) book proposal, the query letter announces your book proposal in the most compelling way possible and asks the agent if she would like to receive it. Consider that agents say yes to about 10% of query letters (an optimistic estimate), and you'll realize how important is this little piece of persuasion.

According to literary agent Elizabeth Lyon (Nonfiction Book Proposals Anyone Can Write), a good query letter includes three chief elements -- the lead, the body, and the conclusion. The lead should generate excitement about your book. The body of the query letter should clearly but concisely describe your book, its market and its competition, and your relevant credentials as author. If you have an outline or table of contents for your book, you should include this as an enclosure. Lyons likens a query letter's conclusion to a handshake, thanking the agent and asking for a timely (and of course, favorable) response (in the form of a request to see your full proposal).

Some details of query letter strategy are matters of taste and/or opinion:

• You can try a clever lead paragraph, or write a more straightforward statement about your book and its purpose. If uncertain about possible misinterpretation, I'd recommend a more direct lead.
• Most publishing insiders suggest that query letters not exceed one page, while others permit some exceptions -- still two pages, maximum. You should write a longer letter only if it's impossible to condense your query into less space.
• Describe your qualifications with confidence, but without egotism. Here, you should be concise, presenting only those credentials and experiences that directly reveal your fitness to produce the book you propose. Include your credentials in the form of relevant enclosures -- author bio and clips (if you're previously published), resume, or letter of endorsement from recognized authorities.

And there are a few practically inviolable rules:

• Use a formal, business-standard form of address even if you've met the agent or received a referral (both of which you can mention in the letter). Correctly spell the agent's name, and the agency's. Make sure the address is correct.
• Present your writing (and your self) positively, but without the extremes of arrogance/overconfidence or premeditated defensiveness.
• Do not mention fees.
• Proofread and proofread and proofread again. Make absolutely sure of names, titles, and any facts you include in the letter. Do not rely on your spelling/grammar-checker. The query letter reveals your professionalism. It is an appropriate place to obsess over details.
• Include the expected "SASE" (self-addressed stamped envelope) for the agent's response. Also include other contact information, such as your daytime phone, fax, and/or e-mail. If you have a business card, it can conveniently provide this information.