Writing a book is hard. Writing a query letter can sometimes be harder. How do you condense an entire book into a single, engaging page? Come to this year’s Query Roulette to find out! There, you’ll get to meet agents who can tell you what your letter does right and what it does wrong.
To help prepare, see what agents Stacy Testa and Samantha Fingerhut look for in the queries they receive.
Stacy Testa (Writers House)
A lifelong bookworm, Stacy is currently seeking Literary Fiction, Upmarket Women’s Fiction, Memoir, Humor, Narrative Nonfiction, and Investigative Journalism queries. You can follow her on Twitter @stacy_testa.
Since you’d like to see more nonfiction humor, can you tell us about a book that made you laugh out loud? Have any great query letters made you laugh?
Probably the last book that really and truly made me LOL was Scaachi Koul’s One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter.
Koul has razor-sharp wit and a wonderful willingness to laugh at her own mistakes. But most importantly, her book has a big heart, which I think is an essential ingredient to a successful work of humor. This winning combination of heart and humor was what caught my eye (and what made me laugh at loud) in my client Maggie Rowe’s query letter for a book called Sin Bravely, which I eventually went on to sell to Counterpoint/Soft Skull.
With what seems like a growing popularity of magical realism, have you seen more of these query letters? If so, are there any characteristics that help you differentiate between good and bad queries?
I can’t honestly say that I’ve seen a noticeable uptick in queries for works of magical realism of late, though I wouldn’t mind if I did! I have recently noticed some queries in which the author brands their novel as magical realism when in fact, based on the subsequent description, it is very clearly fantasy. Writer beware, it doesn’t look great if you can’t accurately define the genre of your own work…
Is there something common that you’ve noticed in query letters that makes them weak?
There’s a surprising numbers of query letters that begin by demeaning the profession of agenting. As in, “It’s ridiculous that agents should have all the power and I resent that you’re the gatekeepers of the industry but since you are I guess I have to pitch you my book.” I can only assume it’s a twisted attempt at “negging” but the much more likely outcome is that the author comes across as rude and difficult to work with. Again, not a good look!
Samantha Fingerhut (Compass Talent)
A former teacher, Samantha is looking for queries in the following categories: Literary Fiction; Commercial Fiction; Literary Sci-Fi, Horror, and Thriller; Middle Grade and YA across all genres; Narrative Nonfiction; Graphic Novel; and Memoir.
What brought you back to publishing after you taught high school?
A love of reading! After teaching literature for four years, I realized that I didn’t just want to teach books, I wanted to work with books. Finding new voices (especially YA voices that my students would love), is very exciting to me.
You mention that you like narratives with a “clever twist on genre.” What example of this did you particularly enjoy?
We think of genre fiction as adhering to certain rules, but I love when authors play with what we as readers might expect and reverse, invert, or challenge our expectations in some way. Some favorites include Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani, and Magpie Murdersby Anthony Horowitz.
What kind of horror novels do you wish you saw more?
I am a big fan of horror films, which is why I loved Final Girls by Riley Sager. The book is not only a thrilling read, but also offers a really original take on a familiar trope: the “final girl,”or the sole survivor in so many slasher films.
In movies a final girl is rarely in control of her own story, but Quincy, the protagonist and narrator of Final Girls, very carefully constructs a life for herself after surviving a mass murder. Horror ensues when her facade begins to crumble.
What’s most important to you in a query letter?
I am looking for a concise and intriguing pitch and a synopsis that both tells me what the book is about and showcases the writer’s voice and style.
Check back next week to learn from more agents!
To register for Query Roulette, clickhere.
To receive a members-only discount for Query Roulette, register for the WNBAhere.
And if you missed the Q&A from agents Tess Callero, Christina Morgan, Laura Usselman, and Latoya C. Smith, read Part 1 and Part 2.
By Rina Mody
Rina’s a marketing assistant at a publishing company in NY. She’s an avid traveler and loves to go to new places – both real and fictional.
