Gather all the information and notes regarding your article, story or book. Make sure it describes the manuscript you intend to sell. Send the query letter without any manuscript pages. When you send the query letter, you’re asking the publisher, editor or agent if they would be interested. If they respond with a “yes,” they’re “soliciting” your work.
Most fiction publishers or editors (electronic or print) do not require a query letter for a short story. They want the full manuscript with a brief cover letter. The publisher or editor of nonfiction prefers a query letter. Always check submission guidelines.
Soliciting an agent for articles or short stories is an exercise in futility. They’re not interested in such material. The “query” is a short presentation of the work you want to submit.
Assemble all the pages of the first three chapters of your book. You will need those to construct the cover letter and prepare it for soliciting an agent. As a general rule, publishers and editors require agent representation prior to accepting any manuscript directly from the author. There are exceptions.
Once the agent has expressed an interest in seeing your material, as a result of your query, send the cover letter with a partial or complete manuscript. Send only what they’ve asked for. For a novel, that is often a synopsis and the first three chapters. Follow the guidelines of the agent you’re submitting to.
Now you’re ready to build your professional cover letter and submit it for consideration.
Construct the opening of your cover letter with the same dynamics you used in your query. As stated earlier, the query and the cover letters are related. However, the cover letter displays a strong example of your writing. The sample below is a good template:
Example:
Your name
Your street
Your city, state and zip
Date
Phone #
Selected Agency
Dear Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. Agent:
I’m submitting the “Time Gate Crossing” for your consideration.
1998:
A 747 commercial jet enters severe turbulence on a routine flight from New York to Los Angeles. The airliner, 230 passengers and crew, emerge 500 years into the future.
Five key people must be returned to the twentieth century.
Go on from here to present your story and keep it brief.
Here, you add author qualifications and your current platform.