A query letter has one job: convince a literary agent to read your manuscript. Agents read dozens of queries a day, often on their phones, and most get rejected within the first paragraph. That sounds brutal, but it is actually good news: it means the letter is a learnable skill, not a lottery ticket. A strong query follows a clear structure, respects the agent's time, and makes the book sound like something readers will buy.

The structure that works has four parts in about 300 words. First, a personalised opening line: why this agent, specifically — a book they represent that you admire, or a manuscript wish-list item your book matches. Second, the hook: your book's title, genre, word count, and a 150-to-200-word pitch. Third, a short author bio with only relevant credentials: previous publications, awards, or real-life expertise connected to the book. Fourth, a polite close thanking the agent for their time.

The pitch paragraph is where queries live or die. Write it like back-cover copy, in present tense, focused on one protagonist and one central conflict. Name your character, give them a specific desire, introduce the complication, and end on the choice or danger they face — not on the ending. Agents want to see the stakes: what your character stands to lose, and why this story could only happen to them. Leave out subplots, secondary characters, and worldbuilding detail; if the pitch needs them to make sense, the pitch is too complicated.

Avoid the mistakes that trigger instant rejections. Do not open with a rhetorical question or a weather description. Do not compare your book to Harry Potter or Stephen King — compare it to two recent, mid-list titles in your genre, which shows you know the market. Do not apologise for the book, explain that your family loved it, or mention that it is your life's work. Do not query before the manuscript is finished and revised, and always follow each agent's submission guidelines exactly: wrong format or missing pages signal that you will be hard to work with.

Query in batches of eight to ten agents, and track everything: who you queried, when, what they asked for, and when they replied. If you get only form rejections after twenty queries, revise the letter, not the book. If you get partial requests but no full requests, the book's opening may need work. And keep writing while you query — the next book is the best cure for the anxiety of waiting, and it is what turns one query into a career.

Two practical questions haunt every querying writer: how many agents should I query, and how long should I wait? The honest answers are more generous than most writers expect. Query in batches of eight to ten, wait four to six weeks for responses, then send the next batch — this keeps your inbox manageable and lets you revise the letter if a batch returns nothing but form rejections. Total, most writers query thirty to sixty agents before landing representation, and some query more than a hundred; that is normal, not a sign of failure. Response times vary wildly: some agents reply in days, others in months, and some never reply at all — always check each agent's policy, since no-response-means-no is common and not personal. If an agent requests a full manuscript, they may take two to four months to read it, and it is acceptable to nudge politely after the time stated in their guidelines. Meanwhile, keep writing the next book: it is the best use of the waiting time, and agents love a writer who already has another project underway.