by Catherine L. Tully

Crafting a good query is all about the intrigue. If you can get the editor interested, you have a winner. So how do you do that? Make them curious. The photo here is of a window, and the way it is cropped, it makes you want to peek inside. A good query does the same thing with words…

A good query gives the editor enough to wonder what the rest would be like. Don’t sell your query short by dashing off an idea that you think might fit. Do a little work. Dress that query seductively before you send it off.

How do you get the editor curious? Give them a taste. A spoonful. Perhaps an opening line for style paired with some interesting facts. Or you can tell them something they have never heard and promise to give them more…

Create that sense of wonder for the editor and you have a far better chance of hearing a yes. It’s worth the extra effort–don’t you think?