FREE Ebook on Getting an Agent
It only took me four books, seven years and hundreds of rejections to do it, but I've finally gotten a terrific agent.
Now that I've broken through to the other side, I'm going to share with you the killer query letter I wrote that got my PI/mystery novel, A REAL PIECE OF WORK, noticed and requested by literary agents.
I'm proud of my letter, mainly because once it started to work for me, I didn't screw with it too much. I'm also proud of it because it enticed some of the top agents in the business to request the complete manuscript (even though not all offered representation), including ones at Curtis Brown, Donald Maass and the mighty William Morris. In all, the letter had about a 15% success rate (where the agent requested the whole book), which is considerably higher than the average.
I attribute a good deal of the interest in my book to the intriguing nature of my topic—forged and looted WWII art—but I credit my query for its salesmanship. I'm bragging a little here, but I'm also confident that the things I've learned about this process will help other writers.
Having read dozens of books and articles about query letters over the years, and having received hundreds of rejections from previous queries, I've come up with a few guidelines that might work for you.
All I ask in return is that you join my fan club/contact list.
(C'mon, I'm giving you thoughtful, free information here; surely asking for an email address is fair.)
If you provide me with a legitimate email address, I will personally reply with a 17-page PDF chock-full of guidelines, tips, tricks and resources for getting an agent and writing a query letter that will get you noticed.
(In the "Message for Chris" section, just mention that you want the agent PDF.)
Many of my suggestions are new, and they're all up-to-date. In other words, they're based on the realities of trying to get an agent in the 21st century—not 1980, like some books describe.
I promise that the email address will only be added to my personal contact list, so I can get in touch with news of the novel's publication, upcoming readings, events, etc. I will NOT give out your email address to anyone, and I will only email you when something special is happening.
I hope to hear from you.
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