So, Friday, I finished my agent query letter and showed it to my daughter, Heather, who is an incredible writer in her own right. She made a funny face, typed furiously and hit “send” on her email. I walked across the room, opened my email and read her version. To die for. (How does she DO that?!!)
Of course it contained a few blanks, so I tweaked it a little, then sent both versions to five friends who make up the current membership of the Kensington Writers’ Group. Went away for Thanksgiving and came back two days later to 5 crits and lots of supportive comments. Wow! Quick turn around!
So, along with my sister (she’s not a writer, but she reads fantasy) — who pointed out where I needed to really connected plot-dots for someone unfamiliar with the book — I got some great ways to pare back the wordage to the elements that really needed to be included. In addition, I got advice to make the whole letter more professional and more “punchy.” Thanks guys!
So, with their support — and the irreplaceable support of Rob Sawyer — the letter is in the mail. Wish me luck!