Lauren asks:

“I’m loving The Persephone Trilogy. I started reading it because I enjoy retellings of Greek mythology and actually have a WIP involving Demeter, so it’s perfect for me.

Here’s my question:
What advice would you give to an aspiring author on how to write an amazing query letter/synopsis and find an agent?
That’s the point I’m at right now with my completed YA fantasy novel, so any advice you have would be great. I appreciate how you open your site up to questions. I have a journalism background, but fiction writing is a whole new world for me.
Feel free to answer on the blog, or email me. Thanks, and I look forward to connecting!

Thanks so much for the question Lauren! And I’m glad you’re enjoying the Persephone trilogy :).

I actually have a template for a query letter that I’ll share below. Beyond that template, I’d highly suggest joining a writer’s group and asking for their help editing your query letter. It is so much easier to summarize someone else’s book than your own.

My second suggestion probably comes too late to help you. Write a summary before you write your story. I try tosnowflakemy stories so when the time comes to query, I have a one sentence, one paragraph, one page, and five page summary ready for my query package. It’s really hard for me to summarize my story once it’s written.

Of course that five page summary almost never gets used for my extended synopsis because I have a pathological inability to follow an outline, but I digress.

Regarding finding an agent, you’ll want to check out manuscript wishlist, or #mswl on twitter, keep an eye out on pitch contests, look at agents coming to conventions or conferences (trickier this year), or look up the agents of similar books and see if they, or anyone at their agency is accepting submissions. Make sure to research their guidelines, what they’re interested in, and how they’ve treated their authors using absolute write or query tracker.

Best of Luck!

Awesome Query Template:

Dear Awesome Agent whose name I have learned how to spell,

If you interacted with me in some fashion, thank you. Here’s a sentence or two about your bio/twitter account/interview/recent conference/manuscript wish list/or books comparable to mine that you represent to show that I didn’t just pick your name out of a hat. Because of above reasons, I’d like you to represent my ALL CAPS BOOK TITLE, a x-thousand word, genre, similar to this story and that story. ALL CAPS BOOK TITLE pitch.

Here’s my one paragraph snowflake summary about my book, including the ending.

Now I’m going to tell you a little bit about myself. Here’s my publication credits if I have any and some relatable interesting fact, haha, aren’t I funny?

I’ve attached my one-page synopsis and first x pages of my story along with whatever else you might have requested. Thank you for your time,

Author