Writing Query Letters that Count -- Close the Deal with Your First Letter!
Your query letter can be a deal maker or a deal breaker. So, if your query letter just lies there, you've killed the sale immediately or your story or novel immediately. If you want that story -- your baby -- to be read, reach out of that query letter, grab the publisher, editor or literary agent by the neck and say, "Hey, you absolutely have to have this story!" Query letters that begin with "Hello, My name is. . ." have as much chance of selling as vacation trips to Baghdad. Remember, your query is like a résumé’s cover letter, and if you're in a competitive industry, that cover will sell you far more than the resume will. So, you have to grab the reader with your first sentence. To do this, make him believe that he desperately needs what you're selling. Following are a few tips on how to do it. First, begin by saying why your story will be easy to sell. Publishers have to sell books, so this is their first priority. Remember, though, you have to do it gracefully. Don't come off sounding arrogant. When I was selling my novel, The League, I started my query with I have a novel that has a target audience of over 15 millions rabid fans. This audience is people who play fantasy football, but I didn't reveal this until a few sentences into the letter. I wanted to pull the publisher or editor in, the same way I lead my suspense reader forward in my novel (throw out something fantastic, then slow down and build to your next exciting piece). Once I get to the part about how every fantasy football fan will race to buy my book, I follow up by saying that it is the first-ever published work with a plot that surrounds this exciting game. I also throw in that in addition to these 15 million fans, all sports and suspense fans will want to read it because of how unique it is. Next, toss in a few key parts of your synopsis, reminding the reader that the entire synopsis is included or attached, if you're e-mailing your query, which is almost always acceptable today. Note, what you decide to include should be hot, making the reader say, Wow. Finally, finish your query by telling the person how willing you are to be involved in the promotion of your story. Don't oversell; just tell her that you will do whatever it takes to make your book successful. When signing, don't forget a polite closing and all of your contact information. Remember, no matter how good your story and your query are, it's still a game of sales. Send out dozens of queries at a time. It won't be long before people start asking for your story or novel. Mark Barnes is the author of the new novel, The League, the first work of fiction, based on fantasy football. He is also an investment real estate and home loan finance expert. Learn more about his suspense thriller at http://www.sportsnovels.com. Get his free mortgage finance course at http://www.winningthemortgagegame.com |
Other Football Tips Articles
Tips for Playing Better Online Poker At first you will have to play just for fun and with a limited bankroll. You have to know that playing for fun money won’t get you competition. In these poker rooms there is hardly any competition at all.You can see on TV different poker tournaments that are transmitted live and you might be tempted to imitate the players there. You must ...Steelers Next Up for Unbeaten Colts As Americans head home for Thanksgiving NFL rivals head to the field for a weekend filled with grudge matches. In what could possibly be the game of the year the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Indianapolis to take on the undefeated Colts on Monday Night Football.Mondays showdown pits two of the NFLs best teams in a battle that could previ ...Hot NFL Teams Are Rolling In The hottest NFL players aren't necessarily born from game winning touchdowns or community service off the field. Sometimes, ok most of the time, the best and brightest in professional football are the players who prompt the most controversy. It all goes back to that old saying, there's no better publicity than bad publicity. Maybe it didn't go e ...Great British Sporting Events In this article I write about some of the most famous British sporting events which take place on a yearly basis. My name is Steve Hill from Birmingham and I love to watch most sports especially football, tennis, snooker, horse racing and cricket.I am currently looking forward to the Fifa World Cup and the winter cricket Ashes tour to Aus ...20 Top Tips To Writing Effective Surveys Writing surveys is easy; or is it? The truth is that writing surveys is easy but writing effective surveys is more difficult. The following are twenty tips that if followed will help you write more effective surveys. ...The Fun of Fantasy Football Fifteen to eighteen million people play fantasy football every year—and the numbers are growing rapidly.In fantasy football, you “draft” or auction an imaginary team composed of real-life football players (this can include NFL professionals or college players). They then score points based on their actual performance in real games. ...Using Ego In Closing The Sale In persuasion, we are faced with the difficult task of building the egos of our listeners while placing our own egos on hold. In order to effectively persuade, you have to let go of your ego and focus on your objective. You don't have time to mend a bruised ego. Check your ego in at the door and remember your overriding purpose. Focus on pers ...Lift Your Team's Spirits with Team Equipment Custom Bags If you're wondering how to improve team morale, there's nothing better than team shirts, jackets, hats, and of course, team equipment custom bags. These usually have the team name, player number, logo, and team colors screened onto the materials so everyone on the team can wear identical outfits or carry matching team equipment bags. Bo ...NFL Week Two Part One In part one of our NFL week two preview, we will look at four NFL games. I'll review the following games: Bills at Dolphins, Panthers at Vikings, Browns at Bengals, and Lions at Bears. Is there such a thing as a must win game this early in the season? For a couple of these teams, that's a very real reality. Let's take a look.Buffalo Bills ...General Tips To Improve Your Game Poker is a game of chance. You play the hand you are dealt and the highest wins. So how can you improve your odds in such a game where your hand depends on the cards you hold? There are several strategies used to do this.Though there are many different poker variants, that is, different types of poker games, each with a slightly differ ...Getting Too Old Or Too Tired To Play Sports? Start Collecting Instead I played football from the age of eight years old until age twenty and then continued in bodybuilding to this day at the age of 45. Even though I look younger than my age and younger guys approach me all the time to play rugby or sandlot football my knees and hips just can’t take the abuse anymore. If you are like me and you still want to stay i ...Football - The Defense As important as the offensive unit is to scoring in the game of football, the defensive unit is just as important for keeping the opposing team from crossing the goal line. In baseball they say good pitching stops good hitting. Well, in football a good defense stops a good offense. We're going to briefly review the roles of the defensive unit ...Online Poker Site Tips If you are going to play poker online there are a few online poker site tips that you should be aware of before you play. Playing poker online can be very fun and exciting and can also offer you a chance to win a bit of money. Some online poker site tips include knowing what to look for in a good site, being aware of what you want in a site, and ...Ego Proof Anytime someone challenges your abilities, especially your abilities to do your business, your immediate and instinctive reaction is to prove them wrong! When employing this tactic, be careful to avoid damaging the ego. When you cause damage instead of producing a challenge, you will create an air of indifference from your prospect.Anothe ...Exercise Induced Asthma How can exercise induce asthma?At the same time as healthy exercise can be handled by patients, exercise can often be the cause of an asthma attack.Symptoms of exercise induced asthma…Wheezing, coughing and a tightening of the chest are all symptoms of exercise induced asthma. These symptoms will usually be felt after begin ...How Playing Football Develops Useful Skills Football is the most popular sport in the world with its grand stage, the World Cup every four years. Many of the world’s players can become huge celebrities if they perform well during the World Cup. Fans will travel across the globe just to make sure that they see their favorite team play. This type of excitement can not be duplicated by an ...Throwing The Perfect Football Pass While football is considered one of America's greatest pastimes, few know the secrets of throwing the ball properly. A proper football pass is a perfect spiral delivered directly to the target. With that in mind, this article will attempt to explain some methods that actual football coaches use to teach their quarterbacks the right way to throw. ...Drew Henson Week 5 Pass By Pass Analysis Overview: More of the same from Drew. He finished the game 17-28 187 yards 2TDs and 1 INT. He continued to show his great escape ability as well as his arm strength and accuracy on any route that works the middle of the field. He continues to struggle with the long passes.I wish he was in a more wide open offense where I could see hi ...Trophies Trophies are souvenirs of victories. The most common trophies are awarded for sporting achievements. A trophy is an object of great admiration and idolization. Whether it is a school race or an Olympic medal, a trophy is much coveted.Trophies are made of different materials. Gold and silver are the costly, highly sought after metals. But ...Twelve Frustrating Ways to Lose a Football Game It's football season again, so that can only mean one thing - get ready for some frustration! Even if your favorite high school, college, or pro team is top-notch, chances are they'll suffer several frustrating losses before the season is over. Some ways of losing are just more frustrating than others. Therefore, I have compiled a list of twelve ...Heisman Trophy Top-10 (Monday, October 30) USC's shocking loss at Oregon State has shaken up the polls and most importantly, the BCS standings. While it's obvious the winner of the Michigan/Ohio State game will be one of this year's national championship game participants (assuming of course, that both remain unbeaten until November 18), the field is now wide-open as to the game's other ...Let Kissing Liven Up Your Meetings (and More Kissing Tips) Every now and then a quarrel breaks out down at the barber shop, lines are drawn, challenges leveled and, with any luck, somebody walks out with very few blood stains. All over a seemingly innocent discussion: What is the greatest sport ever?Some say "football". Some say "baseball". Canadians say "hockey". The rest of the world says " ...Fantasy Football Rotoworld Reviewed Rotoworld - When it comes to taking the ultimate to a whole new level in professional sports, rotoworld.com has now made it available for you to control your own. Take rotoworld.com combined with fftoolbox.com and you can literally become the owner, the coach, and the ultimate fantasy football fan.Never before has professional sports been ...The Great Bobby Jones If one were to mention the greatest players in golf history, no list would be complete without mentioning Bobby Jones, arguably the greatest golfer to compete on a national and international level.On record, Jones is still the only player ever to win golf's elusive Grand Slam, which is winning all four major championships in the same year ...Troy Polamalu Interception Stolen from Him by the NFL Officials We all saw it. Troy Polamalu jumps up catches Peyton Manning's throw, tumbles three times, gets up, kicks the ball out of his hand, and secures posession of the ball by jumping on it. It was so clear and obvious to us that this play was an interception, why did the NFL official get it wrong?The NFL official that reviewed the play did not ...The Benefits of Explosive Strength Training for Rugby Football Unlike other forms of football, rugby can be usefully viewed as a succession of prolonged physical engagements, either between individual players or between groups of players. Each of these engagements demands the exercise of substantial physical strength. While basic strength training should form the foundation for such engagements, there shoul ..."One For the Gipper" - The Original Story President Ronald Reagan is tagged fondly as "The Gipper" as the result of his movie portrayal of Notre Dames' legendary football player. The nickname is so firmly attached to the president that the real Gipper is nearly forgotten.The true story is clouded by the mist of time. His hometown of Laurium, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, maintai ...NFL Season Predictions Part 6: AFC South As training camp has emerged creating a vast set of emotions of both hope for rookies and redundant routines for veterans, it is never to early to began the rampant speculations surrounding the issue of how the teams will look in the standings come season end. Through my knowledge of the sport and teams, as well as careful analysis of recent off ...Fantasy Basketball 101 Fantasy basketball gives fans a chance to experience what it is like to manage their own franchise. If you’re a typical ‘back-seat driver’ during the regular basketball season, there is no better chance to enforce your own decisions when comes to trading and drafting than to create your own fantasy basketball team.The first step you will ...Planning a Football Party When fall comes and football is in full force women around the country begin to use the phrase football widow. I can attest to a few Saturdays and Sundays where the TV in our home is going all day and my husband is glued to his favorite chair.After our first football season together where his team was 15-1, I decided to start hosting foo ...Tips for Teenage Girls on How to Talk to Boys with Confidence Work out what you wantHave in mind the goal of your conversation before it starts. Do you want to let him know that you’re interested in him? Do you just want to catch up and have a laugh? Identify the goal and set a strategy for how you’ll achieve it. One good way to break the ice with a guy (if you’re confident enough) is to be t ...Leinart’s Injury Better Than Expected Injuries are very determining for the future of any player, when this type of unfortunate events occur, everybody hopes for the best, this is the case of Matt Leinart, the rookie quarterback for Arizona who is currently recovering from a shoulder injury, and hopefully, he will be available for regular season opener on September the 10th.C ...Texas Holdem – Forget Limit Games Play No Limits For Huge Profits Although the games are similar No limit Texas Holdem requires higher skill levels and a killer instinct, if these two factors are combined players can make a lot of moneyIf you are serious about making big money in Texas Holdem, forget limit games and play no limits and with the right skills and mindset your earnings power is unlimited. ...Important Reasons to Choose LASIK Eye Surgery There are many reasons to choose LASIK eye surgery but If you're currently sitting on the fence when it comes to deciding whether or not to have LASIK eye surgery performed in order to improve your vision you're probably not alone. Everyday more and more consumers suffering from various vision impairments are opting to have laser eye surgery pe ...
|
