Personalised queries

Hey everyone, Kibble is about to start *gulp* querying. I've read everywhere that personalised queries are best, so the agents now you've done your research and you're not just emailing queries on mass. I've always wondered whether it's got to be personal to the agent or just the agency. Most agencies here seem to have one specific agent you address queries to, rather than choosing a particular agent within the agency.

So should I still say the same kind of thing?

Hi Kibble! Kara here. I adore reading agent blogs, so I think I can answer your question.

I think that yes, your pitch should be more or less the same to each and every agent (unless you're starting with a rhetorical question and querying Nathan Bransford - don't. He hates rhetorical questions). Anyway, check and recheck your manuscript to see if it's the best it could be. And depending on the genre of your book, check to see if your wordcount is reasonable.

Agents usually flee at over 110k words. Okay, not flee, but their eyebrows disappear into their hair. xD


Also, make sure to format properly.

You should get the agent's name right (and yes, *the* agent. Not the entire agency, unless you're unsure of which agent in the agency you want to query).

I'm not sure if you know this, but I'd like to give it to you anyway: http://www.queryshark.blogspot.com/

Read it and make sure you're not making the mistakes they are. If you've read it, then what's stopping you from querying? Go, go, go Kibble!

Oh, and make sure to give your contact details. Some agents complain that people forget it. If you want more agent blogs I'll give you their links (yes, I love reading them. They give great writing tips).

And make sure your manuscript is the best it can be. ^^ Good luck!

Yeah. What Kara said. Seriously, that was so thorough I have nothing to add.