How long should a query letter be?

Question

My son is now in the process of writing his query letter for a literary agent.
For all the authors, how long should it be?

Answer 1

Approx. 2 paragraphs.

No more than a single page. It should include a summary of the book, word count, genre, and your sons publication history.

Answer 2

Generally one page. The synopsis should be two pages/ But that depends entirely on the submission requirements of that particular agent. They are spelled out specifically and must be sent precisely as requested. No more - no less or welcome to the slush pile.

Has your son checked this agent out first? Never send anything to anyone before first checking them out with Preditors and Editors, Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks, Writers Wall and Writers Weekly. If there have been any complaints or problems with this agent, they will be listed there. If there is any doubt, you can contact those sites and ask - Dave K at Preditors and Editors, Victoria Strauss or James Macdonald at Absolute Write or Angela Hoy at Writers Weekly. They are all very helpful at giving you honest information.

Send nothing to anyone until you are absolutely sure they are genuine and reliable. These sites have the names of hundreds of agents and publishers who are not recommended.

NIcholas Sparks has a wonderful writers corner on his website where he kindly offers an example of a good query letter. He has a lot of good information there. Pax - C

http://www.nicholassparks.com/WritersCorner/Query.html

Answer 3

A single page. It should neatly give a summary of the book, a word count, genre, and any past publications.

There are lots of examples (amusingly corrected) and good hints at http://evileditor.blogspot.com

Once he's finished writing it, he can submit it to EE and get a critique, too.