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Query letter review

It’s time to stop

Book a Query Review
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Start Your Next Adventure

Welcome to a space designed for ideas that move people. With a focus on quality, clarity, and connection, we're here to help you make an impact that lasts.

Open spiral notebook with lined pages, pink pen, and a sprig of pink and purple flowers on a wooden surface, in front of a blurred background with a window and floral arrangement.

The intro:

Review of query letter

You’ll receive written feedback with guidance and advice for sharpening your query, along with in-line edits on your query letter.

Book
Interior of a coffee shop or cafe with a large window, brick walls, and a woman working on a laptop. There are plants, a shelf with mugs, and a chalkboard menu visible.

The excerpt:

Review of query letter, first 10 pages of manuscript, and a 2-page book synopsis.

You’ll receive written feedback with guidance and advice for sharpening your query, with in-line comments on your manuscript’s first 10 pages.

Book
A workspace with an open notebook, a pen, a laptop displaying a social media page, a white coffee mug, a glass vase with pink and purple flowers, and a black speaker on a wooden table with a blurred outdoor background.

the complete package

Review of query letter and full manuscript.

You’ll receive written feedback with guidance and advice for sharpening your query, and a 30-minute Zoom to discuss your letter and manuscript.

Book

Why work with me?

As a kid, I vowed I would publish my first book by the time I was 10 (my dad said he would get me a puppy if I did). Spoiler alert: neither happened.

Fast-forward about 20 years, and my first NYT-bestselling series, The Princess Swap, is traditionally published by Random House Children’s Books.

My books have received critical acclaim from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and the Kids Indie Next List, and the first was selected as an Amazon Editor's Pick. I have an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Arizona, where I taught creative writing and won grants and awards for my work, and I’ve spoken about querying and the business side of publishing at events around the country.

And, most importantly, I’ve been in the trenches. I’ve queried, I’ve switched agents, I’ve pivoted genres. I did so, so much research into how to write a good query letter, how to find the right agents, how to stay positive when querying can really suck.

And I want to share that experience and knowledge with you. In my day job, I work in marketing, which means that not only do I know the publishing industry, I also know what it requires to go from the art side of your brain to the business side of your brain.

A query isn’t about being a great artist — your book is. Your query is about being a good salesperson (and while that might sound like the opposite of great art, thinking about your story like this can actually help you become a stronger writer).

Let's Chat

Additional Resources

Open notebook with pink pen resting on it, next to a bunch of pink flowers, on a wooden table. In the background, a blurred vase of pink flowers and a window.

The intro:

Senior literary agent Laurel Symonds (my agent!!) shares what she looks for in a query letter and how to navigate querying-author life.

Read More
Read More
Inside a cozy cafe with brick walls, large window with cream curtains, and potted plant, a woman with long hair working on a laptop at a table with a backpack and water bottle.

The excerpt:

Author Margo Steines, whose debut memoir was featured in the New York Times, shares insights into the business of querying and her tips for connecting with agents.

A wooden desk with an open book, a black marker on the pages, a laptop showing a blurred social media page, a notebook, a ceramic mug on a wooden tray, a small black speaker, and a glass vase with pink and purple flowers. The background has a large window with a blurred outdoor scene.

the complete package

Review of query letter and full manuscript.

Read More

fAQs

  • A query letter is, essentially, a one-page pitch that you send to agents. It summarizes your project, contextualizes it against comparative books (“comp titles”), and introduces you to the agent. This is when you need to pivot from author brain to business brain.

  • You send query letters to agents. Agents take writers on as clients, and they submit their books to publishers. Agents are many things: they negotiate on your behalf, build a strategy for your career, cheerlead you when you need some extra love, etc.

  • Knowing how to hook your audience and paying attention. You want to capture an agent’s attention so they move from your query letter to your sample pages and fall in love with your writing.

    It’s important to read an agent’s submission guidelines very carefully to ensure that 1) they represent your genre, 2) that you’re submitting the materials they’re looking for, 3) that they’re open to submissions at all.

  • Nope! Often, agents will only ask for 5-10 pages of your manuscript with your query letter. If they’re interested, they might ask for a partial (usually around 50 pages of your manuscript). If they’re super interested, they’ll ask for the full thing.

  • I wish, but I can’t make that promise. What I CAN help you do is finesse your materials so you can put your best foot forward continue to grow as an author. I can also be your accountability buddy and cheerleader.

    The reality of the industry is that a writing career is a long game. But putting in the effort, learning from how people react to your project, and beginning a new book are crucial to building that career.

  • I mean, you could, but it would be like using a ham sandwich to clean a mirror (aka - it’s not going to get clean. And no matter what you thought of that joke, it wasn’t written with AI.)

    For one, agents, unsurprisingly, tend to frown on AI. It’s not a good look if that’s the first way you introduce yourself (it’s hard enough to win an agent’s attention).

    For two, if you want to write books, I seriously hope you…like writing. Yes, query letters are tricky, but they do help you develop a new understanding of your book, looking at it from a new lens that can give you greater insights into what it’s about and what you’re trying to say.

    For three, a query letter, like a book, is not meant to sound like generic, monotone, AI-created copy. It’s meant to show your personality and capture your voice so you stand out.

  • I specialize in fiction, and I’m happy to work with everything from literary fiction to romance to hard sci fi.

    I am also happy to discuss if I’m the right fit to review your nonfiction query letter, but that is on a case-by-case basis, as nonfiction books sell on proposal, rather than a full manuscript, so the support needed is slightly different.

    As much as I adore poetry, I’m a fan only, not an expert, and wouldn’t be the right fit. (Poets also often don’t query; selling a poetry manuscript often happens through a competition or directly with a publisher.)

Let's Get Querying