Writing Lessons-- Query Letter Worksheet

Ready to submit? Here's a worksheet to help you. Feel free to modify this to fit the submission guidelines of your target.

QUERY LETTER WORKSHEET

1. Title: __________________________________________
2. How long (word count) is the novel?__________________
3. What genre is your novel? (If it is not easily placed into a genre, let the editor or agent decide the genre. You may, however, mention novels similar to yours.)
4. To what other novels is your work similar?
5. Identify your novel’s theme.
6. Where is your novel set?
7. What is the time period of your novel, including the duration of time?
8. State the “hook” of your novel (from your Hook Worksheet).
9. How did you come to write this novel? Do you have special knowledge of the subject matter, i.e., does it take place in a particular setting where you live/work/visited, or is it about a profession with which you are familiar?
10. List any fiction credits you may already have. If you have no fiction credits, but have substantial non-fiction credits, you might mention those, especially if they have relevance to the world you have created in your novel.
11. Beginning with your main character, list your primary characters and their core conflicts in the novel, especially the main character’s. Include a brief description of each, but most importantly, identify their roles in the novel’s plot.
12. What are the “high points” (plot points) of your novel? These are ONLY the points that must be included to tell your story. If one point is excluded, the story would not be the same. Start with three points and only add those that are absolutely necessary, trying to have no more than six.