8 min read · Literary Agent Guide
Your query letter is a single page that must convince a literary agent your manuscript is worth their time. Most agents receive hundreds of queries a week and spend fewer than sixty seconds on each. A strong letter doesn't just summarise your book — it sells it.
A query letter is a formal introduction to a literary agent. It tells them who you are, what your book is about, why it will sell, and why you are the person to have written it. Most UK literary agencies require one as the first step in submitting a manuscript.
Think of it as a job application. The manuscript is your portfolio. The query letter is your covering letter. It needs to be professional, concise, and compelling.
A strong query letter has four parts, in this order:
The hook is the hardest sentence you will write. It must convey concept, tone, and stakes in one breath. Some writers find it helpful to frame it as a logline: [Protagonist] must [achieve goal] before [consequence].
"When a disgraced forensic accountant discovers that her murdered sister was laundering money for the Home Office, she has forty-eight hours to expose a conspiracy — or become its next casualty."
That one sentence tells us genre (thriller), protagonist (forensic accountant), conflict (murder, conspiracy), and stakes (her own life). It does not explain every plot point. It makes the agent want to read more.
The pitch is usually three to five sentences. It should cover:
Do not summarise the whole plot. Do not reveal the ending. Leave the agent wanting to read the manuscript.
After the pitch, include a single sentence stating: genre, word count, and two or three comparable titles published in the last five years.
Example: "THE ACCOUNTANT is a 92,000-word psychological thriller, comparable to The Maid by Nita Prose and The Appeal by Janice Hallett."
Comparable titles (or "comps") tell the agent where your book sits in the market and who might buy it. Choose titles that sold well but are not so famous that the comparison seems arrogant. Do not compare your work to Harry Potter or Gone Girl.
Keep the bio to two sentences. Include only credentials directly relevant to your book: relevant professional experience, previous publications, writing course completions, or membership of organisations like the Society of Authors or Crime Writers' Association.
If you have no relevant credentials, it is fine to simply state: "This is my debut novel." Do not apologise for it.
A generic query letter reads like one. Spend five minutes researching each agent you query: look at their current client list, any interviews they have given, and their submissions wish list. One or two sentences referencing their specific interests — "I noticed you represented X and are seeking psychological thrillers set in the UK" — can meaningfully increase your response rate.
Use our literary agent directory to find agents who represent your genre and research their submission preferences.
Query the manuscript you have finished and revised, not the one you are planning to write. Agents who request a full manuscript expect to receive it within days. Do not query until you are ready.