You spent months, perhaps years, writing, revising, editing and polishing your novel or memoir*. Your goal is to see it in bookstores and in the hands of readers. If you choose to pursue the traditional publishing road, this means having that manuscript accepted by a literary agent, or the editor of a small press. Your calling card is your query letter.

You have one page—four or five paragraphs, three hundred words—to sell your book, convey your voice, state your credentials, and make the case why, out of the hundreds of queries an agent receives each year, your story is one of the few they should represent.

This 2-part online workshop will examine each element of a stand-alone query letter, with particular emphasis on crafting your book’s “hook."

Part 1 will focus on the parts of the query. Together we will examine and discuss each component, with time for your questions along the way.

Part 2 will be a live workshop critique of your query letter.

We’ll discuss how to find agents to query, and how the query and pitch processes works, but most of our time will be spent crafting your query letter.

Even if your book is in the earliest stages—a first draft, an outline or collection of research notes—working on a query letter is an excellent way to articulate what you are writing about, who your readers are, and what sets your story apart from the rest.

Query workshops are limited to 5 participants, to allow everyone an opportunity to have their query letters reviewed and critiqued. You will be asked to submit your query draft by Monday, July 19, 5 PM PDT.

The goal is for each participant to complete the workshop with a working query that they can hone and polish as they plan their submission process.

*This workshop will focus on works of fiction and memoir; narrative nonfiction queries are usually accompanied by substantive proposals, demonstrating subject expertise and an author platform. I’m happy to recommend resources for developing a non-fiction proposal.

TO REGISTER: Email me at writingwithjulie@icloud.com Tell me a bit about your work-in-progress!

PAYMENT via PAYPAL

This workshop will also be offered on the following dates: July 25/August 1 (Sunday 1-2:30 PM PDT)