Today’s post centers around three free PDF publications. Two deal with writing query letters and the third, by Agent Noah Lukeman, titled Ask a Literary Agent (year one).
A short while back YA author Elana Johnson offered a free copy of her digital eBook titled From The Query to the Call. The free download is still available at her Website.
. This 61 page book is chocked full of tips and straight talk about writing the best query letter for your novel. It covers:
• What queries are and aren’t.
• The query hook, setup, conflict, and consequences.
• Researching agents.
• Sending your query.
• Responding to agent requests or rejections.
• Cover letters.
• Revising for an agent.
• Fielding “The Call”.
• Query Samples.
The second free book titled How to Write a Great Query Letter by Noah Lukeman, President of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd. He is also the author of writer’s aids such as The First Five Pages and How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent. This 110 page free eBook covers:
• Chapter 1: Preparation
• Chapter 2: Formatting
• The 4 Formatting Red Flags
• Chapter 3: The 3 Paragraph Rule
• Chapter 4: Your First Paragraph: The Introduction
• Chapter 5: Your Second Paragraph: The Plot
• 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Plot Paragraph
• Exercise: Creating a Logline
• 4 Positive Traits to Have in Your Plot Paragraph
• Exercise: Refining Your Plot Synopsis
• Chapter 6: Your Third Paragraph: Your Bio
• 4 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Author Bio
• 8 Positive Elements to Include in Your Author Bio
• Chapter 7: Fiction versus Non-Fiction (How a Query Letter Will Differ)
• 7 Elements to Include When Summarizing Non-Fiction
• 2 Crucial Elements of a Non-Fiction Bio
• Different Types of Non-Fiction
• Chapter 8: Final Issues to Keep in Mind
• 7 Common Mistakes
• Conclusion
• Checklist: 30 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Query Letter
• About the Author
The final 71 page free eBook, Ask a Literary Agent (Year One) by Mr. Lukeman covers questions and his answers writers have asked him during the first year of his blog. Questions asked and answered:
• * Should my agent let me know which publishers/editors have read my work, and provide me with copies of the rejection letters?
• * I am just starting out and have never been published. What should I put in my bio?
• * My agent is unwilling to sell world rights to my book. What should I do?
• * How does one land a job as a literary agent?
• * Should I revise my work for a prospective agent?
• * Can I fire my agent mid-submission?
• * Should I query an agent with several books at once?
• * Once I land an agent, how long does it take to land a book deal?
• * What is the ideal page count for a first novel?
• * How many agents should I approach?
• * If my agent doesn’t like my next book, should I fire him?
• * Why won’t publishers respond?
• * How long should I wait to hear back about my manuscript?
• * How many copies must a book sell to be considered a success?
• * Will being published by a small press help my career?
• * Can self-publishing damage your career?
• * Is there a market for literary fiction set in a country outside of the United States?
• * Can I be represented by two literary agents?
• * Should I finish the manuscript of my novel before submitting to agents?
• * Do agents really read the first five pages? Or just the first five sentences?
• * What do you look for in a logline?
• * How do I find out what agent represents a novel in my genre
All of the above gems are worth reading, taking notes and applying lessons from these two outstanding authors.
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