Biggest Query Letter Mistakes

WORK WITH ME ON YOUR STORY
www.alyssamate...
DOWNLOAD MY FREE STORY SELF-ASSESSMENT!
www.alyssamate...
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER FEATURING WRITING/PUBLISHING EXPERTS
www.chapter-br...
------------------------------
A great query letter can be the difference between getting a literary agent's attention and them passing on your book. Here, I reveal the biggest query letter mistakes I see all the time and explain what to do instead to ensure your letter stands out in agents' submissions inboxes. With these tips, you'll learn how to write an effective, stellar query letter and be on your way to getting your book published!
------------------------------
GREAT BOOKS ABOUT WRITING/PUBLISHING:
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer / amzn.to/3VE8dtt
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody / amzn.to/3Vyk2Bn
Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum / amzn.to/3Z4at03
SOME OF MY FAVORITE NOVELS:
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones / amzn.to/3vvWItt
Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips / amzn.to/3CFz4Pt
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid / amzn.to/3CjFFi5
------------------------------
RELATED VIDEOS:
How to Write the Perfect Book Blurb for Your Query Letter: • How to Write the Perfe...
How to Choose Literary Agents to Query: • How to Choose Literary...
Top 5 Elements of a Successful Query Letter: • Top 5 Elements of a Su...
COMMON QUERY LETTER MISTAKES:
01:45 - Not personalized
07:15 - Being too vague in your plot synopsis
11:48 - Poor comparable titles (or none at all)
ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with 7+ years of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
Feel free to get in touch!
Website: www.alyssamate...
View My Services: www.alyssamate...
Request a Quote: www.alyssamate...
Email: [e-mail]
------------------------------
MUSIC:
Chilling by HoobeZa • [No Copyright] Chill L...
Charlie Brown by Smith The Mister smiththemister...
Smith The Mister bit.ly/Smith-T...
------------------------------
Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

[@gibbosandwich8466]

Thank you Alyssa for another great video. The query letter has really been somewhat of a demoralising step for me on the road to finding an agent. I know that with time and practice, I’ll have my letter perfectly personalised for the right agent.

[@hamedosanlouy9915]

Your channel is a blessing, and advices are priceless coming from actual experiences, thanks ma'am.

[@shaeokeefe6936]

Thanks so much! I've made plenty of mistakes querying my first book that I will avoid with my second. Your advice is logical, systematic, and so helpful.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

You got this! Best of luck with querying! :)

[@thelaziestbee]

I hope your first book got published anyways )

[@rikjam]

Hi Alyssa, I'm in the pre-query zone right now, I've received feedback on my current draft and I'm going to go back to it with fresh eyes soon. I appreciate the tone of your videos, they have been the most helpful so far. Like you said, this is a safe space for us and it's just what I need right now.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Thank you for your kind comment, Rick. Best of luck!

[@lorettaknoelk3475]

​@Alyssa Matesic Am I allowed to post a synopsis HERE and see how it would sound? (What you would find on the back of the book, right?)

[@lorettaknoelk3475]

​@Alyssa Matesic One lit agent I have my eye on has posted several manuscript wish lists. Each time she posts something, it's another thing my book has in it! Can I lead with this?

[@kaymcbride3321]

Hello Alyssa! I enjoyed this video very much! I'm in the process of finding agents I want to fend my query letters to. This info helps! Thank you!

[@essi6409]

Great points, thank you for sharing them! Especially the deeper dive into what personalization can mean in a query letter was interesting. The second point though, did you mean to say "summary" instead of "synopsis"? In another video "How to Write the Perfect Book Blurb for Your Query Letter: Dos and Don'ts" you stress the difference between a blurb and a synopsis, but here they are used interchangeably..?

[@theresahutch168]

This is incredibly helpful. Thank you so much to your examples and clarity in the details!

[@rob7349]

Thanks for the great advice. Been querying a couple months now. And while I'm no stranger to revising my letter, or any of the points you've made, it's good to have them reinforced by someone with experience.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

I'm glad what I'm saying is resonating--best of luck with querying!

[@SueHamby-bv6ko]

Great info Alyssa. You do a great job. I have completed my book and now getting ready to do query letter. Your videos are extremely helpful.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

I'm so glad to hear that, Sue! Thanks for commenting and good luck with querying!

[@michaellugenbuehl2475]

Alyssa, thank you for posting these videos. They are well thought out, nicely filmed (I'm a former indie short-filmmaker), and they are giving me some fantastic insight into the process one would take in the hopes of getting their book published. For myself, my book is done, and now I'm researching the best methods of getting it published...and you've made a lot of the research process much easier. Thanks again!

[@roninvalkyrie85]

Just found your channel and I appreciate how genuine these feel. Been surfing a lot of lit advice and usually somewhere in the process I find out that the writer is just barking platitudes. Finishing up my collection of shorts and drafting some queries…wish me luck!

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Since I'm a book editor, my advice comes from a slightly different perspective, haha! And of course, best of luck!

[@stevstring]

These were some good tips. I can’t say I’ve seen them on another channel. Thanks.

[@geoffrey5493]

Your expertise in the publishing industry is for me, like stubbing my toe on a GOLD MINE. Thank you so much for the sharing of your knowledge about an industry I know nothing of. I truly feel I may be able to help someone I know get their book published, simply because I stumbled onto your site. " I have stumbled onto a GOLD MINE, Thank you ever so much.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pearloverload]

You're opening my eyes! This process can be stressful sometimes

[@rowan7929]

Really good points but there are agents who have nothing about them. Not even books they have worked on or which authors they represent. Not even books they like. Even when researching them, nothing comes up.

[@AHealthyDoseofFran]

I think Alyssa did a video about finding agents and I think those ways help find agents with more detail

[@rowan7929]

@@AHealthyDoseofFran She did, but some agents really have no background whatsoever. Regardless the search. Unless I missed something, then someone correct me please.

[@michaelmuxworthy9926]

@@rowan7929 Maybe the agent without a bio, that doesn't list the type of books they're wanting to see, that doesn't expect new books to be similar to those that have preceded them ... has an open mind???

[@rowan7929]

@@michaelmuxworthy9926 Possible. Only they kept rejecting me so far by giving very generic answers.

[@michaelmuxworthy9926]

@@rowan7929 Well ... there goes that theory right out the window LOL

[@GabeOtto]

Thank you, I was worried we weren't going to get a video this week.

[@paulprivateer510]

What insight! Glad you are willing to share your experiences.

[@roleplayingwithidiots7455]

Do you have a video where you do mock query letters? Like where you critique writers query letter if they were do submissions.

[@dalemills2906]

VERY GOOD AND DETAILED EXPLANATION. iT GIVES ME MORE CONFIDENCE TO WRITE A QUERY..A GOOD QUERY.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

That's always my goal! Best of luck with querying!

[@jesbrimer3096]

Thank you for these suggestions!! I hate comparing books, but I'll do it on my next query

[@sonicsupa99]

Love your content! Inspires me to continue writing

[@dariabacza]

I love your videos! Where could I find examples of good query letters? ❤

[@lukesmith1818]

I've done every single thing you listed although will definitely try the personlisation at the front as you recommended. I reference similar titles. I'll read interviews with them and mention stuff that resonated. I'll mention books they rep that I've read. I've also had a friend who HAS an agent tweak my synopsis so it is tight. Nothing. Over 200 queries that I have tracked through a spreadsheet. One person who only responded to query letters (no attachments) emailed back in March saying "Oh that sounds interesting. Send me something." I did. Nothing. I am taking a break for a month then trying again in the new year. I knew this would be hard but had no idea it would be this much of a slog. EDIT: Thank you for your content

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Taking a break is a good idea, as agents are currently swamped at this time of year! Good luck with the querying process, I hope it works out for you and your project!

[@lkbmadrodenthoarder911]

Same! It’s really disheartening. I understand people are busy, but that’s partly because so many of us are trying so hard… is it really too much to expect a reply. Also, I do wonder why a one line explanation of a rejection isn’t possible? Surely, in the long run, agents then end up with better fitting submissions?

[@wtbwrites1806]

I've sent out about 12 so far. Eagerly waiting

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Best of luck!

[@melvindodson6827]

You are very wonderful

[@Suetvvlogs]

thank you for your video, Just find your channel, and I love it! I am currently writing my first Ya novel your video is amazing.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

You're so welcome! I wish you luck with the novel writing process :)

[@tomrobertsfinn]

Another great video Alyssa! Super helpful as always

[@patrickmoan4086]

Hello Alyssa - I found it very helpful to understand the degree of personalization required for a query letter. Lesson: Do you homework and find at least one book they've worked with which in some way relates to yours... mention this book and keep it short and sweet. Much appreciated because I was unsure of what was expected. I realize there other avenues to 'short and sweet' as well, but fundamentally focusing on related products which may sell in the same way is of help. As a final step, I'd go to good reads or amazon to get at least some sense of how it did. If a book has 2 reviews, perhaps I'd find another book to reference.

[@stolenzephyr]

Love your channel! Thanks for putting together this information. I've been binging your videos. :)

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Glad you like them!

[@AK-xj2di]

This is really helpful. Thank you so much. 😎

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jeffreybarker357]

The examples helped settle your insights. Wish everyone did this--thank you!

[@hmlswann]

can you do a video on Agent Query submissions/form submissions vs. emails? What to do when the agency has both options?

[@BandersnatchGlass]

Ty! 😄

[@sharolynwells]

I called a major agency and asked to get the agent's name that handled science fiction, which was to be my submission. I was told it was private and just send it to the agency. I did so and never heard back from them.

[@samp4050]

I'm confused by what exactly to write in the synopsis, query letter. However, I think that every literary agent has their own personal request regarding whether they want the ending included in the synopsis, or whether they don't want to know how the book ends.😅

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

What if the closest comparable title is a classic from the 1930s? Underground civilisations are a rare subject, and mine only has one other very distantly comparable story for both subject and theme approach combined: At the Mountains of Madness (1936)... Is it better then to say nothing out there is comparable?

[@MitchMeseke]

Hi Alyssa, I've been finding your videos very helpful in getting my novel ready to query. Thanks so much for all the great content! What if I absulutly HAD to use classic books titles such as Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz as my book comps, what would be the best way to go about that without sounding to pretentous or going against the grain of using modern titles that really don't aditify with my book what so ever.

[@michaelmuxworthy9926]

Wow, this video is definitely an "eye-opener" for me. What I see is a bunch of people so regimented, so focused, so blinkered, that the odds of something new and/or highly differentiated ever being considered is slim. "More of the same, please" is what I'm hearing. "Don't you dare step out of line or you'll have to go back to the end of the queue." I get it ... that's the status quo. It explains a lot. I used to walk into bookstores and spend hours getting excited about the various offerings, and walk out with an eagerness to get reading. I don't bother anymore. I haven't bought a new book in years. I feel "out-of-step" somehow with the offerings. Now, I think I understand why. The literary agents and their small, consolidated publishing opportunities are choking themselves, aren't they? I love your videos for their honesty and simplicity of explanation. I think this video gives an insight into why the publishing industry is in decline. Alyssa, do you do the industry a disservice by abandoning individuality? Or are things so bad that you can't even imagine an alternative? I'd be interested to see some original thinking. Are you that person?

[@Pancake3225]

Just sent a query letter to an agent I really want to get and noticed I accidentally left the last state and zip code from my previous submission in the address. Hope she doesn’t notice that typo and my story still reels her in! 😂

[@jcharrisedwards5905]

Great content! Thank you... does this information apply to Canadian lit agents as well?

[@CathyRueterWriter]

Great information! In your opinion, what is the best salutation for a query letter? Should we use Mr/Ms/Mrs, first name (if we know them just marginally), or some other form of greeting?

[@SimmerErin]

I'd recommend just using their first and last name- then you don't risk mistitling or misgendering

[@curesoon]

I worry that my political and social views will exclude me from getting a literary agent. I was looking through a list of agents, and they seemed less conservative than myself.

[@hikkipedia]

When adding comp titles to your query, should you include the author's name as well? Thank you for the info!

[@TomorrowWeLive]

Yeah, I think comps are going to be my biggest barrier to publication. My books aren't really like anything out there. The whole reason I write is because nobody else is writing what I like to read, so I have to write it for myself. Then again, how do I even find agents to query in the first place if nobody else is writing, selling and publishing works like mine? I know my writing is good, but I think the realities of the profit-driven publishing market mean tradpub probably isn't for me. But I have no interest in or ability to do selfpub either. So I guess I'm just writing for myself.

[@greggcummings432]

how do I know, or where do I go to get a legitimate literary agent?

[@anthonyphan702]

I am dreading compiling a comp list. I am writing in the thriller genre, but most of what has been written within the past 10 years does not speak to me at all. I read plenty of nonfiction, non-English, and classical works. I feel that my work is accessible, relevant, and unique, so is it acceptable to fudge a little and get a sense from Amazon browsing what my comp list may be, or do I need to slog through unenjoyable reads just to beef up my reading credibility for my chosen genre?

[@babavee100]

As an avid reader, with no axe to grind on being published, I find it amazing that someone who has had the tenacity to sit down and write between 60,000 and 90,000 words, has no idea how to write a letter for a job application. . It seems to me, that if they need help in this most basic of tasks, the manuscript may also be at fault.

[@doubleplusdanny]

They are completely different skills.

[@janemeredith8949]

❤️

[@ddubois6751]

Hi Alyssa! Excellent video. A question: are you saying the plot synopsis is the same thing as the "plot blurb" or "blurb" that you've spoken of in other videos, that's like a trailer for a movie?

[@staceyfrady7873]

Thank you for the advice. Do you by chance help people write query letters or will you review them?

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Thank you for commenting! I do offer query letter reviews; check out my website to get a quote for your query letter!

[@peterheyes8552]

Hi, Alyssa. Please reply. I am writing a fantasy novel with a large cast and each chapter will be the characters name. I had chapter 1 start with the main protagonist but I feel the story would be better if I start chapter 1 with the antagonist instead as it sets the theme for the overall book. What are your professional thoughts on starting with the antagonist and then introduce the protagonist in chspter 2 instead?

[@tonyparete6892]

Biggest query letter mistake: not being related to, or being a good friend of, the agent you're querying.

[@SaintNicholasFan]

You completely lost me at comparable titles. I had no idea they want that. I have absolutely no idea what to compare my novel to 😬

[@aureliusrose4039]

Thank you so much for this video! It’s really helpful for the book I’m writing. But what if I can’t find books in the genre that’s similar to mine? I can’t find books with similar plots but only the subject.

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Hi there - I think that's fine! Your comp titles don't have to be a perfect match to your book. I talk a bit more about what to do if you can't find comp titles in a previous Q&A video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h16riK2tnctqh8k I hope that helps!

[@aureliusrose4039]

@@AlyssaMatesic thank you so much for your video! That really helps me out !

[@gamewriteeye769]

Hey Alyssa, how would I query a book that is generally pretty broad and uses a lot of different genres?

[@arturiapendragon9642]

So I just started looking into agents because I want to get a head start so that I have something to go off of when I’m ready to query later. There’s one agent that I found that I would love to work with, but she’s currently closed to queries. How long do agents usually stay closed to queries? I still have a ways to go with my manuscript before I send it off to my beta readers, so I still have a lot of time before querying.

[@miriambeckwith3311]

How do you find a list of books that an agent has represented? Sometimes that info is on their bio or the agency website, but very rarely. 😕

[@autumnadams4574]

Use publishing marketplace or query tracker

[@ibannash]

Don't know if you'll read this, but can comparable titles be something not necessarily a novel? Like graphic novels for example. Cuz I only have one novel that I could compare to that is similar to my book.

[@verat.6339]

Is it appropriate to ask for a non disclosure agreement from a literary agent? Because when I tried asking once a publisher they never replied to my message.

[@ElianaChinea]

Do you have any suggestions on how to find an agent? I’m having the most trouble with finding who to represent me

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Hey Constanza! I have a video with 5 tips on finding an agent here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYGQq4qwqsyji6c

[@RAM_DOS]

16:00 But there are some self published books that are MORE successful than the big companies.

[@JeanMarcVasseur]

Reminds me of a well known actor to whom I sent a screenplay... his answer was that the Font and Font size were wrong... Excuse Me??? They're checking the query letter, the font size but not the material?

[@lindadiggen9973]

??? Writing advice that we have a purpose or reason that we are writing to make people look at something differently. Are any successful that write a story to be entertaining no underlying message?

[@gloriannaarias392]

Do you critique query letters?

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Yes, check out my list of offered services here!: www.alyssamatesic.com/professional-book-editing-services

[@cristinadriviera8144]

Dear Alyssa love your content. I just wish you would not upwardly inflect.