A good Query letter, key to Traditional Publishing

I corresponded this weekend with a West Coast Literary Agent who co-founded her own agency. She shared some valuable advice about query letters that I want to pass on. In response to my question about what she would recommend for a new author to use as a guide for a query letter, Jill Marsal of Marsall-Lyons Agency says: : I would suggest making the first 2 - 3 paragraphs of a query letter the summary of the book - look at sample descriptions on Amazon that are 2-3 paragraphs for similar genre books to get a sense for how those should be summarized, and then the final paragraph of a query is typically about the author and their writing credentials."  

This is simple, good advice that we all can follow. If your goal is to traditionally publish, use this valuable advice when forming your query letters, and get the attention your book deserves. 

Malcom Massey

Inspire Writers Center