Review: The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters

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The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters
Wendy Burt-Thomas
Writer’s Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Media Inc.
Copyright 2008
ISBN: 978-1-58297-566-5
Paperback, 228 pages, $14.99
Non-fiction

I have a confession to make. When Wendy Burt-Thomas contacted me about her blog tour for The Writers Digest Guide To Query Letters, I thought agreeing to read the book was a noble sacrifice for my readers and clients. I don’t write query letters to aspiring writers to seek editing jobs. My publisher has already expressed an interest in publishing the sequels to Dream or Destiny, so I won’t have to query for those books. But I know many of my readers and several of my clients do need to write query letters, and I was willing to read the book for their sake.

Surprise! I enjoyed reading the book. Wendy has a great sense of humor and uses it well. I expected The Writers Digest Guide To Query Letters to be well-written and filled with excellent information, and it was. In addition, it was an easy and enjoyable read.

The book is worth reading for the examples of “bad” query letters alone, but there’s much more of value. You’ll find advice on how to query an agent—even on whether you need an agent. You’ll learn how to write a novel synopsis or a nonfiction book proposal as well as other forms of correspondence. You’ll know how and when to follow-up on your queries and where to find more information.  Whether you need to write query letters for magazine articles, a nonfiction book, or a novel, you’ll find tips and examples to help you write a better query and enjoy it more.

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