Kayla’s Author Journey: April 2, 2021

Hey everyone! I know I promised to share my query letter, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Now, I tend to use a “bonding open,” as recommended by Kathy Ver Eecke in her Get a Book Deal 101 digital course. Since I don’t want to list any agents names here on the blog, I’m not going to include a “bonding open,” but I will explain what it is. Basically, your bonding open lets the agent know that you’ve done your research on said agent, and you have a good reason for querying said agent. You might mention authors that agent is already representing if you like.

Kathy explains this much better in her course, but I did my best.

Here is my current query letter:

Dear (agent’s name):

(Insert bonding open here.)

There are three things a woman needs to be happy: good friends, comfortable shoes, and a reliable taser. Private Investigator Chase Harlem has all three. 

All Chase wants is to settle down in the Big Easy, eat po’boys, listen to jazz music, solve enough non-violent cases to support herself, and forget about the years she wasted as an FBI profiler. But when a priest shows up at her office asking her to investigate a double murder, she can’t bring herself to turn down such an obvious mission from God. With help from her best friend, her maybe boyfriend, and the teenaged neighbor who keeps breaking into her apartment, Chase faces a case that reminds her all too much of why she has a drinking problem. 

Chase Harlem is a 70,000 word mystery novel set in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I come from a family of detectives, including a grandfather who filled my childhood with true crime stories that I learned not to repeat at daycare. I’ve taught English and writing for nine years, and I write for the popular book blog, https://coupleofbeesread.com. Chase Harlem will be my debut novel, and I’m currently writing the sequel.

My manuscript is complete, has been edited by multiple critique partners, and can be forwarded upon request.

Sincerely,

Kayla Brown

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I have successfully received some manuscript requests after sending this query letter. I’m not claiming that it’s perfect, but it has made a few agents want to read more. That’s the reason I’m sharing it here.

If you have any questions (or advice!), please let me know in the comments!