You put too much work into your novel to slap a poorly constructed query letter on the front of it and expect agents and publishers to line up to buy it. Many publishing houses receive over twenty thousand submissions a year yet only release a hundred new titles. How can you make yours stand out among all those submissions?

As with the opening hook of your book, your query letter must grab the attention of your prospective agent or publisher from the word go. These people are busy and have no time to wade through a long set up. Assuming you have already read the submissions guidelines of the company you are approaching because you are a conscientious businessperson who would never waste the time of someone who doesn't even publish what you've written, you are ready to craft your query letter.

There's nothing more frustrating or difficult than trying to condense a 400-page masterpiece into a pitch sentence and one paragraph. But it must be done. Hopefully you started working on this before the book was finished. If you didn't, don't despair, but get it done before you go any further. Not only will you need a killer pitch for your query, you'll want it ready the next time you are at a conference and you get an opportunity to speak briefly with an agent over the dinner table or in line for the restroom.

Besides describing your manuscript, the word count, whether it's finished or not, and its status with other agencies, you must include your bio, why there is a market for your project, and what makes you the most qualified person to write the book.

Yikes, that's a lot to include in a one-page letter.

Sadly when most of us begin to pursue publication or representation, we don't have many publishing credits to showcase. You can't get published without an agent, yet you can't get an agent's attention without having been published. Ugh! What's a writer to do?

Many writers dread this part of the process since they don't have an impressive bio yet. Don't skip it. List your education, qualifications for submitting. If you are severely lacking in these areas, you should be writing articles and shorter pieces for publication while you are honing your manuscript. When it is time to write your query, you will have a few writing credits, even if they seem small and inconsequential. At this stage in your career, a little goes a long way.

Nearly any editor will tell you what they hope to see more than anything in a submission is a fabulous story and a fresh voice. They want to discover the next hottest thing to hit the bookstore shelves. They want your book to be a wild success because that makes them a wild success.

Hopefully your manuscript will deliver. So don't fake it. Don't apologize. Be yourself. Don't tell them how much your family and friends love your writing. Instead of embellishing your resume to impress, dazzle them with your ability to put forth information and ideas. Supply the information requested and get out of there. You have one page to dazzle. One chance. Don't let it slip away.