#10Queries Overview
A brief discussion of my #10Queries sessions and other #RevPit news!
Hey Story Crafters,
The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy, what with diving into #RevPit submissions to choose a winner and runner-up, and also choosing 20 submissions for 2 sessions of #10Queries for. I’d like to give general feedback of what I noticed overall about query letters and first pages, go over a couple of questions I got during my sessions, and wrap up with more #RevPit news.
When I was looking through submissions, a few things popped out to me for query letters (QL).
1) Length: Some of the query letters I read were really long. If the word count is over 400 words for a query letter, it’s definitely too long. You want to aim for 1 page with a font style and font size that’s easy to read (e.g., Times New Roman or Arial, size 11 or 12).
2) Manuscript specs (i.e., manuscript title, word count, comps, etc.) not in the 1st paragraph: In some of the QLs I read, the manuscript specs didn’t show up until the second to last paragraph, right before the bio. I understand the urge to just dive into showcasing your manuscript, but it’s important to frontload the manuscript specs and/or personalization in the opening paragraphs because they give you the opportunity to show that you have given serious thought about how your manuscript might fit in the market and why the agent should care about your manuscript.
3) Adopting the main character’s (and any secondary major character’s) voice in the summary paragraphs: A lot of the QLs I read had summary paragraphs that sounded like the author narrating a summary of the manuscript. To really make your QL pop, try writing the summary paragraphs in the main character’s (MC’s) voice, using the language from your manuscript. Yes, the summary paragraphs tell what your manuscript’s about (i.e., MC’s goal, motivation, and conflict, and stakes), but it’s also a chance to showcase how that story is being told. Let your MC’s voice shine through! It might be the factor that catches the agent’s attention and encourages them to read your first pages.
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that QLs are like cover letters. The difference is that in a cover letter, the goal is to demonstrate how you’re a good fit for X position and Y company/etc., and in a QL, the goal is to demonstrate how your manuscript is a good fit for the agent you’re querying by showing you have an idea of the kind of stories the agent likes/represents, where your manuscript might fit in the market/in a bookstore (showing your manuscript’s sales potential), and then previewing your first 5 pages and your entire manuscript in the summary paragraphs. It’s a lot of information to squeeze into 1 page; it takes a lot of work to get it right. But when you do, you’ll successfully convince an agent to read your first 5 pages, and hopefully, the rest of your manuscript!
As for first pages (this is a broader overview)…
A lot of the first pages I read did a really good job of using the MC’s voice as a hook into the story. For me, that was effective. A few did a great job using the setting as a hook, which also helped ground me in the opening scene. There were some that had a great MC voice or great dialogue/interactions between characters, but I couldn’t get grounded in the scene because the setting was unclear. In others, there was too much world-building and I didn’t get a sense of who the MC was by the end of the first pages—more of the MC’s interiority would be beneficial.
I can’t really give any more specifics in terms of first pages because it’s really a balancing act of all the factors mentioned above. You can read my 2 sets of #10Queries feedback on Bluesky:
A couple of questions I got during #10Queries:
(Just want to compile the answers here, since it can be tricky to navigate post threads on Bluesky.)
1) I was asked 2 questions about how to hint at genre and urgency in the opening pages, which had similar responses:
For urgency: Descriptive language and word choice (e.g., certain verbs) are good ways to convey urgency without giving specific details. A character in an urgent situation will perceive certain details they might not otherwise, or describe a familiar place/object/etc. differently because they’re feeling stressed, etc.
For genre (specifically romance): Experimenting with descriptive language and word choice can help. A character who wants to be in love/is looking for love/is in love will perceive and describe the world differently from a character not looking for love. Those descriptions/word choice should be unique to that character.
2) I was asked about world-building in genres other than science-fiction/fantasy (SF/F) and tips for beefing it up.
My response: At its core I think of world-building as the rules of the story world. This is more apparent in SF/F/speculative fiction because the story world tends to be different from the world we live in and has to be built from the ground up. There might be tech or a magic system that needs to be explained, etc.
But even in genres like mystery/thrillers, romance, and contemporary that are set in the real world (the world we know), the reader still needs to understand the rules all the characters are operating under, because those rules influence what options characters have and the choices they make.
For example, say the MC in a romance story is a different race and/or of a different socioeconomic status from the love interest (LI)—these differences need to be established in the beginning, so the reader can understand why characters make certain decisions that create misunderstandings/angst/tension.
It might seem like character backstory/building—and it’s part of it, but worldbuilding goes beyond an individual character. It’s the world around the MC and the LI, so it also influences how other characters react to their romantic relationship, like the disapproving parent or friend/other outside force(s) that tries to undermine the relationship.
In mystery/thrillers, world-building can explain why the antagonist is able to evade getting arrested for most/all of the story, or how the MC can operate outside of the law. (Like Jack Reacher for example. Also in the case of Jack Reacher, just how he can move around the story world the way he does.)
It might not be clear during the first draft what kind of world-building needs to be done. You might have to go through your draft to see if there are questions that need answering, like “how/why is this character able to do this action?” or “why didn’t they just do X instead of Y when X is easier?”
World-building will come when answering those questions, because the justification (a.k.a. rule) will need to be established earlier in the story for it to pay off.
Other #RevPit News!
Tomorrow at noon ET, the #RevPit 2025 winners and runners-up will be announced! 🥳
Make sure to keep an eye on the Revise & Resub Bluesky account (@reviseresub.bsky.social) or subscribe to the
Substack so you don’t miss it.And the #RevPit fun isn’t over yet! Registration for Camp RevPit will be open April 14-April 16, 2025, so if you’re interested in participating, make sure to register! You can find more information about this event below or watch the Revise & Resub Bluesky account:
Thank you to everyone who submitted to #RevPit 2025 and participated in the events! This event can’t happen without you. Please make sure to check out Camp RevPit too.
Writing is hard, and writing opening pages is especially difficult! It’s important to remember that you don’t have to go at it alone. I’m happy to help clients brainstorm ideas for opening scenes that help immerse readers in the story and quickly connect them with the MC. I’m open to working with all fiction authors, though I specialize in fantasy, dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror. If the author-editor fit is good, we can book a block of time for your developmental edit in advance so we can get started as soon as you finish your manuscript. Please get in touch!
Best,
Leah
Other ways to keep up with #RevPit 2025 news:
⭐️ RevPit Bluesky Profile: https://bsky.app/profile/reviseresub.bsky.social
⭐️ RevPit Editor Starter Pack on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/starter-pack/jenichappelle.bsky.social/3lao6x3utpr2y
⭐️ Watch #RevPit or pin the RevPit feed (especially helpful for finding and building your community of authors!): https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vxxmae6p5dpnxwcpzcb64gbi/feed/aaabv6dc4ot5a
⭐️ Subscribe to the RevPit Substack: Revise & Resub
⭐️ My Bluesky profile: @leahrambadt.bsky.social
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