Sometimes an extra touch to your query letter will help create a positive first impression. Sometimes it can even get you past the first read. However, there are times when an author goes too far and the extra touch backfires. Those times occur when the author has crossed the line from assertion to aggression. Jennifer Manguera, an office manager for a literary agency, lists three ways authors ruin first impressions:
Use Gimmicks and Tricks
Little gimmicks and tricks are memorable, but not in a good way. When an author writes her query on a paper airplane, it doesn’t take much imagination to figure out what the office staff will do with that query. Teasers are also not impressive, like the author who sent a picture of a squirrel, a roadmap and nothing else. Manguera says this submission confused her office intern until two days later when the office received the proposal about the author who traveled cross country and took pictures of squirrel signs throughout the
Visual aids (such as machinery parts) are cumbersome, not to mention inconvenient when the author requests for the office to send it back. Manguera truly hates getting confetti in the envelope. She has been raised not to take candy from strangers, so don’t include chocolate with your query. Some authors add monetary “gifts” with the manuscript. Others offer money for a reading of the whole proposals. These extra touches will only guarantee an automatic rejection.
Decide That the Submission Process is for Everyone Else
Another ineffective touch is sending a full manuscript when a partial was requested. Giving the entire manuscript doesn’t mean you’re jumping over a step in the process. It can even cause slight delays. “Manuscripts aren’t always read on a first-come-first-serve basis,” Manguera confesses. “Agents are usually pressed for time. They will go through the pile and pull out the smaller packages because they’re looking for quick reads.”
Follow Up Again and Again and Again…
Writers unknowingly risk rejection when they call and email daily about the submission status. Unread manuscripts have been returned because the constant follow-ups show that those authors are going to be difficult to work with. Manguera is quick to point out that it is professional to call about the status when the wait has far exceeded the promised response time. When it comes to querying, go by this rule of thumb: make the submission process easier for the office and in the long run it will be easier on you.
