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The thought of having someone else write it for me has flitted through my mind but my will to master many forms of writing spurs me on to find the "formula" while still being unique and intriguing. Read all the advice you can find on queries. There's so much I don't think I could read it all, but it doesn't stop me from trying.
There's the don't be too timid and don't be too confident in your query. Get the agents name right! Make the agent feel special. Read their blog, read some of the books they've represented. Make sure you've read their submission requirements because if you don't your query will be round filed. That includes any material you've enclosed and possibly your self-addressed-stamped-envelope too. Catch their eye and maybe you'll get a request for a partial or the whole manuscript. Spell check, spell check and then have an English teacher go over it if you are a horrible speller. I did.
Why put all this effort in? Let's see ~ 2 new clients out of 10,000 queries a year. What odds are those? But that's the statistic. So here's one of the best pieces of advice I've come across on JM Tohline's The Biggest Mistakes Writers Make When Querying Agents (http://www.jmtohline.com/2010/12/biggest-mistakes-writers-make-when.html).
His post is informative for a beginner, thorough for those that had no clue and lengthy for those who have read a few blogs on querying. But, I've had his blog and one other agent give me the same advice.
"The bulk of a query should consist of 1) the main character, 2) what happens to complicate their life, 3) what goals they now have in response to that complication, and 4) the main obstacle between them and their goal. That is the cake of the query; everything else is just frosting and sprinkles."
I'm in the process now of working on that gem of advice. I think it's so cut and dry that it is the formula agents look for. Put you're own flare into it and you might have a winning query!
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