Five Things to Avoid for a Pristine Query Letter

portrait of Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

We are selling our work when we approach any gatekeeper, an editor, an agent, a contest judge. Here are five little things to avoid so you’ll look like the professional you are.

  • Don’t tell the gatekeeper you always wanted to write. You can think of something more pertinent to your cause (and something more original!) than that.
  • Don’t use the verb “quote” when you want the noun “quotation.” Some stylebooks will tell you that it’s OK, but agents can be a picky lot. Use zero-tolerance grammar rules for your queries.
  • Don’t pitch more than one book at time. You want to give just one your best shot.
  • Don’t call your novel a “fictional novel.” By definition, a novel is fiction.
  • Don’t overdo exclamation marks, question marks, or the use of sentence fragments. (Yes, fragments are acceptable when they’re used for a good reason.).

Here’s one last suggestion for fiction writers ’cause they’re so often neglected when it comes to marketing. Avoid using italics for internal thought in the synopses sections of your marketing tools or in the sample chapters you must include. Italics are being used more and more these days, but using them often becomes a crutch that enables writers to avoid writing great transitions and point-of-view. The best agents and publishers will recognize it as such.

Editing Tips + Book Proposal

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What a frugal deal! TWO of the most popular little books from Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Regularly $8.95 EACH you can get BOTH for the low, low price of $11.95.


Carolyn Howard-Johnson picks the trip-you-up words that her clients struggle with and puts them in a quick reference guide

light enough and small enough to be used as an quickie gift that the recipient can tuck into a glove compartment or purse to keep their homonym skills fresh and explains why following grammar rules assiduously isn't always the best choice for writers.

"Carolyn Howard-Johnson has created something of unmatched value: usage advice that cuts through the contentious world of grammar to offer real help. Writers polishing their manuscripts and query letters will find Howard-Johnson's guide more useful than Strunk and White." -- JUNE CASAGRANDE, author of Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies (Penguin) and syndicated grammar columnist guru


This booklet from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a UCLA Extension Writers' Program instructor for nearly a decade, helps authors love the project they most love to hate--writing a book proposal. She has taken the guessing out of the book proposal process. Now there is no need to take expensive, time-consuming classes or spend hours reading a tome to find the voice and format that will propel an author's idea from a dream to reality. This slim book and thirty minutes will do it.Randy Eller, speaker and CEO of Eller Enterprises, says, "There is only one thing you need to learn from Carolyn Howard-Johnson to succeed...everything she says!"

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