The Ultimate Guide to Novel Queries
To give everyone an easy page to reference (or share) on writing novel queries, here are links to every installment of my series. Looking for more great query letter advice?…
To give everyone an easy page to reference (or share) on writing novel queries, here are links to every installment of my series.
- 5 Elements of a Novel Query + Examples of Personalization
- The 3 Elements of a Novel Hook
- Examples of Revised Novel Hooks
- Red Flags in Novel Hooks and Queries
- One-Sentence Hooks of Books That Sold
- Key Elements of Your Bio
- Close Your Letter Professionally
- Query Letter Red Flags
- Full Query Examples
- FAQs
Looking for more great query letter advice? Check out the Writer's Digest official guide to queries, which includes examples and instruction by genre.

Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).