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How do you get your amazing book published? First, you must captivate and persuade an agent to read your manuscript. The query letter is the correct and professional way to do this. But getting past the intern, who screens all incoming submissions, is the first hurdle to jump. First pages are essential, but they’ll get deleted if you don’t write a fascinating and unique query letter. Trust me, as I was once a literary agent’s intern and sadly deleted thousands.

Session 1: Navigating the Agent's Gateway

In this first two-hour class, you will embark on the journey to understand the crucial components of a successful query letter. We'll explore the purpose of a query letter, delve into the intern's role as the gatekeeper of literary agents, and learn the art of crafting a captivating query letter that hooks both the intern and the agent. We'll also discuss common pitfalls to avoid, the role of social media in your submission strategy, and provide you with an opportunity to workshop your query letter with your peers. By the end of this class, you'll have the knowledge and skills to create a query letter that stands out in a crowded inbox and gets your manuscript noticed. 

**Please bring your notepad or laptop. If you have a query letter, bring it along, too. If not, don’t fret. You will learn how to write one in this class.

Session 2: Polishing Your Query Letter

In the second two-hour class, we take your query letter crafting skills to the next level. Building on what you learned in the first class, we'll recap the key components of a compelling query letter, delve into the do's and don'ts of the query process, and provide valuable peer feedback on your query letter draft. You'll have the chance to further refine your query letter, participate in a writing exercise to apply your knowledge, and gain insights into crafting a stellar submission package. As we wrap up this class, you'll leave with a polished query letter and a solid strategy to increase your chances of success in the competitive world of book publishing. 

**Please bring your reworked query letter using the information you learned from the previous class. If this is your first class, bring a query you are working on with you. 

Angie Azur is a writer and artist living in Asheville, NC. She has seventeen years in the print and media industry as a content contributor, writer, editor, and magazine co-owner of Paleo Magazine. Before that, she interned for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency in San Francisco. Currently, she is in a Ph.D. program studying symbolism and the ways people heal through stories. Her studies have taken her around the world, meeting tribal storytellers, doctors, shamans, and professors. She is currently revising a stand-alone Middle-Grade novel. She’s been a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) since 2005 and has taught writing classes for adults and children at conferences. Her blog, Teazurs.blogspot.com, contains interviews with fellow writers, agents, publishers, and illustrators, as well as helpful hints for writers in all genres.