Free AI Query Letter Generator
Give the AI your book pitch, manuscript details, and relevant bio. It drafts a query letter and flags the facts you still need to supply. Read it against your manuscript, replace any remaining placeholders, and follow the receiving agent’s current rules for length, subject line, and materials.
Free AI writing tool
Turn your book details into a query draft
Supply your pitch and the facts an agent needs. Get an editable letter and a short list of anything you still need to fill in or check before sending.
Blank category templates · works without AI
This simpler option uses fixed rules or templates in your browser. It does not send your text to OpenAI.
Query Letter Template Selector
Choose a category-specific structure, replace every bracketed prompt, and match each agent's current submission guidelines.
Literary Fiction query structure
💡 Query Letter Tips
- • Personalize when it is genuine. Mention a specific fit only when the agent's public wishlist, list, or an actual meeting gives you one.
- • Edit for a quick read. Use a one-page draft as a constraint only when the agent does not specify another length or form.
- • Lead with the hook. Your opening line should make them want to read more.
- • Use recent, relevant comp titles and explain the precise readership or quality they share.
- • Follow their guidelines exactly. Each agent has specific submission preferences.
- • Don't oversell. Let the story speak for itself — avoid phrases like "the next Harry Potter."
Quick answer: how do you write a query letter?
Start with a short pitch that identifies the protagonist or reader problem, central conflict, and stakes. Add accurate metadata such as title, category, and rounded word count, plus relevant comparable titles and a brief bio when requested. Address the correct person and follow that agency's current instructions exactly.
Query letter format: what agents expect to see
Many query letters use the following order, but an agent's stated format takes precedence:
Subject line & salutation
Use the subject format and salutation requested by the agency. Verify the recipient's name, spelling, open status, and submission address immediately before sending.
The hook (one to two paragraphs)
Protagonist, want, obstacle, stakes — rendered in the manuscript's voice. This is jacket copy for an audience of one professional reader, and it should raise a question only the full pages can answer.
The metadata paragraph
Title (in caps or italics), category and genre, rounded word count, and comp titles. One sentence of personalization fits here if you have a genuine reason this agent is the right reader.
The bio & sign-off
Use only relevant, verifiable publication credits, expertise, platform details, or lived experience. If none applies, a short honest debut statement is better than padded credentials. Close with thanks and the contact details the agency requests.
Comp titles and word count: the credibility signals
Comparable titles help explain the intended readership and positioning. Choose recent, relevant works and name the exact point of comparison instead of relying on a pair of famous titles. Use a film or show only when the agent accepts cross-media comparisons and it communicates something the book comps do not.
Word-count expectations vary by category, age group, format, and agent. State the manuscript's honest, rounded count, compare it with recent books serving the same readership, and follow any limits in the submission guidelines rather than copying a generic range from the web.
Querying strategy: batches, tracking, and the waiting game
Build a researched list
Use agency websites, deal announcements, and databases to find agents actively acquiring your genre. Verify each one's open/closed status and wishlist the week you send — both change often.
Send in waves
Send a manageable wave, record the exact materials and version used, then review the response pattern before exhausting the researched list. A response alone cannot diagnose whether the letter, pages, fit, or timing caused the result.
Handle offers professionally
If you receive an offer, ask when a decision is needed, review the proposed agreement, and follow each other agency's stated notification procedure. Do not invent a universal response window.
The current AALA Canon bars member agents from charging reading fees for evaluating work for possible representation. It also allows agreed compensation and certain client-approved expenses, with written, transparent accounting. Read the actual agreement and distinguish representation from separately offered classes, conferences, editorial work, or other services. Read the 2026 AALA Canon of Ethics.
Querying is one path. You can also just publish.
Querying and self-publishing are different production and rights strategies. If you want to examine the direct route, the separate Automateed app provides book-project workflows. Its current creator types, generation limits, preview and export options, publishing helpers, and plan terms are shown in the app; review those details before starting a project or preparing files for a retailer.
Query letter FAQ
What exactly is a query letter?
A concise business letter asking a literary agent to consider your book. It normally introduces the premise and stakes, states the title, category and word count, and includes a short relevant bio. Its purpose is to support a request for pages, not to recount every subplot.
How long should a query letter run?
Keep the letter concise enough to scan in one sitting, then follow the exact length and material requirements on the agent or agency website. If no length is stated, a single-page draft is a useful editing constraint rather than a universal rule.
How is a query different from a synopsis?
A query is a concise pitch; a synopsis is a separate account of the plot, normally including the ending. Required length, level of detail, and whether a synopsis should be sent at all depend on the agent’s current guidelines.
Can I query multiple agents at once?
Check each agency’s submission policy. If simultaneous submissions are allowed, send separate, personalized messages and follow any disclosure or notification instructions the agency provides.
How many agents should be in my first batch?
There is no universal batch size. Start with a manageable group of well-matched agents, record what you sent, and leave enough of your researched list for a revised letter if early responses reveal a problem.
How long do agent responses take — and what does silence mean?
Response times and follow-up rules vary by agency. Record the date sent and the policy shown on the agency website that day; follow up only when that policy permits it, or when you have an offer and the agency asks to be notified.
Do literary agents charge reading or submission fees?
The Association of American Literary Agents prohibits its members from charging reading fees to evaluate work for possible representation. Agency agreements can include negotiated commissions and client-approved expenses, so review every agreement and accounting clause rather than relying on one universal percentage. Paid classes, conferences, or separate services need to be assessed under their own terms.
Must the manuscript be finished before I query?
Many agents expect a complete, revised fiction manuscript before a query, while some nonfiction projects are submitted through a proposal and sample chapters. Requirements vary by category and agent, so verify the current submission page for the project you are sending.
What word count should my book be to query?
Expectations differ by category, age group and agent. Compare recent books in the same shelf and read the agent’s wishlist or submission notes before treating any online range as a rule. State the manuscript’s honest, rounded word count.
What makes a good comp title?
Choose recent, relevant works that clarify the likely readership or one specific quality of your book. Explain the comparison instead of listing famous titles, and use the agent’s instructions when they request a particular number or format.
Should I personalize every query?
Personalize where it is true and useful: the agent’s stated wishlist matches your book, they represent an author you legitimately comp, or you met them at a conference. One genuine sentence beats a paragraph of flattery. When you have no real connection, skip it — a strong pitch needs no small talk.
Will the generated query sound generic?
A specific brief makes a better draft. Name the protagonist, the goal, the obstacle, and what failure costs. The AI shapes those facts into a letter; it cannot supply missing knowledge of your book. Check the draft for accuracy, replace remaining placeholders, and revise it in your own voice.
Related query and manuscript resources
Compare the purpose and scope of a synopsis with a query pitch.
Draft reader-facing description copy from supplied book facts.
Explore title candidates before inserting the final metadata.
Measure readability signals in the text you paste.
Review how Automateed sources and checks public guidance.
Review dialogue formatting before preparing sample pages.
Compare the self-publishing workflow
Review the current project steps and outputs in the app before deciding whether self-publishing fits this book.