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How to write irresistible query letters (Writer's basic bookshelf)

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How to write irresistible query letters (Writer's basic bookshelf) (Library Binding)

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4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this book, successful literary agent Lisa Collier Cool shares professional, practical advice on how to craft powerfully persuasive letters that connect with an editor's imagination. Readers will learn how to develop their ideas, select the strongest slant for their article or book, hook an editor with a tantalizing lead, and more. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

Library Binding: 136 pages
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (January 1, 1987)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0898792592
ISBN-13: 978-0898792591
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #754,220 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Citations (learn more)

44 books cite this book:

Make Money Quilting by Sylvia Landman on page 117, and Back Matter
Credibility Marketing by Larry Chambers on page 59, and Back Matter
Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody can Write (Revised and Updated) by Elizabeth Lyon on page 29, and Back Matter
Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing by Jean M. Fredette on page 47, and Back Matter
Freelance Writing (Harperresource Book) by Marcia Yudkin in Back Matter

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	73% buy the item featured on this page: How to write irresistible query letters (Writer's basic bookshelf) 4.2 out of 5 stars (14)
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	8% buy Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals 5.0 out of 5 stars (6) $11.53
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very general book about query letters ....., July 14, 2002

By	Mary C "NurseMare" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Write Irresistible Query Letters: An easy-to-follow guide to writing professional queries that produce sales--for articles and nonfiction books (Paperback)

.... with instruction and a different slant for so many different mediums. The beginning of the book serves up a valuable lesson on how to develop an idea that may sell, how to slant for different markets, hooking the editor and selling yourself. Then there is a short section on research and interviews. This dynamite little book not only tells you how to write and slant your query to different markets, but give concrete examples by using sample letters. This is a nice little introductory book with a concrete process that'll help you write a great query letter.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource for All Writers, July 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Write Irresistible Query Letters: An easy-to-follow guide to writing professional queries that produce sales--for articles and nonfiction books (Paperback)

When I began my writing career fourteen years ago, I needed to know the basics. Thanks to this book, I learned how to write a focused, relevant query letter. Lisa Collier Cool's writing and examples do more than show you an effective way of writing the query letter--they show you how to develop a confident way of presenting your ideas.

For those who found no value in the book, I'm shocked. Thanks to Ms. Cool's no-nonsense approach, I became a successful published author hundreds of times over. If you're just starting out, get this book. While it could be updated to include Internet-based querying, it's a terrific primer just the way it is.

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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than most, September 19, 2005

By	Pastorio - See all my reviews

It's a good, basic text on magazine and non-fiction book queries and covers the ground well. The writing is straightforward, clean and informative. I was looking for a book on fiction queries and this one isn't it. I wish there had been a subtitle that said what the book actually covered.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Subjects Given A New Twist
I received my copy today and I tell you once I began to read the first 20 pages I have an article that I'm considering and from the one article I now have four. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Minerva Bryant

3.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction, but really needs to be updated.
This step-by-step guide is an easy read, a wonderful resource for writers. Mainly focused on magazine queries, the text explains much more than how to make a quality first... Read more

Published on June 3, 2007 by Tanya Dennis

4.0 out of 5 stars Never Too Much
Education, continuing education, and refreshers are never too much. This book should become quotidian for any writer that prepares query letters. Read more

Published on March 26, 2007 by Pamela Jarmon-Wade

4.0 out of 5 stars a thesaurus of good examples
This literary agent's guide for wannabe' writers is meant to help mostly novice authors persuade people just like her. Read more

Published on June 18, 2006 by David A. Baer

5.0 out of 5 stars A reliable workhorse from the dame of the old school
So it's old. So it's a little smarmy. So there are sample pitch letters about how "by 1990, it's believed that many Americans will have computers. Read more

Published on April 21, 2005 by John Gorenfeld

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Query Manual Available
Even as an experienced writer, Lisa Collier Cool's book is my bible. I refer to it constantly, for both fiction and nonfiction, book length and article queries. Read more

Published on September 11, 2003 by Cynthia P. Gallagher

5.0 out of 5 stars HOW TO WRITE IRRESISTABLE QUERY LETTERS
I can state with authority that this one produces RESULTS - due mainly to the encouragement and easy to follow tips inside, I was able to become a successful freelance writer,... Read more

Published on April 15, 2000

3.0 out of 5 stars I also received my first response from an editor!
Everyone is different so I assume some writers did not see the value of this book. I used the advice and received a request to see my cookbook manuscript. Read more

Published on April 8, 2000 by Rebecca Johnson

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is out out-dated and harmful
Can't believe this book is still selling. When new, 10 years ago, its worth was marginal. But now, its advice is stale, boring, downright harmful. Read more

Published on September 29, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars You Have to Buy This Book!
This was the book that opened my eyes up to the possibilities in freelance writing, and it's one that I will continue to use due to its overflowing resources of example queries,... Read more

Published on February 26, 1999 by rainqueen1228@yahoo.com

› See all 14 customer reviews...

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