Query Letters that Win Over Agent

If you’re planning to query literary agents this year, your query needs to be as close to perfect as possible. That’s because agents make quick decisions in the inbox, and strong manuscripts can still be overlooked when the query is vague, too heavy on setup, or unclear about who the protagonist is and what’s at stake.

In this query letter webinar, literary agent Jessica Berg will teach you how to write a query letter that communicates your premise clearly and quickly. She’ll give you a clear and repeatable framework to ensure you’re showcasing your voice and help improve your chances of partial and full requests – all without sounding salesy, gimmicky, or like you’re repurposing a synopsis.

This 90-minute OnDemand webinar will break down the query letter format agents expect to see: the hook, the book paragraph, and the bio. You’ll also learn how agents actually read the queries they receive – what they skim, what makes them keep going, and the most common reject queries even when the pages are strong.

You’ll leave with the framework you need to revise your query letter and a way to identify what’s missing when your query sounds fine but isn’t generating requests.

What You'll Learn:

• A proven query letter structure that you can use for all of your projects
• What agents look for in the first 10 seconds of a query inbox
• How to write a hook that’s specific and compelling
• How to talk about what actually happens in your book without giving away the ending
• How to choose comp titles that best align with your novel
• The most common query letter mistakes and the fixes that actually work

Who Should Watch:

• Writers preparing to query literary agents
• Writers who want to write a strong query letter that gets requests
• Writers who have received query rejections and want to troubleshoot what’s not landing
• Writers who want to understand how literary agents evaluate queries and make request decisions
• Writers who want to avoid common query letter mistakes (vagueness, too much backstory, no stakes)
• Writers who want a practical, repeatable query letter format they can use for future books
• Writers who want to put forward their best, most professional agent submission materials 

Instructor:

Jessica Berg is agency director and founder of Rosecliff Literary. Over the course of her career, she’s guided countless authors through every stage of the publishing journey. She regularly teaches worldwide on querying, comp titles, and how authors can build long-lasting and sustainable careers. With an MFA, a roster of successful clients, and a role as a contributing editor at Writer’s Digest, she brings both creative and business clarity to the writers she works with. For writers who want an inside look at how agents think, she also shares candid, craft-focused conversations in her ongoing agent series, Secrets and Slush.