Query Letters: Finding a Slant

If your query letters are nosediving, it may be time to check on the slant that you as the writer are taking.

One of the biggest problems with query letters is that they fail to incorporate an arresting slant that captures an editor's attention.

It's important to make a distinction between the subject and the slant. A slant isn't the subject. The slant is the particular take that you the writer adopts for the subject. In a nutshell, it is the cord that ties it all together.

The path to acceptance is paved when you come up with a fresh presentation of the subject you are writing about. The old saying: "nothing new under the sun" is true; however, the way that you discuss and present ideas is flexible. Fresh slants hook readers because they are not just reading a recycling of old information but instead are seeing information in a different light.

When a query letter peaks an editor's interest, it may be that the editor thinks: Wow! Now that's different--or Wow! What a way of presenting this to readers! Imagine receiving hundreds of queries discussing the same tired subjects. Which would you choose?

So instead of just presenting a subject, think of how you can present it. Instead of an article on condo living, what about an article that details who is best suited for condo living?

Ask yourself some why questions. For example, a query letter that relates that it will discuss Italian men as lovers may not stir an editor's interest (How many times has this been done to death in novels and movies?) but a query letter that promises to answer why Italian men make good lovers may garner some interest.

This reminds me of the movie, You've Got Mail. The writer took the common scenario of two people meeting and put an interesting twist on it. Instead of the typical "boy meets girl" in the usual fashion, the two people meet via the Internet. This, at the time, was a new approach on the way that people hook up. It sparked interest because it showed that in modern times, romance and love can blossom in unconventional ways, using methods that weren't possible formerly.

If your slant offers an unusual perspective it stands a better chance of gaining attention, which translates into acceptance for you.

Additional writing resources:
How to become a freelance writer
Freelance Writing
How to Write Great Query Letters
Don'ts for Query Letters