A query letter is the short, formal letter a writer sends to a literary agent (and sometimes to an editor or publisher) to propose a book. It is the standard way unrepresented authors approach agents, and the agent uses it to decide whether to ask for the manuscript. Because it is the first thing an agent reads, authors often worry about getting the length right. Too short and the pitch may feel thin; too long and the key points can get buried.
This guide pulls together what agents, editors and a publisher have published about query letter length, explains how to divide the space between the different parts of the letter, and offers a practical way to edit a draft to size.
The short answer
The guidance we found converges on one single-spaced page, usually somewhere between about 250 and 450 words. The exact numbers vary by source:
| Source | Suggested length |
|---|---|
| Nathan Bransford, blog post (2008, updated 2019) | 250 to 350 words; "the way to go" |
| Jane Friedman, "The Complete Guide to Query Letters" | Around 200 to 450 words, about one single-spaced page |
| Celadon Books, "How to Write a Query Letter" | No more than one page, single-spaced, or around 300 to 450 words |
| Wikipedia, "Query letter" | Approximately 200 to 400 words as a standard requested format |
The ranges overlap. A letter of roughly 250 to 400 words that fits on one page is consistent with the guidance from these sources. If an individual agent's submission guidelines say something different, follow the agent.
Where the 250 to 350 word figure comes from
The most-quoted range comes from a 2008 blog post by Nathan Bransford, who ran a word count on every query he received in one week: 180 letters. He concluded that there was "a sweet spot in query word count between 250 and 350 words." In his experience, anything shorter than 250 words usually, though not always, seemed too short, and anything longer than 350 usually, though not always, seemed too long. He estimated that roughly half of the queries were about the right length, with the rest too short or too long.
It is worth reading that figure for what it is: one person's observation from one week of submissions, not a formal rule. It has stuck because it matches what other agents and editors recommend, and because it is a useful, concrete target.
How to divide the words
Knowing the total is only half the job. A query letter has several parts, and some deserve far more space than others. Jane Friedman breaks the letter into four elements:
- Housekeeping: the genre or category, the word count of the manuscript, and the title (and subtitle, if any).
- The story description, which she calls "the most critical query element."
- Comparative titles (comps): recent books that are similar to yours, which are commonly requested in query guidelines.
- A bio note: something relevant about you.
Friedman gives rough sizes for the two biggest parts: the story description usually runs 150 to 300 words for most narrative works, and the bio usually 50 to 100 words. Celadon Books suggests that the hook (the pitch for the book) be "two short paragraphs max."
Put together, a workable split for a letter of around 300 to 350 words might be:
- One or two sentences of greeting and housekeeping
- Two short paragraphs of story description (the bulk of the letter)
- One sentence naming one or two comparative titles
- A short bio paragraph
- A one-line close and thank-you
This is a guide rather than a formula. A memoir query might need a slightly longer bio, because the author's life is part of the book; a debut novelist with no publishing credits may have a very short bio, and that is fine.
Do not confuse the letter's length with the manuscript's
Query letters usually state the manuscript's word count, and that number matters as much as the letter's own length. The two are easy to mix up in searches, so here is what our sources say about manuscripts:
- Jane Friedman writes that 80,000 words is the industry standard for a debut novel, that word counts above 120,000 can be a challenge, and that the minimum for most novels is about 50,000.
- Celadon Books suggests about 70,000 to 90,000 words for an adult book and 60,000 to 80,000 words for young adult, adding that "the younger the audience, the fewer the words."
Expectations differ by genre, so treat these as general reference points and check what agents in your category say.
Email and online form queries
Many agents now take queries by email or through an online form rather than on paper. BookEnds Literary Agency, for example, asks writers to use the QueryManager form linked from the page of the agent they want to query, upload the query letter and other requested information there, and submit to only one BookEnds agent at a time.
Length guidance still applies in these formats. Jane Friedman's formatting advice for email queries:
- Strip out all formatting, including indents.
- Open with "Dear [Agent Name]:".
- Put your address, date and contact details at the bottom, under your name, rather than at the top.
Moving contact details to the bottom keeps the pitch near the top of the screen, which is one more reason to keep the letter compact. If an online form splits the query into separate fields, read the instructions for each field before pasting in your letter.
What to cut if your letter is too long
When a query runs long, the extra words are rarely in the core pitch. Friedman's list of things to leave out is a good starting point for trimming:
- How many years you have worked on the book, or how dedicated you are.
- How often you have been rejected, or how close you came.
- How much you spent on editing.
- Any suggestion of an in-person meeting.
- Awards that are not widely recognized, or competition results that only matter if the field was very large.
She also advises being specific about real publishing credits and not inventing any if you have none.
Beyond that list, these editorial checks can help bring a draft down to size:
- Cut subplots. The story description should follow the main character and the central conflict. Secondary characters and side plots usually belong in the synopsis, not the query.
- Remove backstory and world-building that the reader does not need to understand the stakes.
- Use one or two comps, not a list. Celadon recommends sticking to relatively well-known, current titles rather than ones the agent may not have heard of.
- Trim the bio to what is relevant, such as previous publications, applicable degrees, awards or life experience connected to the book (the categories Celadon lists).
- Delete restatements. If the closing paragraph repeats the hook, cut it.
What to add if your letter is too short
Bransford's observation that letters under 250 words often seemed too short is a reminder that brevity can go too far. A very short query is usually missing one of the basic elements. Check that the letter:
- States the genre or category, the title and the manuscript word count.
- Names the main character and what they want.
- Explains what stands in their way and what happens if they fail.
- Gives a sense of the book's tone or voice.
- Includes at least a sentence about you.
If all of those are present and the letter is still short, that may be fine. The goal is a complete pitch, not a particular number.
Follow the agent's guidelines first
General ranges are useful when an agent has not said otherwise, but individual agencies set their own rules. Celadon Books advises starting with an outline of a query letter that you can tailor to each agent's expectations, and checking agency guidelines before you send. If an agent asks for a query plus a synopsis or sample pages, send exactly what is requested, in the format requested.
Final thoughts
A query letter that fits on one single-spaced page, in roughly 250 to 400 words, is within what agents, editors and publishers commonly recommend. Spend most of those words on the story, keep the housekeeping and bio short, and cut anything about effort, rejection or cost. Then check the agent's own guidelines, since those always take precedence.
This article is general information for authors. Publishing practices vary by agency, genre and market, and change over time.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Query letter" (definition; approximately 200 to 400 words; contents; agent decides whether to request manuscript): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Query_letter
- Jane Friedman, "The Complete Guide to Query Letters" (200 to 450 words; four elements; story description 150 to 300 words; bio 50 to 100 words; manuscript word counts; what to avoid; email formatting): https://janefriedman.com/query-letters/
- Nathan Bransford, "What is the best length for a query letter?" (2008, updated 2019; 180 queries in one week; 250 to 350 words): https://nathanbransford.com/?p=3764
- Celadon Books, Stephanie Brown, "How to Write a Query Letter" (one page, about 300 to 450 words; hook two short paragraphs max; manuscript word counts by category; comps; bio; tailoring to agents): https://celadonbooks.com/query-letter/
- BookEnds Literary Agency, Submissions (QueryManager form; one BookEnds agent at a time): https://bookendsliterary.com/submissions/