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  • Writer's Digest

    FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK

    Aug 31, 2020 3 minutes
    BY BARBARA POELLE

    Dear FYSA,

    I didn’t really do my research on best practices before sending out a wave of queries and now I’m afraid I’ve undermined my novel’s chances with a few dozen of my top targets.

    I’ll look more amateurish if I send out follow-ups with better queries, but if I don’t, I’m afraid I’ll just get deleted. Will a too-long query without a good hook get me thrown in the trash?

    Sincerely,
    Eager Beaver

    Dear Beav,

    I too am a “jump-first-check-for-water-second” kind of person, and thus, I get it,

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