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Last updated on May 10, 2024
Query Letter For Picture Books: Example & Template
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Dario Villirilli
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View profile →So you want to land a book deal for your picture book and see it in the hands of children everywhere? You’ll first need to win the interest of a literary agent — and for that, you’ll need to write the perfect picture book query letter.
In this post, we discuss what a query letter should include, including a practical example and tips from top children's book editors.
How to write a query letter for a children's book:
1. Start with a strong hook
Like query letters for novels, your aim is to grab the agent's attention right away. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point, or you may quickly lose them.
With that in mind, use your first sentence as a hook to present the story’s premise and core theme. Simply highlight what makes your book interesting (or unique); you don’t have to introduce the entire plot or themes.
Here’s our example:
Dear Ms. Sutherland,
In my picture book Moving With Kevin (450 words), a reluctant alien kid leaves his cherished home when his family relocates to a new planet.
After a formal salutation, it quickly introduces the book title, genre, and word count to give agents a clear idea of its marketability. Next, it presents the core theme of the story (moving to a new home) and highlights what makes it intriguing (it’s set in space!).
You can follow a similar template, though, of course, there isn’t just one way to go about it. Some authors personalize this section to the agent (we'll discuss this more later). Overall, the goal of the first sentence and hook is to make the agent read your synopsis…
Q: What are the key elements of an irresistible query letter hook?
Suggested answer
Hooks should always include:
- Stakes. What is on the line here? In quieter or more character-driven stories, this is still important. The stakes might not be life and death, but they need to feel emotionally powerful.
- Main character: a sense of who this story is about
- The hero’s / heroine’s journey: Our protagonist is on a mission. What is it?
- The story world: What is the context for this journey? In SFF, the author has to be careful not to get too into the weeds here; it’s about broad strokes.
- Antagonist or antagonistic forces: What obstructs the protagonist from easily completing their mission?
- Voice: Any time we write a logline, query, build a hook, or write a synopsis, we have to make sure our unique authorial voice shines through.
Happy writing!
Wendy is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
2. Delight them with your story
In the second paragraph, focus on pitching your book's story by highlighting the main character's arc. For example:
Kevin doesn’t want to leave his home and friends on Azure and move to a new planet for his mom’s work, but he has no choice. Arriving on Lumina, he’s disoriented by the orange landscapes and begs his parents to go back to Azure. But then he meets Mika, a lovely neighbor who shows him the wonders of Lumina. Kevin chooses to stay and he begins to see the thrill of new beginnings.
Kevin moves from resisting change to accepting it. The transformation is shaped by his internal conflict (grief and confusion) and external conflict (the unfamiliar orange landscapes). But also by Mika, a secondary character, who plays a crucial role in his growth.
The synopsis emphasizes the main character’s arc while touching on all the other supporting story elements. You may be tempted to include other details about the setting or other characters, but that may only distract the agent.
For example, after the first sentence, we could have added:
As he reluctantly prepares to leave, Kevin gathers keepsakes一a photo of his school friends and a tiny blue asteroid rock.
That certainly adds some color, but it dilutes the synopsis, and the agent doesn't necessarily need (or want) to know about it.
Editor Tracy Gold, who helped us refine our sample query, stresses the importance of keeping your letter short. “Picture book queries should be much shorter and simpler than queries for full-length novels. When I worked for a literary agent and went through her queries, I would almost always read the picture book itself, because they are so short. Your biggest job with a picture book query is to "get it out of the way" of the agent getting to read the book itself.”
Top tip: download our free template to help you write your own.
FREE RESOURCE
Children's Book Query Letter Template
Learn how to grab a literary agent’s attention with our free template.
The next paragraph is all about the book’s market potential…
3. Compare it to similar picture books
Even if your book is wonderfully written, picture book agents are going to read it with one question in mind: will this book sell? Your query letter should convince them that the answer is yes.
In this regard, you’ll want to mention a few comp titles 一 books similar to yours that have already been successfully published. If you're pitching directly to a publisher, try to reference books from their catalog, otherwise just mention other popular titles.
Moreover, if your story could expand into a series or if you’re already working on the next installment, be sure to mention it, as it could make your project more appealing to agents and publishers.
When I worked as a travel journalist, my family often moved for work, so stories like Audrey Penn's A Kiss Goodbye and Moving to the Neighborhood by Alexandra Cassel helped my children cope with moving. In my book, I gave the same concept a fun, intergalactic twist! I am also developing a series that follows Kevin's adventures, including Traveling with Kevin which explores the educational joys of travel.
Besides mentioning a few comp titles, our example also offers context on why the theme is meaningful to the author (it helped her children cope with moving) and highlights how her book stands out (she gave it a fun, intergalactic twist).
Q: How do editors and agents evaluate whether a manuscript has commercial and craft potential?
Suggested answer
Potential is usually obvious in the first few sentences. The quality of the writing, pace and tone particularly, are evident from sentence one. But structure is important too, and if that's not in place, no amount of fine writing is going to fix it. So fine writing + tight structure (whatever these things look like in any given novel) is the clue that the manuscript has potential.
Potential is all about a writer being in control of their material. A writer I feel confident in from page one. The sense that although the manuscript isn't perfect and needs work, the writer fundamentally knows what they are doing. I look for a tone that fits the genre. This is really important, and often it's not working in manuscripts. Good pace is important too, again whatever that looks like in any given novel. This is often determined by the genre. For example, thrillers are pretty much defined by their fast pace, yet I've read many manuscripts described by their writers as thrillers that simply aren't, often due to slow pace.
Potential in a manuscript is always an exciting thing to find as an editor, and it is usually evident where a writer understands their genre, its pace, and its tone. That is a very strong start!
Louise is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
The first thing I consider in a manuscript is how well the first line caught my attention and made me truly care. Even if is subconscious, readers are passing judgement on a piece immediately. This is why the first line is absolutely vital to setting up a successful manuscript. Unfortunately, most people have a very short attention span, and over 500,000 new fiction books are published each year, leaving no shortage of choices for readers. If a writer is adept at capturing an audience in just one line, it tells me they likely understand storytelling and know how to craft a narrative with a compelling voice.
Beyond this, I see potential in consistency. By this, I mean I always look for consistency in the voice throughout a manuscript and for characters to remain consistent in their choices or motivations. If characters are constantly doing strange and out-of-character things, it tells me the work is not well planned or fully developed. I look for plot consistency as well: is the central problem remaining the central problem, or have things drastically shifted somewhere along the way? If it has shifted, it is a sign that the original plotline/idea may not have been strong enough to carry the story.
I hope this helps! There are quite a few other small things I look for, but these are the two biggest ones I can typically spot right away.
Ciera is available to hire on Reedsy ⏺
The next paragraph is all about why you are the right person to write this book.
4. Show off your author credentials
At this point, you’ll want to include a short author bio that highlights your experience and background. This could include previous work as an author, involvement in educational roles (e.g., if you’re a parent or a teacher), or participation in writing communities. You can also include a few personal details, like where you live or what are your hobbies 一 as long as you keep it short and sweet!
Overall, you want to show agents your dedication to the craft, understanding of the industry, and engagement in the literary community. But also pitch why your life experience makes you the right person to write this book. Since we already mentioned that the author worked as a travel journalist and often relocated with her family for work in the previous paragraph, there is no need to repeat it here 一 but you get the idea.
My feature stories were published in Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. I was a finalist in CANSCAIP’s Writing for Children Competition of 2022 and I am an active member of the SCBWI Midsouth network. I live in Nashville, Tennessee with my husband and two children.
This sample paragraph shows the author’s publishing background and experience in the travel industry, as well as her first, important steps toward making her voice heard in the literary world. It also paints a quick picture of her family life in the US.
It’s time to wrap things up…
5. Wrap it up in under 250 words
The final section of your picture book query letter should consist of a polite and formal sign-off. You can also mention if you're submitting to multiple agents or publishers at the same time, though most of them will assume so.
Below you can find the text for Moving With Kevin.
Please note that this is a simultaneous submission.
Thank you for your time,
Celia Bishop
If your entire query letter is more than 250 words, try tightening up some sections and make the letter more succinct and impactful. As Tracy Gold said, the goal is to usher the agent through to the manuscript as soon as possible.
The query letter is typically pasted directly into the body of the email, while the manuscript is attached as a separate file (or pasted below the query). Most publishers will want to pair new authors with their own illustrators, but if you intend to illustrate this book, you can attach samples and your portfolio via Google Drive or Dropbox.
Generally, it's best to avoid sending a dummy version of your book (a mockup showing how each page will look) as it may give agents the impression that you consider your book 'finished' and that you might be resistant to further developing the project after they've acquired it.
Picture book query letter example
Here is our picture book query letter example in full. You can download it and share it with fellow children’s book authors who may be pitching their stories soon.
6. Personalize and refine your letter
Your picture book will be a better match for some agents than others. Alongside marketability, an agent will also look at fit. Are they the right person to represent your book? Is it the kind of book that they want to take on?
To find an agent, you can check out our directory of picture book agents to see who's currently accepting submissions. Then look at their website, Twitter, and Manuscript Wish List to figure out who's particularly interested in picture books like yours.
Doing your independent research will help you personalize your letter 一 and that can make a difference. For children’s book editor Anna Prendella, specificity helps to make the agent care about your picture book:
"In your query, make sure the agent knows you've researched them. Name-drop authors or books they've represented that you admire, and pitch your book as a perfect match for their specific taste or manuscript wishlist. They'll notice that you're paying attention, and they'll pay attention back."
Some authors include their personalization at the beginning of the query. So, for example, you may start your query with:
Dear Ms. Sutherland,
I am querying you because I read on Twitter that you love children’s books set in space. In Moving With Kevin…
Moreover, make sure that you get the name and gender of your agent right. There’s no quicker way to get off on the wrong foot than to address your query to “Ms. Rapunzel” when the agent’s name is actually “Mr. Rumpelstilskin”.
If you want to be sure that your letter reads professional and hits all the right notes, you can bring an editor on board…
Get a professional query letter review
If you follow all of the steps above, you should have a strong query letter that’ll impress children's book literary agents. That said, a lot is riding on your picture book query letter, so it’s understandable if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the process.
If you’d like to guarantee that your query letter is hitting the mark, consider getting a professional query letter review. Many of the professional editors on Reedsy have been acquisition editors and literary agents. Their understanding of query letters and insight into the process may mean the difference between a publishing deal and empty air to show for your hard work.
Hire an expert to review your query letter
Amy B.
Available to hire
Children's book pro for twenty years, formerly with Scholastic, Disney. Honest, constructive feedback and a collaborative atmosphere.
Melissa R.
Available to hire
Experienced freelance editor and assistant literary agent. I'll edit your work with an agent's eye and get your book positioned to sell!
Elissa W.
Available to hire
Award-winning middle grade and picture book author who taught creative writing at Johns Hopkins. American living in New Zealand.
Most of all, don’t panic if you don’t immediately hear back from an agent. Good things take time. If you're patient and your query letter is firing on all cylinders, then chances are that you will find the right agent to represent your picture book before long.
If you want to convince agents and publishers that you're serious about your craft, make sure you look at the final post in the guide, which is all about formatting your children's book manuscript.
2 responses
Des says:
06/08/2020 – 03:08
Hi! should the query letter be the body of an email or an attachment?
↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:
26/08/2020 – 11:30
If you're submitting by email, it should be in the body of the email itself. Most professionals are wary of attachments from people they've never heard before (virus risk).