Michelle Witte

#querytip If you're querying & change your email address for some reason, let agents know. Every once in awhile I get emails bouncing back.

+You have no idea how helpful it is to open a ms and remember which one it is immediately w/out having to search query inbox. #querytip

Another formatting #querytip (kinda): When I request ms (full or partial) I ask for author to include query letter as first page of ms. +

These might seem like obvious #querytip's that everyone already knows, but you'd be surprised by how many writers don't do these things.

And make sure to include your contact info in the manuscript document itself. Not just author name and book title. #querytip

Although I just upload a ms to my ereader instead of printing it out, I still need that info easily accessible. #querytip

Also, make sure to put page numbers, author name, manuscript title on every page (in header, footer, whatevs). #querytip

All of this is to say—make it easy for an agent to read your manuscript. Annoyances do not make for ideal submission reading. #querytip

More ms formatting fun: only ONE (1) space after a period. That's another holdover from typewriter/early word processor days. #querytip

Those formatting issues, btw, come from antiquated (i.e., pre-2000) advice, but word processing has evolved greatly since then. #querytip

For the love of commas, use italics instead of underlining. That's one I can't easily search & replace, and it drives me BATTY. #querytip

Standard manuscript formatting: 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced. JUST SAY NO TO COURIER. (It's annoying to read.) #querytip

I like it when writers mention social media accounts and author websites in a query. Makes google-stalking easier. #notkidding #querytip

Strong verbs can make a blah query extraordinary—but don't go overboard to where it looks like a thesaurus barfed on your query. #querytip

Part 2 of 4 in my series on Magical Realism is up on the blog now. What Magical Realism ISN'T: michellewittebooks.com/2015/08/what-m… #MSWL #querytip

The phrase I most dread seeing in query letters is "I wrote this book to teach children..." Unless it's like a how-to, just NO. #querytip