Earlier in the week, I was listening to Susan Friedman’s Book Marketing Mentor’s Podcast. Her podcast is all about how we can market our books effectively. Many but not all of her clients are independently published. Her guest for the week was Scott Carley who teaches managers how to tell who on their team or in their department has a good trust score. He was talking with Susan about how these things apply to selling your book. You can find her podcast episode here.
As I listened to how trust in your book and in you, the author, can help sell your book to readers, I quickly realized that it also applies to selling a publisher or agent on your writing. Here is how three of the five points that Carley teaches his clients to examine apply to your query.
Vibe
As defined by Carley, this is all about the feeling that someone gets from your book. The cover is often the first thing they notice, and it has to make a good impression. What does this have to do with your query? We no longer send out queries on quality stationary, but we can make sure that they are well organized and easy to read. Good organization and white space are a must.
Motives
Carley explained that people aren’t going to buy your book or class if you are simply trying to make money vs giving them something of value. The same is true of the editors and agents you query. You have to be able to show them that this is a topic you are passionate about, and your book offers something of value to the reader. This might be a piece of nonfiction that solves a problem for the reader or a novel that takes the reader on a compelling journey. You don’t want the agent to think you are just writing a romantasy because you’ve heard they are a great way to make money.
Expertise
This is the one that gets tricky. Carley explains that what you know is important. And it can’t just be what you know. If this is nonfiction, show that you’ve done research right there in the text. “A 2025 study at MIT revealed . . .” In your query, you can include some of the most important sources. “My research includes scientific findings from 23 academic journals including the Journal of the American Psychological Association and the Journal of Culture and Education.”
Your expertise will also include whatever hands-on experience that you have. Carley explains that this last part is vital. Research is good, but what is your personal experience with the topic?
A problem in any one of these areas can present a problem. If your query is poorly organized, no one will know what your book is about. If this isn’t a topic that means something to you, it is going to come across as something you’ve developed just to make money and having zero hands-on experience in an area is going to exacerbate this impression. It may be a mistaken impression, but you need to make certain your motivation and expertise shine through.
How does your query letter score when you examine it for these topics? Your manuscript? Your independently published book? Your website? Building trust is key at all of these points and more.
--SueBE
Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 80 books for young readers. To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog.
She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:
To get a free copy of Sue’s book, What to Do When Your Book Is Banned, subscribe to her newsletter, One Writer’s Journey, here.
