Class Description
A one day intensive session on query letters. Whether you have been sending out your query to no avail, or are intimidated by the thought of writing your first one, this class is for you. For the first half of the class, agent Sorche Fairbank of Fairbank Literary will take the class through the shelf-life of a query, dissect its four most important components, diagram the essential elements of a query’s synopsis, identify the five most common mistakes authors make in their queries, give insight and tips on how to stand out in the slushpile, read through examples of compelling queries, and review of a list of query Dos and Don’ts. After covering the basics, the instructor will hand back students’ queries, with notes on recommended changes. Students will have time to rework their query in class, by hand or by laptop, and then the instructor will lead a group critique of each reworked query with the class. Amazing changes are expected! By the close of the class, students should expect to have the framework for a strong query letter that gets an agent’s attention, and will have take-home notes and class handouts. Open to all levels, all genres.
Important: Please use this link to submit, no later than June 8th, a query letter of no more than 400 words for the instructor, who will provide comments and edits on the query for use in class, and as a take-home reference.
For Class: Bring two copies of your query, and means to work on revisions (pen and paper, or laptop)
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.