By Marcel Tobien • Published 24 September 2026 • 6 min read
“Dear Agent” is not a query letter strategy. A literary agent needs to understand what your novel is, why it may fit their list, and why you are the right person to write it. A useful query makes those answers easy to find without becoming a full synopsis or biography.
This sample query letter to a literary agent shows one practical structure you can adapt. It is an illustrative example, not a letter to copy word for word. Your genre, manuscript, voice, and the agent’s submission instructions should determine the final version.
A sample query letter to a literary agent
Subject: Query: THE LAST LIGHTHOUSE, 82,000-word upmarket mystery
Dear Ms. Rivera,
I am seeking representation for THE LAST LIGHTHOUSE, an 82,000-word upmarket mystery set on a remote island off the coast of Maine. I am querying you because you represent literary suspense and have expressed interest in stories about isolated communities and complicated family relationships.
When marine archaeologist Lena Ward returns to the island where her brother disappeared, she expects to sell the family lighthouse and leave before winter. Instead, she discovers a set of signals recorded in her brother’s research log, each one sent from a different location along the coast. The final signal was transmitted three days after his boat was found empty.
As Lena follows the trail, she learns that her brother had been investigating a shipwreck that the island’s leading family has kept hidden for generations. The evidence could expose a crime, but it also implicates Lena’s own father. With the harbour closing for the season and a storm cutting the island off from the mainland, Lena must decide whether to reveal the truth or protect the people who raised her. If she waits, the last witness may disappear with the tide.
THE LAST LIGHTHOUSE will appeal to readers who enjoy the atmospheric suspense of Author A and the family secrets of Author B. The complete manuscript is available at your request.
I am a marine archaeologist and have published articles about coastal heritage in regional journals. This is my first novel.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be happy to send the manuscript or any other materials required by your submission guidelines.
Sincerely,
Jordan Lee
email@example.com
www.jordanlee.example
What each part of the sample is doing
The greeting and personalization
Use the agent’s name and check the spelling. Personalization should explain why this particular agent is a plausible recipient. A reference to the agent’s stated interests, represented authors, or submission preferences is more useful than a generic compliment.
Keep the personalization accurate. Do not claim that an agent is seeking your exact novel unless the agent has said so. If you cannot find a specific reason to address that agent, a professional greeting is better than invented familiarity.
The title and manuscript details
State the title, approximate word count, and category or genre near the beginning. These details give the agent immediate context. Replace the example’s title, word count, and genre with accurate information about your completed manuscript.
A query is not the place to inflate the manuscript’s scale or describe it with every possible genre label. Choose the description that most clearly positions the novel for the agent you are contacting. If you are unsure how to classify the book, review the agency’s current guidelines and consider how comparable published titles are positioned.
The hook and pitch
The pitch should introduce the protagonist, the situation that disrupts their life, the central pressure, and the consequences of failure. In the sample, Lena returns to an island, finds evidence connected to her missing brother, and must investigate while the island is cut off by a storm. Each paragraph adds a decision or complication.
A selective pitch is usually more useful than a plot summary that recounts every subplot. Give the agent enough information to understand the premise and stakes without explaining the entire ending. Specific details, such as the recorded signals and the empty boat, communicate more than broad statements about an unforgettable journey.
Comparable titles
Comparable titles position the novel in a recognizable reading landscape. Choose comparisons that are relevant to the book’s audience, tone, or structure, and explain the connection briefly. In the sample, the comparisons point to atmosphere, suspense, and family secrets.
Do not use comparisons to claim that your novel will become the next major bestseller. Their purpose is to clarify where the manuscript belongs, not to make an unsupported prediction about its commercial performance.
The biography and closing
Include biography details that establish your connection to the subject, writing experience, or relevant credentials. A first novel does not require an invented publishing history. The sample uses the writer’s professional background because it relates directly to the story’s setting.
End by stating that the manuscript is available and thanking the agent. Follow the requested format for pages, synopsis, attachments, and subject lines. An agency’s current instructions take priority over any general template.
How to adapt the sample to your own novel
Begin with the agent’s requirements, then prepare the core information separately: your manuscript’s title, word count, genre, protagonist, inciting problem, main opposition, and stakes. This makes it easier to write a focused letter instead of drafting from the manuscript’s full chronology.
Next, reduce the story to a few connected paragraphs. Establish the situation, show what the protagonist wants, identify what prevents them from getting it, and explain what may happen if they fail. Read the result aloud. If a sentence supplies background without sharpening the conflict, consider removing it.
Before sending, check that the letter names the correct agent, uses the correct manuscript details, and follows the current submission page. Read the query alongside your opening pages as well. The premise, tone, and protagonist should feel consistent across both. For a broader pre-submission review, see this guide to preparing and checking your manuscript.
Submission checks for AI-assisted writers
Novelists who use AI for brainstorming, editing, or other parts of their process should distinguish between their own submission obligations and general assumptions about agents. The available evidence does not support saying that every literary agent requires AI disclosure. However, one literary agency’s published contact information asks authors to disclose generative-AI-produced text or images in the body of a query. Check each agency’s current policy before submitting and answer any disclosure question directly.
If you use an AI-assisted tool to review wording, consider how the service handles unpublished material and data before sharing your work. This overview of GDPR-compliant AI writing tools provides context for that decision. You can also review this guide to writing a novel with AI, but responsibility for the manuscript, the query’s accuracy, and the agency’s rules remains with you.
Finally, ask whether the letter makes the novel understandable in one reading, gives the agent a clear reason to consider it, and respects the requested format. A sample provides the shape. Your manuscript must provide the reason to keep reading.