UCLA Extension winter holiday closure: December 21 through January 1. Learn More

Literary Agent Query Prep for Writers

WRITING X 455.4E

Craft a strategic plan for querying literary agents while developing your query letter to significantly improve your chances of receiving an offer of representation.

View Course Options

What you can learn.

Develop a strong query letter that entices the agent to read your pages
Learn how to make a successful "pitch" paragraph in the query
Craft a strategic plan for who, when, and how you will query to get your book published
Learn to identify which agents are the right audience for your project

About this course:

Once you’ve completed your book, mastering the query letter is the first step you will take on your path to traditional publication. In publishing, 80-90% of all books bought by traditional publishers are sold through literary agents. In order to land an agent, you must craft a flawless query letter. Even if you decide to submit directly to publishers who do accept unsolicited (or “unagented”) work, the almighty query letter is still your key to having your manuscript land in the right hands. In this course, your instructor guides you in creating a stellar professional query letter (including the central “pitch” paragraph), that significantly strengthens your chances of receiving an offer of representation from an agent, and/or a book deal from an acquiring editor at a publishing house. You also learn how to create a strategic plan for targeting, approaching, and landing the perfect agent for you and your work.