To Personalize or Not to Personalize? That’s the Big Question
Querying authors often agonize over whether to “personalize” their queries (I know I did). So should you?
How would you even personalize a query?
First off, there’s one type of personalization you should always have-- the agent’s name. Spell it right, use the right pronouns, use the right form of address, and make sure that when you send off a query letter, it’s got the correct name on it. Try your best to do this accurately every time you send a query.
Additionally, if you’re sending your query because an agent requested it specifically (i.e. through a pitch contest) you should also mention that as well, just to trigger their memory.
Beyond that, personalization can look like:
Mentioning another client the agent has on their list whose work is comparable to yours
Mentioning a specific book that an agent has sold that is comparable to yours
Letting the agent know that a client of theirs referred you (but, like, seriously, only if this is for real, and happened because you organically know that author, not because you tried to convince a stranger to “refer” you)
This is usually no more than a sentence. “I am querying you because your client’s book XXX has similar themes to mine.”
How should you not personalize a query?
Not all personalization is good personalization.
Lying about being referred by someone? BAD.
Saying that you looked through the agent’s personal instagram and you’re querying them because you like their pillows? ALSO BAD.
Anything that doesn’t have to do with what would make you a unique professional fit (see above)? NO.
What about #MSWL requests?
#MSWL is a twitter hashtag (and also a blog, check it out) where agents say what they’re looking for. These requests can vary in specificity. Sometimes they are “historical romance,” and sometimes they are “a picture book featuring a talking doughnut.”
We’ll talk more about #MSWL in a later blog, but usually if it’s very obvious that your manuscript meets a wishlist ask (i.e. your summary is entirely about a talking doughnut, your metadata indicates that your genre is historical romance), you don’t need to mention it. Don’t take up precious words in your query reciting the agent’s requests back to them.
That said, if the agent is requesting something and it’s not obvious that your book features it from the summary--say, there’s a significant sub-plot about talking doughnuts, but that’s not the main point and so it’s not in the summary--go ahead and mention it. That might catch their attention.
Better to not have personalization than weak personalization.
Personalizing takes a lot of time, and as I mentioned above, you don’t want to waste precious words reciting back a MSWL request that’s obvious from your query. It’s fine if you don’t personalize your query beyond including the agent’s name! Sometimes there’s nothing really to say beyond that you’re querying them because they rep your age range and genre, and that’s ok—no need to waste query space saying “I’m querying you because you represent adult fantasy”.
Don’t sweat personalization too much! You can also personalize some queries and not others.