161 Examples of Successful Query Letters from Famous Authors
- Michelle
- Aug 11, 2018
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 22, 2022
On the road to traditional publication, your query letter plays a central role in getting your book noticed. In fact, when it comes to landing literary agents and publishers, a compelling and properly formatted query letter is just as important as a good manuscript. To help inspire you, we’ve collected 161 query letter examples from famous authors spanning various genres:
Adult Fiction
Numb
Author: Sean Ferrell
Genre: Contemporary
The Bells
Author: Richard Harvell
Genre: Historical
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Garth Stein (This query letter example comes from a New York Times bestseller.)
Genre: Animal Fiction, Contemporary
Breathers
Author: S.G. Browne
Genre: Contemporary, Dark Humor
A Mad, Wicked Folly
Author: Sharon Biggs Waller
Genre: Fiction
Between Earth and Sky
Author: Amanda Skenandore
Genre: Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Braced
Author: Alyson Gerber
Genre: Fiction, Bildungsroman
People Who Knew Me
Author: Kim Hooper
Genre: Psychological Fiction
If I Fix You
Author: Abigail Johnson
Genre: Fiction
Where the Watermelons Grow
Author: Cindy Baldwin
Genre: Fiction
Mosquitoland
Author: David Arnold
Genre: Fiction
P.S. I Miss You
Author: Jen Petro-Roy
Genre: Fiction, Epistolary Fiction
Darling Rose Gold
Author: Stephanie Wrobel
Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller
Hunting Annabelle
Author: Wendy Heard
Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller
Children’s Fiction
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic
Author: Jennifer Trafton
Genre: Fantasy, Children’s Literature
A Snicker of Magic
Original title used in query letter: There’s Magic in Midnight Gulch
Author: Natalie Lloyd
Genre: Children’s Literature, Fantasy & Magic, Family
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow
Author: Nathan Bransford
Genre: Science Fiction, Children’s Literature
It’s Raining Bats & Frogs
Author: Rebecca Colby
Genre: Children’s Literature
The Peculiar
Author: Stefan Bachmann
Genre: Fantasy, Children’s Literature
Steering Toward Normal
Author: Rebecca Petruck
Genre: Children’s Literature, Middle Grade
Sure Signs of Crazy
Author: Karen Harrington
Genre: Children’s Literature
Pickle Impossible
Author: Eli Stutz
Genre: Children’s Literature, Middle Grade, Adventure
Sway
Author: Amber McRee Turner
Genre: Children’s Literature, Adventure, Middle Grade
I Have A Balloon
Author: Ariel Bernstein
Genre: Humor, Fiction, Children’s Literature
Maximillian Villainous
Author: Margaret Chiu Greanias
Genre: Humor, Fiction, Children’s Literature
Crime Fiction
One for the Money
Author: Janet Evanovich (This query letter example is for the first book in a beloved series.)
Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Women’s Fiction, Women Sleuths, Humor
Murder on the Rocks
Author: Karen MacInerney
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Women Sleuths
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Original title used in query letter: Blessed Are the Dead
Author: Kristi Belcamino
Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
The Big Rewind
Original title used in query letter: No Awkward Goodbyes
Author: Libby Cudmore
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Untold Damage
Author: Robert K. Lewis
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
A Bad Day for Sorry
Author: Sophie Littlefield
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Women Sleuths
The Phoenix Reich
Original title used in query letter: The Phoenix Conspiracy
Author: Joshua Lisec
Genre: Thriller, Adventure
Fantasy
Tiger’s Curse
Author: Colleen Houck
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Soulless
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk, Gothic Romance, Fantasy
By Darkness Hid
Original title used in query letter: Prince Gidon
Author: Jill Williamson
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Religious Fiction
Magic Lost, Trouble Found
Original title used in query letter: Thief of Souls
Author: Lisa Shearin
Genre: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
Luck in the Shadows
Author: Lynn Flewelling
Genre: Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Throne of Glass
Original title used in query letter: Queen of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas (The novel launched by this successful query letter took the young adult world by storm.)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
The Demon’s Lexicon
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: Paranormal & Urban Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
Enchanted, Inc.
Original title used in query letter: Magic, Spells and Illusions, Inc.
Author: Shanna Swendson
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy, Chick Lit, Women’s Fiction
Keeper
Author: Kim Chance
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy
An Enchantment of Ravens
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Midnight Thief
Author: Livia Blackburne
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
The Iron Witch
Author: Karen Mahoney
Genre: Young, Adult, Urban Fantasy
The Accidental Demon Slayer
Author: Angie Fox
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Monstrous
Author: MarcyKate Connolly
Genre: Children’s Books, Fantasy, Young Adult
Gates of Thread and Stone
Author: Lori M. Lee
Genre: Fantasy
Bitten & Smitten
Author: Michelle Rowen
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Vampire Literature
The Whitefire Crossing
Author: Courtney Schafer
Genre: Crime Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Adventure, Historical Fantasy
All the Stars and Teeth
Author: Adalyn Grace
Genre: Fantasy
City of Lies
Author: Sam Hawke
Genre: Fantasy
Midsummer’s Mayhem
Author: Rajani LaRocca
Genre: Fantasy
The Secret Ingredient of Wishes
Author: Susan Bishop Crispell
Genre: Magical Realism, Fantasy
The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Genre: Romance, High Fantasy, Fantasy
Blackwing
Author: Edward David McDonald
Genre: Fantasy, Apocalyptic Fiction
Mystery/Suspense
Prime Time
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Genre: Mystery, Women’s
The Night Child
Original title used in query letter: Split
Author: Anna Quinn
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Women’s, Psychological Thriller
The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors
Author: Michele Young-Stone
Genre: Mystery
The Lost Night
Author: Andrea Bartz
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction
The Prey
Author: Allison Brennan
Genre: Romance, Suspense, Psychological Fiction
Trust Me, I’m Lying
Author: Mary Elizabeth Summer
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
Nonfiction
You Can’t Get There from Here: A Year on the Fringes of a Shrinking World
Original title used in query letter: Hobbits on the Silk Road
Author: Gayle Forman
Genre: Autobiography, Travel
The Hand-Me-Down PC
Author: Morris Rosenthal
Genre: Nonfiction
War Is Boring
Author: David Axe
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir
Over-the-Counter Natural Cures
Original title used in query letter: The Wal-Mart Cure
Author: Shane Ellison
Genre: Nonfiction, Health
Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon: A Guide to the Best Time to Buy This, Do That and Go There
Original title used in query letter: Timing Is Everything: A Guide to the Best Time to Buy This, Do That and Go There
Author: Mark Di Vincenzo
Genre: Nonfiction, Reference
Dumbemployed
Author: Phil Edwards & Matt Kraft
Genre: Humor, Anthology, Nonfiction
Hidden Cities: Travels to the Secret Corners of the World’s Great Metropolises: A Memoir of Urban Exploration
Original title used in query letter: Hidden Cities: Inside the Secret World of Urban Explorers
Author: Moses Gates
Genre: Travel Memoir
You’ll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny
Author: Suzanne Hansen
Genre: Memoir, Humor
Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own
Author: Doreen Orion
Genre: Memoir, Humor, Travel
River of No Return: Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Woman He Loved
Original title used in query letter: Ernie and His Lovely Wife, Betty
Author: Jeffrey Buckner Ford
Genre: Autobiographies, Memoirs
Peaches & Daddy: A Story of the Roaring 20s, the Birth of Tabloid Media & Courtship That Captured the Heart and Imagination of the American Public
Author: Michael Greenburg
Genre: Nonfiction
Frantic Francis: How One Coach’s Madness Changed Football
Original title used in query letter: The Rise and Fall of Francis Schmidt
Author: Brett Perkins
Genre: Nonfiction, Biographies
The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story
Original title used in query letter: Becoming Whole, Writing Your Healing Story
Author: Linda Myers
Genre: Self-Help, Nonfiction
Romance
Sandhill Dreams
Original title used in query letter: A Fort Robinson Summer
Author: Cara Putman
Genre: Historical Romance, Religious Fiction, Western & Frontier
Proof by Seduction
Author: Courtney Milan
Genre: Historical Romance
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Original title used in query letter: The Panama Hotel
Author: Jamie Ford (This successful query letter was for the author’s debut novel.)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Family Saga
Rumble on the Bayou
Author: Jana DeLeon
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural, Contemporary Romance
Only with You
Author: Lauren Layne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
The Healer’s Apprentice
Original title used in query letter: The Woodcutter’s Daughter
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Genre: Teens, Religious Fiction, Historical Romance
Catching Jordan
Original title used in query letter: Score
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
The Notebook
Author: Nicholas Sparks (A successful query letter from a famous romance author.)
Genre: Historical Romance
Private Arrangements
Original title used in query letter: Schemes of Love
Author: Sherry Thomas
Genre: Historical Romance
A Gift of Grace
Author: Amy Clipston
Genre: Amish, Christian Fiction, Romance
A Royal Pain
Author: Megan Mulry
Genre: Regency Romance, Women’s Fiction
The Siren
Author: Tiffany Reisz
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Letters from Home
Author: Kristina Mcmorris
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Historical, Romance
A Widow’s Hope
Author: Mary Ellis
Genre: Amish, Christian Fiction, Romance
Grave Intentions
Author: Lori Sjoberg
Genre: Romance, Paranormal
Devil on a Sparrow’s Wing
Author: Calista Taylor
Genre: Steampunk, Romance
Dark Desires
Author: Eve Silver
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction
Karma Girl
Author: Jennifer Estep
Genre: Humor, Fiction, Romance, Paranormal Romance
The Husband Trap
Author: Tracy Anne Warren
Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency Fiction
Some Kind of Magic
Author: Mary Ann Marlowe
Genre: Erotic Romance, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Caged in Winter
Author: Brighton Walsh
Genre: Romance, New Adult
Unethical
Author: Jennifer Blackwood
Genre: Romance, New Adult
Chasing Crazy
Author: Kelly Siskind
Genre: Romance, Coming-of-Age, New Adult
Sorcerer to the Crown
Author: Zen Cho
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Science Fiction
Ancillary Justice
Original title used in query letter: Justice of Toren
Author: Ann Leckie
Genre: Science Fiction
Death Thieves
Original title used in query letter: The Revolution
Author: Julie Wright
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Hazzardous Universe
Author: Julie Wright
Genre: Science Fiction, Children’s Books, Fantasy, Adventure
The Daedalus Incident
Author: Michael J. Martinez
Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction
The Disasters
Author: M.K. England
Genre: Science Fiction
Taken
Author: Erin Bowman
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Dystopian Fiction
Planetside
Author: Michael Mammay
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
A Spark of White Fire
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy
Here and Now and Then
Author: Mike Chen
Genre: Science Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Time Travel Fiction
Women’s Literature
The Arrivals
Author: Meg Mitchell Moore
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Domestic Fiction
She Came from Beyond!
Original title used in query letter: She Came from Beyond
Author: Nadine Darling
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Domestic Fiction
The Art of Falling
Author: Kathryn Craft
Genre: Women’s Fiction
The Weird Sisters
Author: Eleanor Brown
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Domestic Fiction
Simply from Scratch
Author: Alicia Bessette
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Contemporary
Stay
Author: Allie Larkin
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Take It Like a Mom
Original title used in query letter: Better Than T.V.
Author: Stephanie Stiles
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Humor, Domestic Fiction
If You Follow Me
Original title used in query letter: Repeat After Me
Author: Malena Watrous
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
The Last Will of Moira Leahy
Author: Therese Walsh
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary
The Department of Lost & Found
Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Domestic Fiction
Young Adult Fiction
If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman (This bestselling author shares several successful query letters on her blog.)
Genre: Young Adult, Bildungsroman, Social & Family Issues, Realistic Fiction
The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner (This successful query letter launched a famous young adult series.)
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Pride and Popularity
Author: Jenni James
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
THE DUFF
Author: Kody Keplinger
Genre: Young Adult, Teens, Romantic Comedy, Social & Family Issues
Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer (This query letter example launched a popular young adult fairytale series.)
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian
Give up the Ghost
Author: Megan Crewe
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
A Wicked Thing
Original title used in query letter: After
Author: Rhiannon Thomas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Under a Painted Sky
Original title used in query letter: Golden Boys
Author: Stacey Lee
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Adventure
Origin
Original title used in query letter: Perfectly Pia
Author: Jessica Khoury
Genre: Young Adult
Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Not a Drop to Drink
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
The Heir and the Spare
Author: Emily Albright
Genre: Young Adult
As You Wish
Original title used in query letter: There Are No Stars in Caliban
Author: Jackson Pearce
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy, Romance
You’re Welcome, Universe
Author: Whitney Gardner
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Sad Perfect
Author: Stephanie Elliot
Genre: Young Adult
Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings
Author: Helene Boudreau
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
The Weight of Zero
Author: Karen Fortunati
Genre: Young Adult, Social & Family Issues
A Death-Struck Year
Author: Makiia Lucier
Genre: Young, Adult, Historical
Falls the Shadow
Author: Stefanie Gaither
Genre: Young, Adult, Science Fiction
The Rules for Disappearing
Author: Ashley Elston
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller
Ink
Author: Amanda Sun
Genre: Young, Adult, Fantasy
Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars
Original title used in query letter: Skyship Academy
Author: Nick James
Genre: Young Adult, Children’s Books, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Oh. My. Gods.
Original title used in query letter: Growing Up Godly
Author: Tera Lynn Child
Genre: Young Adult, Mythology, Fantasy
The Liar Society
Author: Lisa & Laura Roecker
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Wildefire
Author: Karsten Knight
Genre: Young, Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Mythology
Freefall
Author: Mindi Scott
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon
Author: Sara Beitia
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense
Losing Faith
Author: Denise Jaden
Shadow Hills
Author: Anastasia Hopcus
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
I Was a Teenage Popsicle
Author: Bev Katz Rosenbaum
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
A Match Made in High School
Author: Kristin Walker
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Tagged
Author: Mara Purnhagen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters
Original title used in query letter: My Big Nose & Other Natural Disasters
Author: Sydney Salter
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Wake
Original title used in query letter: Janie Hannagan: Dream Catcher
Author: Lisa McMann
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Extraction
Author: Stephanie Diaz
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Eighth Grade Superzero
Original title used in query letter: Long Time No Me
Author: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Genre: Young Adult, Humor, Middle Grade
The Nightmare Affair
Author: Mindee Arnett
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult, Fantasy
The Weight of Our Sky
Author: Hanna Alkaf
Genre: Young Adult
Never, Never
Author: Brianna Shrum
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Truest
Author: Jackie Lea Sommers
Genre: Young Adult
Love, Hate, and Other Filters
Author: Samira Ahmed
Genre: Young Adult
When the Beat Drops
Author: Anna Hecker
Genre: Young Adult
Brave Enough
Author: Kati Gardner
Genre: Young Adult
Lunav
Author: Jenn Polish
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan
Author: Gia Cribbs
Genre: Young Adult
Did these famous query letters inspire you? If you’re ready to start pursuing a publishing deal for your book, get in touch with our team of experts. We can help you craft a successful query letter, a manuscript synopsis, and other material to pitch your book to a literary agent or publisher and get you one step closer to achieving your goals.