Question: So a fellow tiquee has asked, “is winning a free-tique round a credential for a query letter?” Good question.
Answer: As much as Snoop would like everyone to believe that he is world-famous, Cynthea must deflate his ego and say, “No, you should not include any mention of your success in a free-tique round in your query letters.” You’ll have many agents and editors going, “What the heck is a free-tique?” Along with that, you should also avoid mentioning Cynthea or Snoop’s name in your query letters unless you have Cynthea or Snoop’s permission to do so. In fact, this applies for ANY AUTHOR you happen to know. The exception to this rule is you’ve read the author’s books, believe you write something similar, and are making contact with an agent or editor because you feel the agent or editor might like your book simply on the grounds of taste. In no way should you imply to the agent or editor you know the author on a personal level unless the author is referring you to the agent or editor specifically.
ABOVE ALL, please remember YOUR PITCH and YOUR WRITING should speak for itself. In the children’s book writing field, that is really all you need. NO STREET CREDS REQUIRED. No lie!
For more information on writing a great query, read post, anatomy of a query letter. Happy subbing,
Cynthea
SNOOP SAYS:
You mean I’m not a street cred?!