Query Shark
by Janet Reid · Query Shark (Blogger)
Archive of hundreds of real query letters critiqued line by line by literary agent Janet Reid, often across several revisions. It shows what agents look for: character, desire, obstacle, stakes and comps in about 250-300 words. Closed to new submissions. No other free resource shows this many before-and-after queries with agent reasoning.
More resources on Getting Published (Agents & Querying)
QueryTracker
Researching and shortlisting agents is a core step of querying. Free database of about 1,900 literary agents with genres, submission guidelines and crowd-reported response times and request rates, plus a tool for tracking the queries you send. An optional premium tier adds extra statistics.
Model Trade Book Contract (with Commentary)
The Authors Guild's clause-by-clause model publishing contract. Each of its 36 sections, including grant of rights, advances, royalties, subsidiary rights, reversion and generative AI, comes with commentary explaining what the clause does and how authors can negotiate better terms. Primary-source reference for the contracts and advances part of the topic. The interactive section pages can be read without login.
Writer Beware: Literary Agents
SFWA's reference on telling legitimate literary agents from scammers and amateurs. It covers commission-only norms (15% domestic, 20-30% foreign), upfront-fee red flags, fake agency impersonation, author-agent agreements and how to check an agent's sales record. Protects querying writers from the main risk in this process, predatory agents. Updated December 2025.
How to Write a Novel or Memoir Synopsis
Guide to the 1-2 page synopsis agents request with submissions. It covers length, third-person present tense, revealing the ending, pairing plot events with character reactions, and common mistakes such as confusing a synopsis with back-cover copy. Updated September 2025.
The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition
University of Chicago Press guide to how the publishing industry works: agents, queries, proposals, advances, royalties, contracts, rights and author platform. The second edition updates every chapter and adds business/legal issues, end-of-chapter exercises and sample materials.
Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published
Jane Friedman's overview of the traditional publishing path: deciding whether you need an agent, researching agents and publishers, query letters, synopses, nonfiction proposals, submission materials, contract negotiation and common reasons manuscripts get rejected. Best free end-to-end map of the process; a single hub that links to her deeper guides on each step, so it serves as the entry point for the topic. Updated February 2025.