My Query Letter
It was 2022, my junior year of college. I had a draft of a pirate fantasy novel, a dream to publish it, and no idea how to get there. So, I did what any slightly-deranged college student + aspiring author would do: I read every author blog I could find on the internet, usually at 2am with an unhealthy amount of dark chocolate on hand. (A special shout out goes to Chloe Gong’s blog here—her posts truly kept me sane and somehow convinced me that I was still better off chasing the writer dream than going to law school).
Those authors taught me how to write a query letter to pitch my book to literary agents. But even more than that, they sparked the absurd level of starry-eyed enthusiasm needed to send a book baby out into the world.
Thus, given my profound and undying appreciation for author blogs, I feel like I’m obligated to contribute my own small offering to the Internet in the hopes that somewhere, someday, another writer will read this and be reminded that their story is simply too beautiful not to share.
So without further ado, I now present the Query Letter That Started It All:
Dear [AGENT NAME],
Ximena Reale is certain of one thing: the only good pirate is a dead one.
The top candidate at La Academia, she has trained for eight years to become one of the black-cloaked Cazadores, seafaring hunters who capture the pirates pillaging the Luzan Empire. But for a daughter of the notorious Reales—pirate captains who were executed for their crimes—it will take more than passing the Royal Examination to win her Cazadora cloak. Ximena scours La Academia’s Archives for something, anything, that might point her toward her one chance at redemption: Gasparilla. The greatest pirate alive. The ultimate prize.
A man who may or may not exist.
So when a pirate calling himself Gasparilla attacks Luza’s capital and steals every coin in the Empire’s vaults, Ximena leaps at her chance. She offers to catch Gasparilla in exchange for her Cazadora cloak, an offer the Empire accepts, with one catch: she must compete against Dante De León, the pompous son of Luza’s High Minister, who will lose his inheritance if he fails to best her.
With their futures on the line, Ximena and Dante set out on a dangerous quest across the Luzan Archipelago, led by a turncoat member of Gasparilla’s crew. But no matter how far Ximena sails, her family’s pirate legacy continues to haunt her, forcing her to question the very laws she kills to uphold. Has she been fighting on the wrong side all along?
XIMENA REALE AND THE LEGEND OF GASPARILLA* is an #ownvoices YA fantasy complete at 95,000 words. It is perfect for readers who loved the high seas adventure of Adrienne Young’s FABLE and the Spanish-inspired romance of Isabel Ibañez’s TOGETHER WE BURN. It is the first in a planned series.
I specifically wanted to query you because [personalized reason].
I am a rising senior at Princeton University studying English with a focus on Creative Writing. However, I am originally from Florida, where I live with my family of Latin immigrants and dream of setting sail.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Cassandra James
*the title was changed later on in the publishing process