What credentials should you put in your query letter?

At the end of a query letter, it’s important to write something about yourself. But…what do you write?

Some people write about where they got their college degrees from. Or perhaps how long they’ve been working on this manuscript. But is that necessary? Let’s find out!

Degrees (BA OR MFA)

Degrees are usually only necessary for nonfiction titles. For example, if you wrote a book on World War II, it would be helpful if you had a history degree. That would showcase your knowledge.

However, if you wrote a sci-fi book and wanted to talk about your English BA or MFA, it’s not as important. You can mention it, but it’s not a must.

Prominent Publications

Yes! If you have been published before, mention it. Don’t spend forever talking about it, but a quick sentence or two is great.

Similarly, if you’ve gotten awards from any publications, mention those as well. Shows your work is worth reading.

Relevant Story / Similar Situation

If you’ve experienced something similar to your story, it would be good to mention. It shows you have some connections to the story.

Random facts about yourself

Please no. Agents have a limited amount of time to read queries. One of the agents I heard from said that she reads query letters at night, during dinner. They don’t need to hear anything too personal or random fun facts about you. Keep it out.

Above all

Sound confident. Even if you’re not, sell it. The agent doesn’t want to hear your insecurities. The maybes and the mights are to be left out. It makes you sound like you’re not ready.

However, don’t sound too proud by saying your book is the next Percy Jackson. That’s not a promise you can keep.

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I hope this helps! If you have any questions or thought of any other points to mention, leave a comment below!

Also, I have more posts about queries here.