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427 E Colorado Ave
Colorado Springs, CO, 80903
United States

719-520-1899

QUERY LETTERS

 

Query Letters FOR PUBLISHING: 
Master the art of the pitch
INSTRUCTOR: BETH ILER

The query letter: a single page that can open doors to your dream agent or land in the rejection pile in thirty seconds. No pressure, right?  

This four-week program demystifies the query letter process. You'll learn exactly what agents want to see, how to distill your complex story into a compelling pitch, and how to present yourself as a professional worth their time. No more paralysis over that blank page or anxiety about whether you're "doing it right." By the end of this class, you'll have the knowledge and confidence to query with purpose.

What You'll Learn

  • Week 1: Query Fundamentals - The three essential components, formatting standards, and what agents are really looking for

  • Week 2: Crafting Your Story Pitch - Identifying your core conflict and stakes, writing opening hooks that grab attention, and distilling complex plots into compelling 250-word summaries

  • Week 3: The Professional Package - Using comp titles effectively, personalizing your queries, presenting your credentials, and understanding genre positioning

  • Week 4: Polish & Strategy - Common pitfalls and how to avoid them, revision techniques, building your agent list, submission etiquette, and what happens after you hit "send"

You'll draft, revise, and polish your query through guided exercises and structured feedback. We'll dissect successful query letters across multiple genres, analyze what makes them work, and immediately apply those techniques to your own pitch.

Each week includes dedicated writing time, peer review sessions, and personalized instructor feedback. You'll workshop your query through multiple drafts, learning to see your own work with an agent's eye. We'll troubleshoot individual challenges together.

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Beth Iler is an independent editor, journalist, and author with a BS in Journalism and an MA in Publishing. With over ten years of editing experience, she brings versatility and precision to every project. She enjoys hiking, going to poetry slams, and Swedish metal concerts. She reads way too many books at one time, from poetry to weird medical non-fiction. But her true love is fantasy and myths.