Idea Stage: Widely-Supported (what does this mean? Click here.)
Read time: 2 minutes
Below is a query letter template that I used for querying non-fiction book agents. If you want to see an agent edit query letters publicly, visit Query Shark. This is the best query letter resource in the game.
I have added section titles to my letter below. Do not add these to yours.
You can also find my book proposal here and an essay about authorship here.
—-
Dear So-and-So Literary Agency,
INTRO
In the two years that Andrew Yang ran for president, he went from total unknown to sensation, shocking the political world. Imposter Revolutionary contains the answer to the gnawing question millions have been asking about Andrew Yang’s remarkable online movement — how the hell did that happen?
SUMMARY
Frawley, the “Imposter Revolutionary”, grew up on the internet as a 300 pound, politically disaffected, insecurity riddled video-game-addict and C-student. After losing 100 pounds and changing his life, Frawley spent his college years obsessing over big change. His dreams of changing the world were crushed in college when he was denied from Andrew Yang's organization, Venture for America. Years later, a chance meeting with Andrew Yang revives those dreams when Yang invites Frawley to join his campaign for president as a founding member.
In December of 2017, Andrew Frawley joined as the campaign’s second employee; at that time, the operation was running out of Yang’s mother’s apartment. In his role as the campaign’s Digital Director, Frawley, aged 24 at the time, was entrusted with founding and developing the campaign’s marketing department, where his team created many of the organization’s notable successes, including the “MATH” hat, the “Google Andrew Yang” slogan, the campaign’s “best in politics” merchandise, and helped build and direct the Yang Gang’s online takeover in 2019.
Often feeling out of his league, Frawley’s point of view serves as a deeply personal lens through which to tell the story of Andrew Yang’s campaign, as well as the story of a societally disaffected young man who takes a leap of faith, dreams blindly, fails, learns, and ultimately builds something of great significance.
INFORMATION, AUDIENCE, WORD COUNT, COMPETITIVE TITLES
IMPOSTER REVOLUTIONARY is a political memoir and author’s debut of approximately 105,000 words. This book is a view into the idiosyncrasies of Andrew Yang, a playbook for online movements, a cautionary tale for scaling startups, a commentary on the political establishment, and a journey of self-growth. Imposter Revolutionary will speak to a wide-ranging audience of Yang Gang members, political junkies, disaffected young men, change-hungry millennials, and early-stage startup employees. A few competitive titles include Unbelievable by Katy Tur, Trust Me, I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday, and Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.
WHO IS THIS ASSHOLE ANDREW
Andrew Frawley is a marketer and business builder by trade. Frawley has worked on a dozen startups in both Silicon Valley and Richmond, Virginia. He received a B.A. in Brand Management, and certificates of Venture Creation & Product Innovation from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016. He has been writing on his blog for the past six years, and have contributed works to The Guardian, Thrive Global, LifeHack, and Startup Grind. His writing on the popular question and answer forum, Quora, has been viewed over two million times.
RESEARCH ABOUT THE AGENCY LOOK I TRIED HARD
I am querying So-and-So literary and agent So-and-So as a top choice for this book’s representation. I first discovered you all through David Litt’s Thanks, Obama, and fell fast in love. What I admire most, beyond the litany of incredible authors you represent including Ariely and Caldini, is Daniel’s palpable love for books, which makes the agency seem personal and inviting. Additionally, this agency’s cross-section of published works ranging from poignant political books (Notorious RBG) to explorations of business (Principles), technology (The Four), and psychology (Contagious) suggest that Imposter Revolutionary would be a perfect fit. It would be an honor to work with you all.
CONCLUSION
Within my proposal’s marketing plan, I believe you will find a compelling sales vision for this book. Though I am a new author, I have an established media network and access to rare tools that will make for strong sales.
Included are my sample chapter and book proposal for review. You may reach me at xxx.xxx.xxxx. or xxx@andrewfrawley.com.
- Andrew Frawley