A Query Letter that Sold a Book

Author John Quinn did his homework. He studied the elements of a query letter, then penned the query below. All it takes is one agent to like a query and request the proposal or manuscript, decide to represent and make a sale. In John’s case, that agent was the talented Claire Gerus, who proceeded to sell John’s book, Someone Like Me, to History Publishing. Note the hook used to begin the letter. It immediately draws you in and keeps you reading.

Dear Ms. Gerus:

I have a secret I want to share with you, a secret that only a few people in the entire world know…so far.  I was born with cerebral palsy and I joined the United States Navy.  I’ve only had to keep that secret for my entire twenty-year career as a sailor.

My memoir, Someone Like Me: My Secret Life with Cerebral Palsy, is a reflection on my struggles and successes in life, from childhood physical therapy sessions with “The Administer of Pain,” through my illustrious high-school wrestling career where I never won a match, to enlisting in the service, keeping my handicap a secret from Navy officials and finally culminating in my retirement ceremony. It is an inspirational memoir, full of nostalgic and quirky dialogue garnered from growing up in a large family in the 1970’s and 80’s, and of course naval anecdotes and humor that make this a most enjoyable read.

When I first had dreams of writing my memoir, I wanted to see what similar books were available on this subject; someone successfully living with cerebral palsy, describing what that experience is like in adulthood.  To my astonishment, I could not find anything comparable.  Most of the material is primarily focused on infants and parenthood, i.e. “Your baby has cerebral palsy, now what?”  There are medical journals available telling me all about the various types and causes of CP, as well as countless legal manuals explaining my rights to possible legal action.  Someone Like Me is a unique book, filling the empty gap in current available literature, a book written by an adult with cerebral palsy, a handicap that affects over 750,000 in the United States.

Like Men of Honor or the New York Times bestseller No Excuses – The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life, I overcame a physical handicap to prove that anything is possible if only given the chance.  What is different about my story is that I succeeded in my chosen career by keeping my cerebral palsy secret; completely fooling Navy officials who could have discharged me immediately had they discovered my physical handicaps, and quite possibly prosecuted me for the deception.

This book offers a fresh and timely adult perspective and is marketable to a wide audience including 26 million military veterans; two million active duty personnel; medical professionals who can point to my success with physical therapy; and those afflicted with muscular handicaps such as polio, MS, and of course, cerebral palsy. In addition, at 62,000 words, it is short enough not to be cost-prohibitive to most publishing houses.

It would be an honor to work with you on this project. I have attached the first chapter of my book to give you a sense of my writing style.  May I send you a copy of the completed manuscript?

Sincerely,

John W. Quinn, Senior Chief Petty Officer, USN, Retired