Time to Query!

I wanted to get some fence sitters to Just Do It! (Like from my last post) So here is my query letter that I sent out in December that helped me land an agent not only once but twice (my first agent let me go and I picked one up again within a week). Remember it takes tenacity, no matter how great your idea or book is! I sent it out to over 300 agents (emails only, I think paper is a thing of the past! It costs waaaaay to much in copying and postage and saves trees :) !) For the full story check out my blog olsens7.blogspot.com for my steps on how and what I did to hook an agent :) And remember also that the query letter is just the beginning! It's a very important baby step but still small..so what are you waiting for! Make the small step (even though it seems ginormous...silly word I know but it's fun) and jump into the biggest step and goal of your life...PUBLISHING that baby :)

I also included several pictures in the email to make it pop (they were not attachments, my hubby is a computer wiz for a living and did that for me). Most agents do not take attachments unless requested, so do not send out an email with one, also research your agents and personalize the email with their name!

Oh! One more thing! FINISH your book completely!

Or else....

Dear Agent,
Remember that old t-shirt that you loved; the feel, the color, everything about it, and then “BAM!”...a stain or rip right in the wrong place. With my new book, Tie It Up, your trash can become Couture Treasure! With just 3 easy steps, scissors and masking tape you can walk off the runway in over 200 hot NO-SEW design combinations. Who’s Zac Posen when you are the designer of over 200 fresh t-shirt design combination, over 50 hot skirts (that transform into over 50 killer tube-tops), unique scarves, legwarmers, spicy wristlets,jewelry, beanies and more…
My book includes step by step photographed instructions for each design, modeled designs, a short history of the t-shirt, a t-shirt challenge, scarf wearing ideas, hair tying ideas, purses, jewelry designs, book covers, book markers, sac buddies, doggie couture, an all new reverse dyeing technique, a create your own design page, even designs for those left over scraps and we're just warming up!
This book is targeted to children age 8 all the way to young women in their early 20's. The designs are fresh, flirty and easy to do. Not one requires any sewing. There is a book similar to Tie It Up, called Generation T. It is also about restructuring a t-shirt for a unique look. It is a huge hit in craft stores and book stores around the nation. But there is one problem, most of the designs require sewing. Tie it Up requires no sewing with even hotter results, like newer never before seen designs that mix and match with each other. Among these new designs that Tie It Up has to offer are style guides to wearing your new creation, ideas on what to do with the left over scraps ("Reduce, Reuse Recycle"), and a new reverse dyeing technique.
Tie It Up is new and hot. I have also developed a t-shirt in a can with 3 different designs inside to choose from. It was recently shown to a toy company and they received it enthusiastically! Check out my website for a sneak peak at http://www.tie-it-up.com/ .
Now a little about me, my first craft project was with my Grandmother when I was 12. It was a purse I made out of an old pair of jeans. Later as a young mother of 5, I found hidden treasures in others cast-offs. So when a shirt was too big...voila! Tie it up was born and I've been tying ever since. Teaching "How-To" classes in the community (ranging in ages 6 years to adult) has been a passion of mine for the past 10 years.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to an opportunity to share the entire manuscript with you soon.
Until then,
Have Fun,
Be Creative,
Look Fantastic!

Hope this gets you motivated and gets you going on your dreams. JUST DO IT!