My current WIP is an epic fantasy and, as I near completion of the first draft, I've found that writing a query letter helps me focus my editing. But, I have been struggling far more than usual to construct a query letter for this manuscript because it is so....well, it's epic. Lots of characters, vast continents with diverse locals, etc.
To get an idea of how to even write a query for an epic fantasy, I read the few online queries I could find and a million book covers (I know, not exactly the same as a query but I wanted to see how they're being marketed/presented to the public). I've found that they almost all start with "In a world where..." kind of construction, which I've been told is a terribly cliched no-no for queries. Virtually all advice is to narrow the focus onto the MC and I've tried that as well, but I've found it impossible to explain her goals/the stakes without some mention of the larger goings on. Especially since her goal changes dramatically at the first major turning point in the novel.
So, my latest thought is to basically write my query about the first 30 pages or so, because it provides a clear emotional and concrete goal for the MC. But, I feel like this is verging on misrepresenting the book because it is a goal that quickly becomes moot for the MC and it loses the major thrust of the overall story.
I would love any and all advice/thoughts on this. I know the ultimate goal of a query is to interest an agent enough to request pages, but I'm flailing like a baby giraffe here.
To get an idea of how to even write a query for an epic fantasy, I read the few online queries I could find and a million book covers (I know, not exactly the same as a query but I wanted to see how they're being marketed/presented to the public). I've found that they almost all start with "In a world where..." kind of construction, which I've been told is a terribly cliched no-no for queries. Virtually all advice is to narrow the focus onto the MC and I've tried that as well, but I've found it impossible to explain her goals/the stakes without some mention of the larger goings on. Especially since her goal changes dramatically at the first major turning point in the novel.
So, my latest thought is to basically write my query about the first 30 pages or so, because it provides a clear emotional and concrete goal for the MC. But, I feel like this is verging on misrepresenting the book because it is a goal that quickly becomes moot for the MC and it loses the major thrust of the overall story.
I would love any and all advice/thoughts on this. I know the ultimate goal of a query is to interest an agent enough to request pages, but I'm flailing like a baby giraffe here.