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Query 101 with Marina Lostetter *

True Lit 2025

Querying is one of the primary pathways to publication. Join us for an interactive lecture on the basics of querying a novel!

Literary agents have preexisting relationships with editors and publishers and possess industry expertise to help guide you through the business of publishing. Cold querying is often the most successful way to introduce yourself and your work to agents. What does it mean to query an agent? What is a query letter, and where do you send it? What’s the difference between an effective query letter and those that fizzle?

Participants in this class will hear an interactive lecture on the basics of querying a novel, in which they will learn how to identify suitable agents, how to compose a query letter, and how to follow up with query submissions. The class will break down five successful query letters, representing novels of different genres, which all led to offers of representation and eventual publication. By the end of the class, participants will have the tools and resources to compose an intriguing and professional query letter.

About the presenter 

The open skies and dense forests of the Pacific Northwest are ideal for growing speculative fiction authors--or, at least, Marina would like to think so. Originally from Oregon, she now resides in Arkansas with her spouse, Alex, one foundling dog, and two black cats. In her spare time she enjoys globetrotting, board games, and all things art-related. Her original short fiction has appeared in venues such as Lightspeed, Uncanny, and Shimmer Magazine.  Her space opera trilogy NOUMENON and the stand-alone space adventure ACTIVATION DEGRADATION are available from Harper Voyager. Her dark fantasy trilogy, The Five Penalties--which begins with THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT--is available from Tor. In addition, she has written tie-in materials for Star Citizen and the Aliens franchise. She is represented by DongWon Song of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, and she skeets on Bluesky as @MarinaLostetter.

True Lit is in collaboration with the Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville Public Schools, Fayetteville Public Education Foundation, and University of Arkansas Program in Creative Writing and Translation.

All abilities are welcome. For disability accommodations, call 479.856.7250 or email questions@faylib.org 2-3 weekdays before a program. Plan your visit by viewing our building map and details on accessibility services.

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