The metadata paragraph in a query letter

Having spent time in the querying trenches myself, and now that I’m sitting on the other side as a junior literary agent at Birch Literary, there are things I’ve learned over the years about how to write a query letter. One thing I’ve noticed in some of the query letters I’ve received as an agent is the lack of a metadata paragraph.

So, what is a metadata paragraph? And why do you need one in a query letter? What should it include?

Let’s take a look.

Why you need a metadata paragraph

Your metadata paragraph is an incredibly important part of your query letter. The best position for this paragraph in your query letter is up for debate (some agents prefer it as the first paragraph, whereas others prefer it after your pitch – I fall among the former group), but where you put it won’t be a dealbreaker for an agent. Just make sure to include it!

First and foremost, it gives the agent you’re querying a quick overview of your novel, which saves them time (something that’s highly valued by agents who receive hundreds of submissions!).

It also shows professionalism. Including a metadata paragraph in your query letter shows you’ve done your research, and you know what the publishing industry requires. In addition, it shows you know where your novel would sit on a bookstore’s shelves, and the audience it would appeal to.

What should it include?

There are some key points your metadata paragraph in your query letter should include. They are:

• Manuscript title

• Word count (to the nearest thousand)

• Audience (adult, NA, YA, MG)

• Genre (or sub-genre, if applicable)

• Comparable titles (2-3, preferably recent, and at least one book)

Let’s take a look at each of these.

Manuscript title

I’m pleased to say that all the queries I’ve received so far have included this piece of information! But this is crucial – include your manuscript title! And write it in all caps so it stands out:

THE BURNING HOUSE is a…

Word count

Another thing an agent likes to know upfront is your manuscript’s word count. This is because there are word count restraints in traditional publishing, especially for debut authors.

Books are expensive to make and print in physical copies, so the more words in your book, the more expensive it will be to make as it will require more pages.

Debut authors are not afforded the same luxuries as established authors when it comes to manuscript length, so try to make sure your manuscript adapts to generally accepted industry standards. I find this article by The Novelry to be helpful as it gives you ballpark ranges by audience and by genre.

If your word count doesn’t fall within these approximate ranges (for example, if it’s 250,000 words long), you may be setting yourself up for disappointment when querying agents. An agent will likely be unable to sell that manuscript to a publisher because you don’t have the track record of George R. R. Martin or other bestsellers who write books the size of doorstoppers. So make sure you edit that manuscript and try to keep that word count down!

THE BURNING HOUSE is a 90,000 word…

Audience

You also want to mention the audience your book is aimed at. In other words, have you written a novel for adults? Could it be classed as New Adult (NA)? Young Adult (YA)? Or is it Middle Grade (MG) fiction?

Make sure you’re querying agents who represent manuscripts written for your chosen audience age category.

THE BURNING HOUSE is a 90,000 word adult…

Genre (or sub-genre)

This one is also critical. An agent loves to know what genre they’re dealing with. Many agents accept submissions in multiple genres, so it’s good to let them know in your query letter what category your novel falls within.

If you can be more granular and include a sub-genre (e.g. paranormal romance, high fantasy, cosy mystery), do it! Again, this shows off your knowledge of the publishing industry.

It also shows if you’ve done your research – does the agent you’re querying even represent your genre? Don’t submit to agents who don’t represent your genre, even if you think you’ve written the best book in history. You’re only setting yourself up for an automatic rejection.

If you’ve written a book in genre X, but an agent only represents genres Y and Z, then query an agent who represents genre X, because why wouldn’t you want someone to represent you who knows that genre well and who can be a true champion of your work?

THE BURNING HOUSE is a 90,000 word adult women’s fiction novel…

Comparable titles

Lastly, you should include comparable titles, also known as “comp titles” or simply “comps.”

Some people choose movies and TV series among their comparable titles, and that’s fine—just make sure at least one of your comps is a book.

In addition, these should be recent comparable titles (we’re talking in the last five years, although I’ve seen some agents ask for even more recent titles) in your genre, and you want to include two or three.

When using comparable titles, it’s helpful if you state what it is about those comparable titles that make them similar to your book. For example, you could say something like:

THE BURNING HOUSE is a 90,000 word adult women’s fiction novel that will appeal to fans of the complicated sibling relationships in Coco Mellors’ ‘Blue Sisters’ and the themes of grief and loss in Alison Espach’s ‘The Wedding People.’

What this part of your metadata paragraph does is it shows the agent (again) that you’ve done your research, and you also know how to pitch your book. It orients the agent in what to expect, and it also helps them when it comes to pitching your book to editors, should they decide to offer you representation.

Metaphorical bonus points if you use a comp title that the agent has represented or that they’ve mentioned enjoying on their wish list – I know it certainly makes me sit up and take notice!

And that’s it! If you’ve got any questions about the metadata paragraph in a query letter, let me know in the comments.

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