The Query
How do you write to editors to gauge their interest? Here is a template.
Your goal: be concise but informative about who you are, what your book is about, and how it might fit that publisher.
Dear ________,
I wanted to reach out because I’m finishing a book manuscript that may be of interest to Yale University Press. It’s called ________ and is a study of _____________. The book also explores __________.
I am conceiving the book as something that could reach not only historians of ________, but also general readers intersted in _________. I think that it could complement some of the recent scholarship that Yale University Press has recently published placing ________ in a __________ context, including ________, ____________, and _________. I think it could also sit nicely with YUP’s publications on the long history of ________, such as _________ as well as ____________.
Please let me know if this is something that you might be interested in discussing more. I have completed _________ of the manuscript, and I would also be happy to send a full proposal and an introduction/sample chapter.
All my best,
Name
Title
Institution
Phone