⏳ Weekly Writing Contest | February 2: Query Letter
Submit your entry by Friday, February 7, 5pm GMT / 12pm ET / 9am PT
Welcome to the Weekly Writers' Hour Contest!
This week's challenge invites you to step into the role of a pitching author and write a query letter that hooks a literary agent from the very first line.
Prompt: Query Letter
Write a query letter (for a real or imagined book) designed to capture an agent's attention and spark their curiosity.
A query letter is a concise pitch that introduces your book, highlights its unique hook, and showcases why you're the right person to write it. This is your chance to refine a pitch for an existing manuscript or dream up the book you’ve always wanted to write—no limits, just creativity!
Need more guidance on your query letter? Check out our How to Write a Query Letter Agents Will Love—a resource packed with key elements, examples, and a handy template to help you craft a compelling pitch.
Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible for this contest.
Submissions are due by Friday, February 7th at 5pm GMT / 12pm ET / 9am PT
Keep reading for more information on prizes and FAQs – plus an introduction to this week’s guest judge, literary agent James Spackman.
Happy writing!
The Writers’ Hour Magazine Team
Meet Our Guest Judge: James Spackman
James’ book career, which started glamorously in the postroom of Bloomsbury Publishing, has involved sales and marketing roles there, at John Murray and at Hodder. He was MD of Watkins (then part of Osprey Group) before setting up on his own.
He now commissions geeky books about cycling for Profile, under the imprint Pursuit. In 2018 he set up The bks Agency with two ex Hodder colleagues. He coaches publishers and agents in presentation skills as The Book Pitch Doctor and he is also founder of The Spare Room Project (sponsored by Penguin Random House) which finds free accommodation for interns in London.
🎙️ Join us for live query letter feedback with James
🗓️ Wednesday, February 12th at 6pm UK / 1pm ET / 10am PT
🎟️ Grab a ticket (LWS Silver & Gold Members: Free RSVP Here.)
A Note from James:
A few things to consider as you do this task:
1. It's tricky! As with many things in the book industry (see, for example, book cover copy) you're balancing intrigue with explanation. You want to provoke interest and curiosity while also being clear and transparent. The exact formula will depend on you and your work, and how it fits into the market.
2. Remember you're selling, not submitting for an award. Publishing is not a meritocracy of books in which quality is fairly recognised; it is creative commerce. Present your work and yourself to an agent as a professional opportunity.
3. Bear in mind you're selling your work but also putting yourself forward as a collaborator and colleague. It's hard to know whether you'll click with a particular agent, but if you present yourself authentically, you're giving someone a chance to feel like they might enjoy working with you.
How to Submit:
Submissions should be made through our online submission platform, Submittable, and formatted as a Word Doc.
For more details, please read the full Contest Guidelines.
The winning entries will receive:
First Prize:
$65 USD (£50 GBP)
Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine
3-months of London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership (£79 value)
Commemorative Writers’ Hour trophy mug
Second Prize:
Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine
1-month of London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership (£29 value)
Third Prize:
Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine
FAQs:
What genres can I write in?
All genres - fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc - are welcome.Is there a word limit?
Your piece must be 500 words or less. Pieces that exceed this will not be considered. There is no minimum word limit.Do I need to submit in a specific format?
Please follow the instructions outlined in the Contest Guidelines.When is the deadline to submit?
Submissions are due by Friday, February 7 at 5pm GMT / 12pm ET / 9am PT. Submissions received outside this window will not be considered.When will the winner be announced?
The winner will be contacted via Submittable, and the winning entry will be published in Writers’ Hour Magazine by Saturday, February 22nd.Can I submit a piece I’ve already published?
Only previously unpublished pieces are eligible for this contest. (Published means anything that has already been made publicly available in print or online.)Is there a fee to submit?
No, there is no fee to submit. However you must be subscribed to Writers’ Hour Magazine in order for your submission to be considered.
Congratulations to winners of The Untold Story!
We are thrilled to share the contest results for the week of January 12. Writers were asked to explore a story they’d never shared before. Special thanks once again to our guest judge,
.First Place: You Are a Planet Haunting My Town by Lauren Lofthus
Second Place: 20 Years Since That Day by
Third Place: The Box by Elaina Parsons
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who participated. It’s a pleasure to share these pieces with you, and we can’t wait to see what you create this week.
PS - Write With Us
✍️ Join us every weekday at Writers’ Hour. Come work on your submission at Writers' Hour—our daily silent writing sprints—where writers from around the world come together to work on their projects. It’s the perfect environment to focus, share space with other writers, and make progress on your contest entry.
🗝️ Curious how symbols can unlock your writing? This week we’re kicking off WRITE THE SIGNS: Follow the Clues in Your Creative Life. Over 5 weeks, we’ll help you reconnect with the images, themes, and stories that want to guide your creative path. Paid Substack subscribers and LWS Members get £50-off.