Writing Query Letters That Work with Editor Jonathan Baker

If you’ve ever sent a query letter into the void and wondered what actually happens next — this is the class you’ve been waiting for.

Publishing consultant Jonathan Baker has worked on both sides of the desk: as a literary agent and as an editor. He grew up with a literary agent in the family. For the past decade-plus, he’s been helping authors crack the query code, and he’s the kind of person who stays friends with agents, which means he knows things most writers don’t.

In this lively, warm, and surprisingly funny session with Manuscript Academy co-founder Julie Kingsley (who was actively querying whilethey filmed this — relatable), Jonathan walks through everything that actually matters in a query letter: what agents are feeling when they open your email, why emotional stakes are more important than plot summary, how to use comp titles without shooting yourself in the foot, when to mention your platform in paragraph one (yes, really), and why sending 100 queries at once is a mistake even if your letter is great.

There’s also a really honest conversation about interns, word count rules that aren’t actually rules, the Goodreads ratings trick for evaluating comp sales, and what it means to write a query that “stabs someone in the heart” — in the best possible way.

This one is packed, practical, and genuinely fun. Whether you’re drafting your first query or your fifteenth, you’ll leave with something to fix right now.