I'm not sure whether to laugh, rage or whack you all with a cluestick. Maybe all three.
Honestly, you'd think one of the basic things about sending a query would be to include your name, right?
Yea, I thought so too.
I've gotten enough queries recently that did NOT have a name that I though maybe y'all needed a refresher course.
Your name goes under the closing. The closing is the last sentence of your query.
Here's how it looks:
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Barbara Poelle
Now, should you be writing under a pseudonym or wish to conceal your identity at the query stage (a VERY bad idea, but what the hell) here's how you do that:
Thank you for your time and consideration,
La Slitherina
(pseudonym for Barbara Poelle)
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Inga VonPeepenskeeven
(pseudonym)
How do you know if you have it right?
Answer: Can I reply with Dear NAME: after reading your email?
If I can, you're good.
If I can't, try again.
And do NOT get me started on people who query with an email address that is someone else's name.
9 comments:
What about an email address which is a commonly used nickname? My pen name is Robert C Roman, but my email is bob.roman@gmail.com. Close enough, or no cigar?
You make me laugh out loud!
Thanks for bringing funny to the journey.
Awww. God bless the stupid.
Maybe those are people who take a peek at Query Shark and don't think about what they see enough.
Somewhere I saw the suggestion of doing it this way:
Real, legal name
(Wrting as psuedonym)
contact info
email address
Is that okay?
My email address is my psuedonym, but I put both names in my closing as Gru'ud suggested.
Is that okay?
It's email and ebay and other net idiocy. I sell online. Here is a typical message I receive:
"where's my stuff"
To which I have to reply, "Hi, in order to give a status on your order I need your name. Including your full name with every note speeds up response time. Thank you: (me)"
Response:
"My name is on my payment."
It is not unheard of to need 3 - 5 emails to pry someone's name out of them. One lady said, "I have three accounts with three different names and I don't remember which one I used." My reply, "well, give me your real name and address." The final reply, "Oh, I never give my real name. Where's my stuff."
Behold the power of the interwebz. :P
Terri
@ Terri...
Regarding "I have three accounts with three different names and I don't remember which one I used" I would say, "Oh yeah, I remember now. I sent it to John Smith, 123 Main Street, Anytown USA. That's you, right?"
^^ FTW ^^
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