Sample response to a query letter for negligence of duty. ... Example. The General Manager. ABC Company. P.O Box 2764. St. Orleans. Dear Sir, Subject: RESPONSE TO QUERY ON NEGLIGENCE OF DUTY.

Imagine my chagrin: one minute I'm intrigued by a smoothly crafted query letter, the next I'm staring down at a crackpot writing sample. Recently, funny things have been happening in my slush pile.

As Hodapp says, the letter has one goal: to get the agent to request the full manuscript, "period." It's harder than it looks. Agents receive thousands of letters and only respond to a small fraction.