I got this question recently:
“Should the query be in the body of the email, or should it be an attachment? What about the synopsis, should it be included in the body of the text or separately attached?”
You don’t want to send any attachments what-so-ever. Both the query letter and the synopsis or synopses should be pasted right into the body of the email. Each piece is less than one page so even if you include two synopses your email should be well less than 3 pages. If you structure you query letter / synopses properly you’ll have the loglines in the opening of the query letter and if one of the loglines is interesting to the recipient they can scroll down and read the longer synopsis.
First let me say that I appreciate the time you have taken to share your experience with the community of writers. It is refreshing to see someone so open about the success and failures (albeit mostly success), and taking further time to answer the questions that arise.
Niceties concluded, I have noticed from HCDonline that some producers and agents have begun requesting only email submissions/queries. This seems great initially. It saves time, postage, paper, and effort (probably on both sides, CLICK — DELETE). But it loses a good deal of the formality. Unlike a letter, would you see the addressee and address disappear from the top of the page? Also how should the subject line read? If it reads “Query Letter” would that make for a B-Line to the trash?
Considering that this could continue to become the preferrable method for more and more agents/producers, I would love to hear your opinion.
I’m not so concerned about submitting using the “preferred” method. In fact I think as more and more agents, managers and producers express a desire to receive only email queries it probably means that snail mail letters and faxes will be more effective because there will be fewer and fewer writers using those methods.
As for the subject line, I agree with you, don’t put something like “query letter” as your subject line. Be creative and cleaver and mostly intrigue the reader so that they are inclined to actually read the email. A non-descriptive “query letter” as the subject certainly doesn’t do that. If you have a very short log line that might work.