“No rejection is fatal until the writer walks away from the battle leaving dreams and goals behind,” says Jeff Herman (literary agent of Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield, who created the Chicken Soup for the Soul series).

Traveling Teens, Rocky Roads was my second non-fiction book idea. Here’s the query letter I sent:

Dear Esteemed Editor,

He was 16 years old when he was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. When asked about his part in the murder of a 14 year old girl, Warren Glowatski said he needed release. From what? “All the negative shit I was dealing with: my parent’s divorce, having nowhere to live, just totally feeling unloved, uncaredfor, powerless.” (Chatelaine, January 2007).

Not having control can be the most stressful part of life for both teens and adults. Teens are particularly affected by powerlessness because they’re bound by rules at school, home, and in society. They can taste freedom but are still buckled in.

Teens’ response to stress ranges from participating in murder to dying their hair purple, from cutting themselves to breaking curfew. They’re on their own safaris – and they don’t easily admit their need for a guide, maps, or gear.

But the need is there.

Traveling Teens, Rocky Roads: Secrets to Surviving the Safari of Your Life

• Hooks readers with exciting comparisons between African animals and real life.
• Explains how to take control of life – and feel effective and powerful.
• Describes easy, practical ways to solve problems and deal with stress.

In 50,000 words, this non-fiction book helps teens 13-18 years old deal with change and daily life. The safari analogy grabs interest without being overtly self-help and encourages a sense of control, thus reducing feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness.

My degrees in Education and Psychology give me a solid background with which to research and write this book. I taught grade 8 through high school at an American school in Africa for three years; not only did I go on safaris, I also took my students camping in the wilds of Kenya every year.

And I write. In addition to contributing to various publications (alive, Esteem, Good Times, Today’s Health and Wellness, cahoots), I write weekly articles for the local newspaper.

I look forward to your response.  

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

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If you have any questions or thoughts about this query letter, please comment below! I’m happy to share how many publishers I pitched to and what their response is.

And, if you’re interested in ways to improve your own query letters, my articles on Quips & Tips for Successful Writers may help:

• Example of a Successful Query Letter to MSN Health
• An Example of a Successful Query Letter
• Tips for Improving Your Query Letters

My query letter for See Jane Soar:

“Well-behaved women rarely make history,” said Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. 

That’s because well-behaved women don’t rescue men in the Wild West, discover Radium, or achieve Hollywood stardom after being fired from countless chorus-line jobs. Well-behaved women don’t speed 300 miles/hour around a race track, trek in the Egyptian desert in full Victorian garb – and they certainly don’t soar into the mysterious unknown.

This is just a quick e-mail query. Would you like to review a full book proposal with sample chapters? If so, I can ground mail or e-mail it right away.

See Jane Soar! 200 Women Who Weren’t Well-Behaved:

Following Their Hearts, Making History

Several biographies describe women who didn’t behave and made history – but few anthologies provide real-life applications for readers.

What can we learn from the divas, outlaws and entrepreneurs who pursued their passions? What do they have that many of us lack? Juice, life force, energy, passion, vision, and the ability to embrace change. We have juice but life drains it. We have dreams but our mothers, partners, kids, jobs, and our own personalities can override them. We get rejected, depressed, anxious and scared…and we stop living even though we’re still breathing. 

That’s why we need to see Jane soar.

See Jane Soar:

• Presents brief, accurate profiles of historical and contemporary women from all cultures and nationalities.
• Emphasizes personality traits, achievements, and struggles. Each profile includes quotes from the woman and direct life applications for the reader.
• Highlights 10 different categories: outlaws, divas, athletes, politicians, explorers, entrepreneurs, etc.. Readers can easily access subjects that interest them.

 This book offers more than a link to history. It inspires women to change and grow, to achieve their goals – whether that means earning a PhD, losing that last 10 pounds, or asking for a bank loan. Readers will see themselves in the lives of these women who courageously pursued their talents and dreams. They’ll learn that Annie Oakley didn’t shoot photographs and Annie Leibovitz didn’t shoot targets because they followed their own hearts, minds, and souls.

See Jane Soar! will encourage women to accept and nurture who they truly are.

Series potential

See Jane Soar! could morph into a calendar or daily journal for holiday or first-day-of-school gifts. A “soar” series is possible: 200 girls who didn’t behave and changed history – or 200 Canadians, seniors, athletes, teachers, people with disabilities, people with diseases, and so on.

About the author

My degrees in Education and Psychology give me a solid background with which to research and write this book. I lived and taught in Africa for three years and traveled worldwide – I know how exciting it is to soar!

And I write. My publications include articles for Woman’s Day, Flare, Reader’s Digest, Glow, alive, Esteem, Good Times, Today’s Health and Wellness, and cahoots. 

Let me know if you’d like to review a full book proposal. 

Yours truly,  

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Fellow scribes, if you have any questions or thoughts on this See Jane Soar query letter, please comment below! And, check out my Unveiling Vancouver Query Letter for another example