What is the difference between a query and a pitch?
- Query: written, 300-400 words, sent to agents.
- Pitch: verbal or short written, often under 100 words, multiple audiences.
- Query targets agents; pitch can target agents, editors, readers, social media.
- Query includes business details (word count, comps, bio); pitch does not.
- Both compress the book but serve different contexts.
A query is a written 300-400 word letter sent to a literary agent requesting representation; a pitch is a verbal or shorter written summary (often 100 words or under) used in person at conferences, on social media, or in #PitMad events. The query targets agents; the pitch targets anyone — agents, editors, readers, fellow writers. Both compress the book, but to different audiences.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Authors confuse the two and use the wrong format in the wrong context. Sending a 90-word pitch to an agent’s submission email reads as undeveloped; tweeting a 350-word query during PitMad makes you look unfamiliar with the format. Knowing the difference lets you craft each for its actual use case.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Query: written email, 300-400 words, structured (opening, hook, comps, bio, closing).
- Pitch: short, verbal-friendly, 50-100 words, can be a single sentence.
- Conference pitch: 60-second verbal summary for in-person events.
- PitMad/X pitch: 280 characters with a hook and a hashtag.
- Logline: one-sentence "what’s it about" used in casual conversation.
- Synopsis: the long-form companion to either — different document.
Chapter iii·Example
A querying writer keeps three versions of her pitch material: a 380-word query (for email submissions), a 60-second verbal pitch (for the writers’ conference), and a 280-character #PitMad version. Each one was crafted for the audience and channel — and they share narrative DNA but use different language and structures.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom’s Pitch studio drafts all three forms — query, conference pitch, social pitch — from one source so they share the same DNA without sounding canned.
See the Pitch studio