For authors querying agents
AI Query Letter Generator for Your Book
Paste your pitch or drop your manuscript. Get a polished one-page query in your voice, with the hook, stakes, book line and bio in place.
Free to start. No card needed.
Dear [Agent name],
[One line on why you chose this agent, such as a wish-list post or a client's book.]
Iris Calloway has rebuilt her late husband's restaurant one plate at a time. Now the critic whose review nearly closed it wants a place in her kitchen.
Iris, 34, keeps Teo's restaurant open on a line of credit that runs out in June. Her plan is simple: win the Portland Plate Awards, sell, and stop cooking his recipes. Then Nate Ferris asks to shadow her kitchen.
Nate is the only one who notices what she cooks when no one is watching: her grandmother's Filipino dishes, the ones Teo never put on the menu. Iris must choose between the safe menu that could save the restaurant and the food that is finally hers, while falling for the man whose next review could close it for good.
Thank you for your time. [Your name]
What you'll get
A polished one-page query letter in your voice
- A one-page query, about 300 words
- Your strongest lines kept word for word
- A five-line checklist before you send
Before and after
A rambling pitch in. A one-page query out.
THE SECOND-CHANCE SUPPER CLUB, contemporary romance, 86k. Iris Calloway, 34, keeps her late husband Teo's restaurant open on a line of credit that runs out in June. Her plan is to win the Portland Plate Awards, sell, and stop cooking his recipes. Then Nate Ferris, the critic whose review nearly closed them, wants to shadow her kitchen. He's the only one who notices she secretly cooks her grandmother's Filipino food, which Teo never put on the menu. Big choice at the end about the menu and about him. About me: line cook 11 years, now I teach culinary arts.
Iris Calloway has rebuilt her late husband's restaurant one plate at a time. Now the critic whose review nearly closed it wants a place in her kitchen. Iris, 34, keeps Teo's restaurant open on a line of credit that runs out in June. Her plan is simple: win the Portland Plate Awards, sell, and stop cooking his recipes. Then Nate Ferris asks to shadow her kitchen, and he is the only one who notices what she cooks when no one is watching.
Your details and best phrases stay. Notes and shorthand become finished sentences.
Why it works
What is a query letter, and what goes in it?
A query letter is a one-page email that pitches your finished book to a literary agent, and River's query letter generator writes one you can send. It opens with a hook, gives a short pitch with the stakes, names the title, word count and genre, and ends with a line about you. The late agent Janet Reid recommended about 250 words, as reported in Writer's Digest. Paste the pitch you have, or drop your manuscript, to start.
The hard part is fitting 80,000 words into about 300 without losing your voice. River keeps your strongest lines word for word and turns notes into finished sentences. A strong hook names one person, one specific detail and the problem that starts the story, so River builds it from the most concrete thing you wrote. It flags only what it could not confirm, such as a word count it counted for you. Want to see which sentences are River's? Ask, and it marks them.
Your doc holds the query and a short checklist for sending. River never makes up comps, credits or a word count; it uses yours or leaves a marked slot. Many agents also ask for a synopsis, which the synopsis generator writes from the same manuscript. To see letters that worked, read our query letter examples, and for finding the right agents, see how to get a literary agent. Prefer to write it yourself? Start from the query letter template.
What lands in your doc
What lands in your query doc
- A finished one-page query of about 300 words, with its word count in your send checklist
- Your own phrases kept word for word wherever they work, so the letter still sounds like you
- Notes and shorthand turned into finished sentences, like 86k into complete at 86,000 words
- A comment only where River could not confirm a fact, such as a word count it counted
- Marked slots for anything River cannot know, like the agent's name or why you picked them
- Comp suggestions when you ask, each confirmed to exist, with publisher, year and the readers you share
- A five-line send checklist covering the word count, subject lines, attachments and personalizing
How it works
From pitch to query in four steps
Paste or drop
Paste your pitch paragraph, or drop the finished manuscript as a Word file, PDF or text file.
River finds the story
It pulls out your hero, what they want, what stands in the way, and the choice that costs them.
Get your query
A finished letter lands in your doc, with marked comp slots and a short checklist for sending.
Personalize and send
Add one line on why you chose each agent, follow their guidelines, and paste the letter into the email.
How long a query runs, and what agents disagree on
Agents agree on the shape of a query and argue over the details. Length is the clearest case. Janet Reid aimed for about 250 words, Nathan Bransford suggests 250 to 350, and Jane Friedman's guide allows somewhere around 200 to 450. River aims for about 300 and reports the count, which sits inside each range. Friedman's preferred opening is the story itself, while some agents want the title and word count first, so each agent's own guidelines come first.
Comps cause the most worry. Many agents like two recent titles that share your readers, and agents who use QueryManager forms often include a box for them. Janet Reid argued that a strong query can skip comps entirely, and warned writers off franchises. River never invents a comp. It uses the ones you give, or leaves two marked slots. If you ask, it lists up to three recent books it has confirmed exist, each with its publisher, year and the readers it shares with yours.
Some things never belong in a query, however tempting. Keep the ending for the synopsis, since Jane Friedman advises against giving it away here. Leave out rhetorical questions, statements about theme, praise for your own book, film talk and past rejections. Keep the bio short and true: one job or experience that connects to the book beats a list of hobbies. Before you spend your agent list, a read from the AI beta reader shows where readers would stop turning pages.
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What is a query letter?
A query letter is a one-page pitch, usually sent by email or an online form, asking a literary agent to read your finished book. It has four parts plus a thank-you: a hook, a short pitch with the stakes, a line with the title, word count, genre and comps, and a brief bio.
How long should a query letter be?
About one page, or roughly 300 words. The late agent Janet Reid recommended about 250, Nathan Bransford suggests 250 to 350 words counting the personal note and bio, and Jane Friedman allows about 200 to 450. River writes to around 300 words and puts the count in your send checklist, so you know how much room is left.
Can I use AI to write my query letter?
Agency policies differ. Andrea Brown Literary accepts only human-created submissions, and some QueryManager forms ask whether AI was used, so check each agent's guidelines. How much help you take is your call. River can write the whole letter, polish yours, or mark which sentences are its own so you can rework them.
Should my query reveal the ending?
No. A query sells the setup, the central choice and what it could cost, then stops before the outcome, and Jane Friedman's guide advises keeping the ending out. The synopsis is where the whole plot goes, twist and ending included. The synopsis generator writes one from the same manuscript, in the same space as your query.
Do I need comp titles?
Usually, but not always. Many agents like two recent books that share your readers, and some query forms make the Comparable Books box required. Janet Reid argued that a compelling query can do without them. River never invents comps: it uses yours, or, when you ask, suggests real recent titles it has checked, with the publisher, year and reason.
What if I have no writing credits?
Keep the bio short and true. A sentence about work or life experience tied to the book is plenty, and "This is my first novel" is an honest close. Skip the years you spent writing and any rejections. Add it at the end of the pitch box, or River leaves a slot. For longer bio boxes, use the author bio template.
Your next step
More for your book
Turn your pitch into a query you can send
Paste your pitch or drop the manuscript, then personalize the first line for each agent.