Mastering HIGH CONCEPT
There’s no such thing as a “sure thing” when it comes to anticipating the sales of a book based on a query letter. But agents leap at the chance to represent authors who deliver well-executed, high concept manuscripts.
Simply put, “high concept sells,” according to Paula Munier, senior literary agent and content strategist at Talcott Notch Literary Services, thanks to its measurable audience appeal and big-screen adaptability.
High concept queries rise to the top of agents’ slush piles—and bestseller lists—because they offer something broadly applicable but totally new or a new spin on a familiar model. In a conference presentation on the topic, Angie Hodapp of Nelson Literary Agency broke down the contents of your average agent’s slush pile:
• 85 percent of queries are quiet or derivative (e.g., a generic vampire story) or blandly situational (e.g., watch someone deal with a divorce).
• 10 percent are so outside the norm that an agent can’t imagine how to make it work.
• 5 percent are “I must read more!” They offer something completely new or a brand new take on something familiar.
Most high concept fiction is found in that 5 percent of the slush pile. “High concept ideas tend to stick in a person’s mind,” says Danielle Burby,
