Fake Query Letters by Dead Authors

by David Griffin Brown, Michelle Barker

Genres: Nonfiction

149 pages, Paperback

Published February 17, 2026

Reviews

[L. Deborah Sword · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of guides telling wanna-be authors how to query to agents and publishers for an as-yet-unpublished manuscript. A lot of guides. But none quite like this one. It is a clever and unique approach to write bad query letters as demonstration of what not to do, and then rewrite in the voice of the famous dead author.

[Rod Ausis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fake Query Letters by Dead Authors” is one of those rare books that manages to be both clever and entertaining. it’s a smart, quick read that will especially appeal to writers, readers, and anyone familiar with the often surreal process of trying to get published.
Rod.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Fake Query Letters by Dead Authors is a funny (and very useful) tongue-in-cheek guide to cover/query letters as if they were written by famous authors, long departed. Editors Originally posted on my blog David Griffin Brown and Michelle Barker have written a useful guide for aspiring authors to help with the difficulties of navigating publishing and skirting the pitfalls of being too self-effacing or too self-aggrandizing. Released 17th Feb 2026, it's 149 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

Although ostensibly aimed at authors actively honing their craft, there are a number of good takeaways for anyone using the written word as a medium of expression. The authors do a good job of making tone accessible and breaking down the salient points into logical steps which make *sense*.

Five stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or secondary school library acquisition, home reference library, writers' groups, workshops, and similar.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Hannah B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was provided a review copy of this book.
If I am being completely honest, I completely misread the description of this book when I requested a copy of it. Whilst I did give it a low star rating, please note that it is only as I didn’t enjoy the book as I am not interested in that type of content. However, if you are writing a book or considering writing one, it is essential that your read this book. Not only does it give easy to follow tips and tricks, it also provides examples of how an agent might consider and analyse classic books if they were going to be considered for publishing today.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and entertaining read that will be very useful for any writer new to querying (or traditional publishing in general). Using classic novels as examples really helps to visualize a system that is often quite opaque.