The first batch of query letters is in the mail. If this works the way I think it does, between 9:00 am and lunch tomorrow 10 people with a serious amount of influence over the direction our lives could take will be opening envelopes, then judging me.
A query letter is essentially a job interview. If you do well, if you stand out, then you get a second interview. More than likely, however, the response will be a form letter, or worse – nothing.
I’ve taught a few semesters of an employment preparation class to college freshman and sophomores. The syllabus I created was pretty straightforward: resume basics and interview pointers. Don’t lie, don’t misspell, don’t use an idiotic sounding email address. Dress well, look people in the eye, don’t chew gum.
In a more general way we discussed how to stand out…but in a good way. “Yes, an interesting font will make you stand out, but may be hard or annoying to read.”
One thing we never discussed was stamps.
Most resumes these days are emailed or posted online, so maybe the stamp thing is a moot point. But any way to stand out, right? When I asked the woman at the post office what my options were at the current rate (I didn’t know how much a first class stamp costs) she seemed almost happy to pull out the book and show me. She flipped the pages, sort of softly narrating, like she was going through a photo album.
Nothing struck me until she said Mark Twain. What says, “Hey, look at how clever I am,” more than a Mark Twain stamp? Then two pages later she opened it up to Legends of Hollywood. Gregory Peck.
Done!
Of course, in the end what really matters is the letter. That makes or breaks the deal on its own. But like in an interview, if you can make someone smile for even a second right when you meet them, that’s irreplaceable. Everyone knows first impressions matter, but few people (in my experience) appreciate how much it matters.
Maybe they won’t even notice it; they open a thousand letters a day. But it’s a damn good looking stamp, a good size too. No offense to anyone else who’s played the role, Peck is Ahab.
But if they look, and if they see it, and if they’re a movie fan (as you'd expect at an agency that reps actors and screenwriters), then maybe they pause for a second, linger on Peck’s face, think about his place in the history of film, and that makes them smile, then when they start reading the letter I have them right where I want them, if only subconsciously, of only for a second.
I’m thinking about ordering the Cary Cooper stamp for the next batch.
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