The query letter

Dear ________:

I am seeking representation for my 65,000-word memoir, Sing Me a Lullaby. Because you have an interest in memoir, I hope the manuscript is a good match. Sing Me a Lullaby is the first memoir to provide readers a personal look at teenage parenthood.                     
 
In 1974, while growing up on a dairy farm in rural Maine, I became a single mother at 15. Sing Me a Lullaby is the story of my journey through high school while living alone with my infant daughter, Stephanie. Our story is juxtaposed against my parents’ divorce and abandonment of me and my child. My challenges are many:  “One morning, in my haste to fasten a clean diaper snug around Stephanie’s wriggling hips, I pricked her with a diaper pin. She howled. I burst into tears. We wailed together until I heard the school bus honk its horn before rolling on past the house. Stop crying, I scolded myself, swiping away my tears with my fingertips. You didn’t mean to do it. I cuddled Stephanie against my chest until her sobs softened into sniffles. ...”
      
My poems and essays have appeared in journals and anthologies. The prologue to Sing Me a Lullaby was previously published in [Blank] Review. I am adjunct professor of English at [Blank] College, and I hold a MFA in creative writing from [Blank] College. I am prepared to send you the completed manuscript and/or proposal. Please be aware that I am submitting multiple submissions. I have enclosed a SASE for your reply. Thank you for considering Sing Me a Lullaby. I look forward to hearing from you.        

Sincerely,

[Name withheld]