Which format do I need?
Proposal vs pitch vs query letter
Three ways of asking for a yes. They differ in length, in what they promise, and in how much of the work you do before you send.
Intermediate Assumes you can already draft and revise a piece.
All three say: let me do this thing, and back me. The difference is how much of the thing already exists and how much detail the reader needs before deciding. A pitch is short and sells an idea. A proposal is long and specifies delivery. A query letter is a publishing-specific form with conventions so fixed that breaking them marks you as an outsider immediately.
Side by side
| Pitch | Proposal | Query letter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A short, specific idea aimed at one editor or client. | A detailed plan someone is being asked to fund or approve. | A one-page approach to a literary agent about a finished book. |
| Typical length | 150–400 words. An email, not an attachment. | 2–50 pages depending on the money involved | 250–400 words. One page, no exceptions. |
| Who reads it | A commissioning editor with a full inbox | A committee, a client or a funder comparing you against alternatives | An agent reading a hundred a week and looking for a reason to stop |
| Voice | Direct and confident. No preamble, no apology. | Formal, structured, evidenced. Costed. | Professional and controlled. The hook does the work. |
| Shape | The idea in one or two sentences, why now, why this outlet, why you, length and timing. | Problem, approach, deliverables, timeline, budget, team, risks, evaluation. | Hook, a short blurb like back-cover copy, title, word count and genre, a brief bio, thank you. |
| Use it when | Selling an article, a feature or a column to a publication. | Grants, consultancy work, book proposals for non-fiction, internal projects. | Approaching literary agents or publishers with a novel or memoir. |
Pitch
A short, specific idea aimed at one editor or client.
Typical length: 150–400 words. An email, not an attachment.
Who reads it: A commissioning editor with a full inbox
Voice: Direct and confident. No preamble, no apology.
Shape: The idea in one or two sentences, why now, why this outlet, why you, length and timing.
Use it when: Selling an article, a feature or a column to a publication.
Proposal
A detailed plan someone is being asked to fund or approve.
Typical length: 2–50 pages depending on the money involved
Who reads it: A committee, a client or a funder comparing you against alternatives
Voice: Formal, structured, evidenced. Costed.
Shape: Problem, approach, deliverables, timeline, budget, team, risks, evaluation.
Use it when: Grants, consultancy work, book proposals for non-fiction, internal projects.
Query letter
A one-page approach to a literary agent about a finished book.
Typical length: 250–400 words. One page, no exceptions.
Who reads it: An agent reading a hundred a week and looking for a reason to stop
Voice: Professional and controlled. The hook does the work.
Shape: Hook, a short blurb like back-cover copy, title, word count and genre, a brief bio, thank you.
Use it when: Approaching literary agents or publishers with a novel or memoir.
Decide quickly
Which one do you actually need?
- Selling an article to a magazine → pitch.
- Asking for money against a plan → proposal.
- Approaching a literary agent → query letter.
- The work does not exist yet and shouldn't → pitch or proposal.
- The work must be finished before you send → query letter, for fiction and memoir. Agents will ask for the manuscript and you must have it.
- There is a budget → proposal.
- There is a submission portal with fixed fields → follow the portal, and keep your pitch or query as the raw material.
Common confusions
The questions that come up every time.
Can I pitch a novel?
Not to a magazine. Novels go to agents by query letter, and the manuscript must be complete if it is fiction or memoir. Non-fiction is the exception: it sells on a proposal and sample chapters, because the book's value is the argument and your authority to make it.
How long before I follow up?
Pitches: two weeks, once, in the same thread, two lines. Queries: whatever the agent's site states, and never sooner. Proposals: whatever the call specified. Following up early is the most common self-inflicted wound in all three forms.
Do I need clips or credits?
It helps and it is not a gate. Editors commission unpublished writers all the time when the idea is right and the pitch shows they can write — the pitch itself is a writing sample, which is why a sloppy one ends the conversation regardless of your credits.
Related guides
How to pitch an editor
Approach editors well, pitch the right idea, and follow up without burning bridges.
Open the guide →GUIDEIntermediateHow to write a proposal
A proposal that wins approval by stating the problem, the plan and the value clearly.
Open the guide →GUIDEAdvancedHow to write a query letter
A concise query that sells a nonfiction idea to an editor before you write it.
Open the guide →GUIDEAdvancedHow to write a grant application
Make a clear, honest case for funding that shows you need it and will use it well.
Open the guide →GUIDEIntermediateDos and don'ts of pitching editors
The rules that get a pitch read, considered, and maybe accepted.
Open the guide →GUIDEIntermediateWhy your first pitch may be rejected
The most common reasons editors say no to a first pitch — and what to do about each.
Open the guide →