A brilliantly written email. Query writers take note!

My friend Marc Schuster is one of the wittiest people I know. That's what makes him an ideal drinking companion, a great teacher and a novelist who knows how to wield humor. Here is his email promoting the second edition of his first book.

Dear Friends,

Just a quick note to say that the new, blue edition of The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl is now available at Amazon. If you bought the pink edition in 2009 and are wondering what kind of scam I’m running by bringing out a second edition this year, allow me to put your mind at ease by saying it’s the most cultured and erudite kind of scam that you’re likely to fall for this week. Here’s how the new version addresses several major bugs inherent in the first edition:

- It’s shorter.
- The print is bigger.
- The story is told chronologically.

For those of you who haven’t heard from me in months or even years—this despite your having gone through such life-changing events as getting married and/or having children—there’s a good reason for that: I’m a bit of a bastard. And for those to whom I owe money, think of buying my book as a chance to put money in my pocket so that I might put it back in yours. It’s a win-win proposition from every angle.

Of course, this is probably the kind of business I should be taking care of on Facebook or some other social networking website. The problem is that I’m no longer on Facebook, which leads me to the next favor I’m about to ask for: I’d appreciate it greatly if you’d tell all of your Facebook friends about my book and link them to my website. It doesn’t have to be a big production—just a quick status update saying something like, “Wow, I’m so proud of my friend, Marc Schuster, for figuring out how to publish the same book twice!” followed by a link.

In any case, thanks for reading this far into the email. I hope you’re in good health and in such a position financially that buying my book (a great value at $17.95!) does not pose too great of a burden.

Sincerely, Your friend through thick and through thin,

Marc