Kris – 250 words was the recommended number that the agents stressed at the conference, but it’s not like the query police will come after you if your query is a few words over the limit, so take it with a grain of salt.

Here’s the thing, though: 334 words is a good bit over the 250 word guideline. Maybe your query really needs those extra words, but more likely if you take a good hard look, you’ll probably find a few places where you can pare things down. The query word count isn’t so much a hard-and-fast rule as it is a barometer that lets you know when you need to be more ruthless and kill some darlings.

Suggestion: let the query draft marinate for a few days or a
week, then come back to it with fresh eyes and see where you can tighten
it. Sometimes taking a little time away can help you get the distance you need to brandish your red pen and start cutting.