I'm struggling with a cover letter for an agent because I have been advised to add my "unique selling points." The trouble is, I don't have any. I haven't published anything before now, nor won any competitions. I haven't done anything weird or wonderful or attention-grabbing. Yet I feel that without a "peg", the agent will toss my unread chapters back on the slush pile, making it seem that your work doesn't actually count for anything any more, only your potential to be a marketing vehicle.
Thank you Isabella,
I have bought the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and have had a look at a few cover letter examples and feel a little more confident. Thanks for the advice about the agents buying into the author as well. It sounded like a good course you attended. I'm in the North West so London's a little too far at the moment.
Good luck with your work
Susanne ;-)
Considering that my book is about alien abduction, I might have to make it up as I go along...!
I'm boring, too.
They say you should only plug something about you in a query letter which relates to your book. That's easy if you're an expert on your subject, or you know bog-all about it but you've appeared on TV.
The rest of us are just supposed to say nowt.:(