Hi everyone, I'm about to send my book off for the first time to an agent. I have written my synopsis, but am really stuck on what to put on my covering letter. I have no experience, no qualifications, I just decided to write a book one day.
Any advice please?
Emms
Thank you very much for replies. I am now using both of your comments to complete my cover letter and hope to send my book off in the next few weeks. I am very grateful for the effort both of you have made. Thank you.
Emma
Good answer from Jacob. Give the man a thumbs up please, Emms. People who give others good advice on this web-site should be encouraged to do so, to know that their friendly efforts and time spent has not been in vain. Writing "thanks for the advice" is nice, but a thumbs up is (almost) even better* as it indicates to other users just WHICH comments are most worth reading... and it wins users points which will come in handy in our just-begun quest to become Rulers of the Universe.
One variation on his comment. I know that I'm an exception, living way below the poverty line, but there are also other users of this site who don't live in the UK, and attending a W&A event is out of the question for us. So good advice on the site (for free) is always appreciated.
As strange as this concept might seem to you, Emma (and I know that I'm dancing with heresy and perhaps blasphemy when I write this), agents and - dare I risk this? - publishers are also human beings. As such, they have differences in taste. The humorous covering letter which would have won the heart of the agent you never send it to will be blasted into the nether regions by the one to whom you do send it. So you change tactics (and letters) and send a completely ovehauled, no nonsense letter in the future... including to that first agent I mentioned who likes a good laugh and finds your revised letter too dry for words. This is known as Murphy's Law and its chief victims are struggling writers and artists.
p.s. You will find a blueprint covering letter towards the end of http://la-granota.com/crazy.htm You may use it and/or amend it to suit your requirements without having to pay me royalties or face litigation for plagiarism. It has garnered [one] favourable comment from fellow writers.
Good luck!
* The main drawback with thumbs up is that it doesn't let you know WHO did it for you. So "Thanks for the good advice" is also worth writing. Do both. (This is a long-running campaign of mine [see https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/question/view/2229 ], not just directed at you.)
p.s. The only reason that I've taken so much time with this question is that Emma was my mother's name. Having no children of my own, I'm a bit miffed at my siblings for not having passed on the name to any of my [13!] nieces, not even as a middle name.
There are some great events hosted by Writers & Artists such as: How to Hook An Agent. I recently attended their session in April and it was great experience. A query letter should cover the readership your book is aimed for, how long the book is as well as the fact that this is your first novel. Before submitting you should research into your chosen agencies likes and dislikes, try and find out a bit about the agent in particular, this is a great way to grab their attention and it shows that you have done your research. You should include a short pitch for your novel in less than one hundred words. If you look at the blurbs on the back of books, try and see what works there and try to write something similar for your own book. You should also include a short paragraph about yourself - do you have a day job? What are your interests? If you feel as though your novel is part of a series then you should mention that your book has the potential to be a series rather than stating how many books you plan to write. I hope this helps, good luck with your submission.