The 7 secrets of a covering letter

January 4, 2010 by Cressida Downing (Editorial Consultant)
Filed under: Marketing Yourself, Writing Advice 

Cressida DowningYou’ve written your masterpiece. You’ve conquered the synopsis stress. And now it’s just a case of sending it off to the publisher or agent you have identified as your target.

But suddenly it strikes you that the last thing you have to think about, the covering letter, is the first thing your audience is going to see…

Some of the following may seem obvious but they do get forgotten – I see daily evidence of that – so here are my seven key points for your covering letter:

  1. Name and address – get yours right. Get theirs right. If yours isn’t right, it can be hard to get in touch with you (and email addresses and telephone numbers are also required these days). If theirs isn’t right it may not get to them, or if it does, it will smack of a lack of preparation.
  2. What are you sending? Your covering letter should clearly state what is enclosed (eg the first three chapters and a synopsis), and any means of returning the material (a stamped self-addressed envelope). If you are happy for material to be recycled, put that in, and always enclose some element of postage for a reply. It may seem cheap that an agent can’t provide their own stamp to reply to your submission, but when they are receiving upwards of 100 submissions a day, it would add up.
  3. What is your experience? For fiction writers this would be any previous experience of being published, any competitions that you’ve won, or any relevant courses you have been on. For non-fiction writers the agent is looking for relevant experience, such as medical qualifications if you are writing a health book. You don’t need to provide a whole CV unless you are already a professional writer.
  4. Any other key facts? If you are newsworthy in some way, that’s worth including – such as ‘I’m actually Lord Lucan’ or the like. Only include true facts.
  5. Always be polite! An agent will want a close relationship with you if they take you on, so if you come across as aggressive or rude, that could tip them towards rejection.
  6. Don’t tell the agent or publisher that your friends liked the book. As I mentioned previously in ‘When is a friend not a friend?’, that doesn’t give them any more information.
  7. See my post on non-fiction writing for how this differs.

If in doubt, keep it simple.

Good luck!

Cressida
(Editorial Consultant)

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Comments

4 Comments on The 7 secrets of a covering letter

  1. Mario Vandelis on Jan 11, 2010 at 09:34am

    2. Hi guys! Ooopsi i’m stuki. PLEASE HELP. Im based in Jhb South Africa and need to connect with some good body in this area. Do you have any ideas or contacts?

    Thanks so much.

  2. Jo Herbert (Editor, Writers' & Artists' Yearbook) on Jan 11, 2010 at 12:41pm

    3. Hi Mario, we list a few South African publishers in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook which you can buy online at A&C Black. Alternatively, you could try getting in touch with PASA (the Publishers’ Association of South Africa) – they will be able to point you in the right direction. Hope that helps. All best, Jo

  3. shrikant on Mar 12, 2010 at 07:48am

    4. hi buddy s i am from India & m a Hindi language poem and fiction writer can you please help me any way.

  4. Shankut Somaiya on Mar 12, 2010 at 19:40pm

    5. Hi Shrikant,

    IT is not clear from your posting that the fiction/poems are in English or Hindi.

    Please elaborate!

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