Cover Letter

Dear Elise,

The query letter is really an act of marketing and not literature. We talk to a lot of agents and publishers on behalf of the writers who come to us and there really is a basic guide to what to do.

Many top agents get at least 300 manuscripts a week, if not more, so they rarely read the package if they are not excited by the query letter. You have to catch their imagination and tell them how they will make money out of your book.

First of all, do your research and send only to agents and publishers that handle books like yours.

I had a client who came to us after 70 rejections. When we looked at who he had sent his Thriller to, 40 of the agents handled only non-fiction, six only handled children's books. Then another 10 only took on romance writers and another five specialised in Science Fiction. So out of the 70, he only had a chance with nine agents.

Once you have identified the right agent/publisher, start your letter with a couple of sentences letting them know you have done your research on the books they handle and why you chose them. This will make you stand out before you even start.

Then have one longer paragraph telling them about the book. This should not be too detailed, but has to get the heart of the book down in an exciting way. I call this the bar/loo pitch. Imagine that you are at a bar and sitting next to the perfect person to take your book and as you start telling them about it they say to be quick because they have to dash to the loo. You don't want this to turn into a nightmare, so you need to be precise but interesting. Make them want to cross their legs for just that minute longer.

Back to the letter.

Next, tell them something about yourself that shows you are the sort of person that can offer something interesting when they are trying to promote you as the author. The author does a lot of the work of promoting the book so you have to come across as someone that can be interesting and could handle interviews and TV appearances. Never say, "I don't want to do any promotion." Also, don’t try gimmicks. Don’t send your book to Curtis Brown in a box with a severed goat’s head on top of it – true story.

Also make them believe that there are more books to come from you. It takes a lot to promote a writer and agents and publishers often want someone they can have a long-term relationship with.

Finally, you need to imagine the market for them. Telling them your book is unique will make them think, "Then how do I know if it will sell?" If you say that it is the next Harry Potter they will wi think, "We already have Harry Potter, so why would anyone switch to this?"

What you need is to say that your book would appeal to people who enjoyed X,Y or Z popular books. It is like the bit on Amazon that says "People who bought this book also bought..."

I hope this helps.

Hi, Elsie.

Covering Letter Tips

Write concisely.

Your letter should be no longer than one page. Not one-and-a-bit, and not one page in an uncomfortably small font.

You may have a lot to say, but at this stage keeping it concise is the best thing you can do. Literary agents say the best letters get straight to the point. Just because your plot is complex, your letter needn’t be.

Stick to the structure.

There is a generally accepted, three-paragraph structure, and straying from it might catch an agent’s attention – but not for the right reasons.

First comes the hook – a one-sentence tagline for your novel to spark interest (‘an epic tale of family, war and escape that takes us from pre-war Middlesbrough to Communist Czechoslovakia and through the Iron Curtain.’)

Next, the mini-synopsis, where you condense your entire novel into a paragraph centred on the action/conflict. This task will make your brain hurt, but you’ll get there. By this point, the agent should have a clear idea of what the novel is about, and its possible market.

And finally, a short writer’s bio where you list relevant education, any published work and writing competitions won. If you don’t have anything to say here, cut straight to the end sentence: ‘Thank you for considering my submission, and I look forward to hearing from you.’

I hope that helps.

Good luck.