On thin ice and need a rope

by M.K. Rasmussen
15th November 2012

I'm putting my finishing touches on eiditng my novel andwant to send it out to lit. agents. But here's the kicker, I have absolutely no idea how it's done. I can follow their guidelines for handing in a manuscript, that's not the issue. The issues are the letter itself and the synopsis.

I'm Danish, which means I'm very straight-down-to-business. But I know that British business is a bit reserved. What tone do I need to take when adressing myself to them?

And does anyone have a good example or link to a good synopsis? I think I need one.

All in all, I'm on thin ice and I need a rope. Tips and advice are very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Replies

Dor, what's the difference between US and UK query/cover letters then?

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M.K.
Rasmussen
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M.K. Rasmussen
17/11/2012

The blog Jonathan links to are examples of Query Letters which are used in the US. In the UK we use cover letters.

Make sure you are professional and remember that reading their Twitter stream is not the same thing as being their friend. It is, above and beyond, a business letter.

Check out Writer's Workshop for more about the UK submission process.

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Dor
Armitage
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Dor Armitage
16/11/2012

Advice on this site is listed here.

http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/writers/preparing-for-submission

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Jennifer
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Jennifer Harvey
16/11/2012