Writing a cover letter is harder than the synopsis, in my opinion. Maybe it’s just me, or my culture. Us Brits are taught not to trump our own horn. Yet the whole idea of the cover letter is to sell your book to the agent. For that, you have to praise your own work and let them know why you think they should be interested in it.
It’s not something that comes naturally. Especially when you’re used to being modest. Add to the fact that majority, if not all of us, are going to be scared witless about sharing our baby with someone else. But it is a necessary aspect of finding an agent.
A quick few things. Make sure that it is 1.5 spaced and also an easy to read font like 12 point and arial or times new roman.
So where to start?
Addressing the agent
Format it like an official letter, without your address. This is a professional document. Write it like one, not like a text you would send your mates.
It needs to address the agent by their name. If you create yourself a template—like me—it is important that you make sure you have removed your template placeholder with the name of the agent.
“Dear [Agent Name]”, is replaced with “Dear John Smith” or simply “Dear John”. Do not use “Dear Sir/Madame” or “To whom it concerns”.
All that tells the agent is that you haven’t done your research or you’re too lazy to tailor it specifically to them. They’re not going to want someone who can’t even be bothered to address them correctly. It’s a small detail, but an important one.
Introducing your novel
The next important thing is to introduce the book that you are giving them. This is a short paragraph. It should contain:
- the genre of the book
- the word count to the nearest thousand
- the title of the book
- comparison titles / authors that are recent and have performed well
- a short elevator pitch
- A mention of the attached files
- if possible, something from the agent’s portfolio to show you have specifically researched them. This is not always possible as some companies do not break down clients to specific agents.
Dear John,
Attached are three chapters and a synopsis of my adult contemporary book, ALICE, which stands at 78,000 words. It follows Daniel Reed who is on the bad side of a rumour that could turn dangerous. I would position this novel beside author Molly Pierce, and also Holly David’s book, The Struggler, whom I see you represented recently.
These names / books are made up but it gives you an idea of what the agent is looking for. There’s a short premise, a mention of genre and word count, what is attached, and authors the book would sit next to. It also mentions the agent’s own client.
Try and make your premise a bit more interesting, I did do this very quickly and on the fly, but this is the general gist for the first paragraph.
The Blurb
For the next part of the cover letter, you need to write the blurb of the book. For this, I recommend picking up any book that you have which matches your own genre. Have a look at the back of the book. This is the kind of thing you want to write. And you want it to hook the agent.
Daniel is well respected, a family man with a great work ethic. Now, there’s a rumour that could ruin all that he had built. One that could see him incarcerated. All he knows is that it came from someone he trusts the most. He must discover who is friend and who is foe before it is too late.
This gives a tone of the book and more detail thean the premise while not giving any spoilers. You will eventually have to give the agent spoilers, but that is what the synopsis is for and is usually the last thing the agent reads.
About you
The next part of the cover letter is about you. The agent doesn’t want to know that you have 5 dogs, live alone and go on hikes every day (unless that is what the novel is about). The agent wants to know you will not be a one-hit wander. They’re investing in you here.
You want to let them know you have other projects in mind, and also your writing carer so far. If your life experience does relate, for example you’re writing about a sailor and you have been a marine for 5 years, then they would want to know that. Otherwise, anything that is not writing related is irrelevant.
You also want to let them know if this book is part of a series.
I envision this book as a standalone novel. I am working on another adult novel about a woman who has been trapped in a basement for 15 years and must now navigate the new digital age. Previously, I have had my journal article on adult psychological thrillers published by Literary Thriller Journal and am also about to publish my second article with Literary Arts.
This lets the agent know that you take writing seriously. It’s not just a hobby but something you imagine doing for a long time.
Signing off
This seems obvious. You’ve written a cover letter, you’re going to be signing it off correctly. But this cover letter is most likely going to be in the body of an email, and lets face it, how many of us remember to sign off emails properly if we do not have an automatic signature. You most certainly do not want the email to say “sent from my iPhone”.
You also want a call to action just before you sign your name.
“Thank you for taking your time to read my submission. I hope you enjoy the extract, I’m looking forward to hearing from you shortly.
Yours sincerely,
Shannon Weston”
It’s polite and leaves a friendly invitation for the agent to contact you.
What the full cover letter looks like.
Dear John,
Attached are three chapters and a synopsis of my adult contemporary book, ALICE, which stands at 78,000 words. It follows Daniel Reed who is on the bad side of a rumour that could turn dangerous. I would position this novel beside author Molly Pierce, and also Holly David’s book, The Struggler, whom I see you represented recently.
Daniel is well respected, a family man with a great work ethic. Now, there’s a rumour that could ruin all that he had built. One that could see him incarcerated. All he knows is that it came from someone he trusts the most. He must discover who is friend and who is foe before it is too late
I envision this book as a standalone novel. I am working on another adult novel about a woman who has been trapped in a basement for 15 years and must now navigate the new digital age. Previously, I have had my journal article on adult psychological thrillers published by Literary Thriller Journal and am also about to publish my second article with Literary Arts.
Thank you for taking your time to read my submission. I hope you enjoy the extract, I’m looking forward to hearing from you shortly.
Yours sincerely,
Shannon Weston
What’s next?
If you have done your cover letter, then the next step is the synopsis or the first three chapters. Once they are done, you can start sending to agents. If you do not have a list of agents, you are more than welcome to use my agent list sheet. It contains 800 agents, and notes (signalled by the black arrow at the corner of a cell) explaining what to do for each column.
You do not have to but if you would like to donate something for the resource, you can use my kofi account.
Good luck!