The shape of it
It's a short, professional letter that introduces you and your book. In the US it's called a query letter, and much of the advice online uses that name. The good news is that a covering letter is small. It isn't an essay about your book, and it isn't a life story.
Most UK covering letters carry the same three parts.
- The pitch. A short paragraph that says what your book is about and why someone would want to read it.
- The facts. Title, genre, word count, and a comparison title or two.
- You. A line or two about who you are, and anything genuinely relevant to the book.
Open with "Dear" and the agent's name; first name or full name are both fine, whereas "Dear Sir or Madam" is a tell that you haven't looked them up. If you have a real reason for choosing them, say it in a sentence. "I'm submitting to you because you represent X" is enough. Close with a polite sign-off, "Best wishes" or "Kind regards" both do the job, then your name, with your email address and phone number beneath it.
The pitch
Two or three sentences, built from specifics. Who your main character is, what they want, what stands in the way, and what's at stake if they fail. Think of a back cover, but concrete: named character, real predicament, no rhetorical questions.
The pitch doesn't tell the whole story; that's the synopsis's job. It makes a promise about what kind of book this is, and the sample pages then have to keep it.
The facts
Most of the facts fit in a single sentence. "TITLE is a fantasy novel, complete at 95,000 words." Genre tells the agent whether it's for them. Word count tells them it's a finished, normal-sized book. Complete matters for fiction; agents expect the whole manuscript to exist.
Comparison titles, or comps, are published books that show where your book sits. "For readers of X" or "X meets Y". One or two recent ones do the job.
About you
A line or two is enough. Where you live, what you do, and anything that genuinely bears on the book. Publishing credits count if you have them, and so does expertise the book leans on. No credits is normal for a debut and needs no apology.
How long should it be?
A page at most, and shorter is fine. Some agencies cap the length in their guidelines, so check before you send. If your letter is creeping onto a second page, the pitch is probably doing the synopsis's job; move the detail there.
Write it yourself
The letter is the one part of the submission written in your everyday voice. Agents read hundreds of them, and a template sounds like a template. Write it yourself, plainly, the way you'd describe your book to an interested stranger.
Common mistakes
- Retelling the plot. The letter pitches; the synopsis tells. If your letter has a middle and an ending in it, it's doing the wrong job.
- Underselling. "This is my first attempt" and "I know you're busy" don't belong. You're offering a book, not asking a favour.
- Overselling. "The next bestseller" is a verdict, and verdicts are the agent's to make. Let the pitch and the comps make the case.
- Gimmicks. Coloured fonts, jokes in the subject line, writing as your main character. Agents have seen them all, and none of them replace a good pitch.
- The mail-merge letter. No name, the wrong name, or a paragraph that could be sent to anyone. Personalisation is one sentence of effort and it shows.
- Missing facts. No genre or no word count makes the agent hunt for the basics, and some will simply move on.
Before you send it
Read the agency's guidelines once more. Some want the letter in the body of the email, some as an attachment, and some ask for specific details in it.
Then read your letter aloud at least once. If it sounds like you on a good day, clear and specific and unapologetic, it's ready to go.