Tips on writing covering letters to agents
I wanted to share a few tips on how to write a strong covering letter to agents. I signed with my agent in 2017 and you can see below – after my tips – an example of the covering letter I sent her. I hope you find this helpful.
Tips
You must tailor your covering letter to the agent you’re submitting to – regardless of whether you’re doing it one submission at a time, en masse, or somewhere in between. You should always research the agents you’re submitting to, investigating who and what they represent and what their manuscript wishlist (MSWL) is. When you’ve drawn up a list of the agents you feel would be a good fit, you need to make clear in an opening paragraph (or further down if that works better) that you’ve researched what they’re looking for and how your MS ticks that box. In other words, show that agent some personal acknowledgement – it helps.
Mention what genre(s) your book falls into and who the intended audience are. If your book is for children, is it a picture book (PB), a chapter book (CB), a middle grade book (MG) or a YA book (Young Adult)? Eg: Furyborn is a fantasy novel for teens/YA. And/or you can specify the age range and suggest that your book would suit fans of Xbook by Yauthor.
Summarise your novel in one or two lines. The “elevator pitch” is essential because this helps agents to pitch it to editors, editors to pitch it to their colleagues, and publishers to pitch it to retailers. When publishers pitch books to retailers, they aren’t just pitching one book, but many. This means they have a minute or two to present each book, so they need to be able to explain what it’s about as simply as possible. Example: My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is about how 10yo Jamie and his family deal with life after the death of his older sister.
Don’t try to squish chunks of your synopsis into the cover letter. The agent doesn’t need to read it twice. Some agents don’t read synopses at all, but you still need to send one if instructed to do so in that agency’s submission guidelines. After you’ve summarised your novel in one or two lines, expand on that summary in the next paragraph. Imagine explaining what your novel’s about very bluntly to a friend, jot it down and tighten it up.
Mention the themes running through your novel. Just as being able to summarise your story in a single line helps tell the reader to understand what it’s about, so does summarising the themes. Eg: It’s a story about subtle prejudice and small acts of kindness.
Include a paragraph about yourself. Mention your writing achievements and/or hopes for the future. Talk about what you do when you’re not writing. It helps the agent to get an idea of who you are and whether you’ll be compatible working together.
Stick to one side of A4 and include spaces between paragraphs. Even though an email doesn’t have a hard border like a sheet of paper does, one side of A4 in a 12 point font is a good guideline to avoid rambling on for too long. And adding line breaks between paragraphs makes it more digestible for the reader.
Before you take the plunge and press send, take a break for half an hour and then PROOFREAD it!
An example of my covering letter
Dear Lauren,
I’m writing to you in the hope that you might consider my YA novel, The Reinvention of Rolo Rawlings, a potential fit for your list. I see from your profile that you’re looking for YA fiction with heart and humour – the two biggest ingredients in my story.
I began developing this novel while doing the Curtis Brown Creative YA & Children’s online course with Catherine Johnson. The course was invaluable, and as a result I hope I’ve written a strong, tight novel that completely engages you and leaves you wanting more. (The full manuscript is about 80,000 words. Please find attached a one-page synopsis and the first 50 pages in separate Word docs.)
The Reinvention of Rolo Rawlings is a coming-of-age story about finding courage, confidence and forgiveness. A comedy drama for young teens with a whodunnit twist, it sits commercially somewhere between Noah Can’t Even, We Are All Made of Molecules and The Art of Being Normal. I’ve shaped the plot with a sequel in mind, although it works equally well as a stand-alone.
The story in a pistachio shell:A 14-year-old boy tries to overcome the everyday challenges in his life while his dad remains in a coma following a mysterious accident.
The story in a coconut shell:When your dad’s in a coma, your sister humiliates you in public, your classmates call you Kermit, and the girl you fancy doesn’t know you exist, life can seem pretty impossible.
But despite a lack of confidence and self-belief, 14-year-old Rolo Rawlings is determined to overcome each of these situations – even if he makes some awkward mistakes and learns some valuable lessons along the way.
A bit about myself: My husband and I run a Brighton-based graphic design agency, where I’m also the copywriter. Before having children I worked as a sub-editor on magazines (such as Vogue and She) and various TV guides.
I’ve written 4 other novels (all comedy dramas) and a collection of humorous short stories for children. I’ve had agency representation in the past, but have yet to find a publisher. In 2013 I was interviewed by The Guardian as part of their self-publishing showcase, and in 2015 my previous novel, Blown-Away Man, made it to the second stage of the Digital Originals competition run by Books and the City/Simon & Schuster.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Tasha Harrison