So You Want To Write A Novel Part 2 – The Toolbox
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 at
7:17 am
Myths about writing the novel are dispelled by examining the tools with which we work. These include genius, experience, confidence, tenacity, discipline and fear. Each of these can be made to work to the novelist’s advantage. This part defines the novel and shows why you can write one.
So You Want to Write a Novel
Tagged with: cover letter for manuscript submissions
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Keep it simple and professional. Nobody cares that your mom thinks your book is great, or that you “really really really” want to be published (I’ve actually received query letters with these and other ridiculous statements!). Don’t get cute with weird fonts and colors (I’ve received queries in red italic, among other things…).
Paragraph one: Who are you, how did you here about me, and what do you want?
Example: My name is Jane Doe. I found your company’s listing at The Writer’s market Weekly. Enclosed please find my 300 page mystery novel, The Mystery of Me, for your review.
paragraph Two: What is the book about?
Example: The Mystery of Me tells the story of Russ Williams, a police academy student who finds his dormmate dead and himself the prime suspect. As Russ struggles to prove his innocence, he begins to uncover strange clues about his own past. And when another body is found not far from Russ’s childhood home, he begins to come to a terrifying realization that he may very well be the killer.
paragraph Three: What qualifies you to write this book?
Example: My current field of study is psychology, and this is my first attempt at novel writing. However, as a student of psychology and a long-time fan of the mystery genre, I feel I can bring a unique perspective to the work. I have published several short stories in The Local Literature Review and The Main Street Press. I also run a mystery book club at the MyTown Library.
Paragraph 4: closure
I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope for your convenience. Should you require more information, please feel free to contact me directly at janedoe@server.com or by phone at 555-555-5555. I look forward to hearing from you.
What do I put on my cover letter for a manuscript submission?
This is my first time writing a children’s book. I intend to send it to a publisher. I have found a publisher that is accepting unsolicited manuscripts but they require a cover letter. I have no idea what or how to write one of these. I don’t have any prior experience, so that even makes it more difficult to write this cover letter. Any help or samples would be great! Thanks for the help.
This is what they require: A cover letter introducing myself and experience, a summary of the story, and three chapters.
Also, the submission has to be made via email and I have searched on there website and I don’t see the editors name. Is including their name a must on cover letters?
Does anyone know how or what to put in a cover letter for a manuscript (book) submission?
I am submitting my novel to a publisher and they require a cover letter to accompany my submission. I have never had to include a cover letter so I’m not sure what should go in this particular type of cover letter. I’ve looked online, but most information is so conflicting that it’s becoming frustrating. Can anyone help me out?
Sorry that I can’t be of much help, BUT, I’ve seen some publishers/literary agencies refer to the query letter as the cover letter. So, they might mean query letter. I guess it won’t hurt to email them and ask for clarification.
See if anyone at http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums has any experience submitting to or working with this publisher and they can tell you what you need on the cover letter.
ADDED: It sounds like they want a query letter. Queries usually follow this format (3 short paragraphs of what your story is about and 1 small paragraphs about your story’s stats and yourself; one page total). It’s best to get feeback for your query, and you can do so at the forum I liked. Queries can be harder than writing the novel itself, because you can easily find other things to focus on rather than what your novel is about. A good, efficient query, according to one literary agent whose blog I visit, is about 350-400 words. You need to also make sure within your query that you focus on what’s unique about your novel (how it’s different than every other novel in the genre). If you make your novel sound like a run-of-the-mill romance, fantasy, or what have you, then you can be rejected. You can find examples of successful query letters on AbsoluteWrite and you can get help with writing yours. Query letter can make or break you with a publisher or agent, so make sure it’s a perfect as it can be. Don’t worry about not having experience. Unless the publisher explicitly states that they want people with publishing experience then in the paragraph were you talk about yourself, just say something like “[title of novel] is a 40,000-word YA sci-fi novel and is the debut novel by [your name].” That’s not perfect of course, but you get the gist of it. The word Debut will let them know that it’s your first novel and that you don’t have any publishing experience.
You should be up front about it if that is what you are going to do. Some agents really disapprove of multiple submissions and others don’t, so it’s best to just be honest.
I’ve also heard that, while multiple submissions may be frowned upon by many agents, multiple queries are just fine. So send those letters out to as many agents as you can!
Don’t pay to get it “appraised” or whatever. I think what Kitty was refering to was the process of querying versus submitting. If you send your entire manuscript to a publisher, they most likely won’t look at a page of it. If you send a query letter and short summary, they may request sample chapters. That’s what was meant by “approved”
When presenting a manuscript submission for the first time, do you need to send a query and cover letter?
I’m writing a book for the first time and I’m confused between writing a cover letter and a query. Do I need to send both? If so, what are the main things I should have in each? I’d really appreciate it if someone could answer my questions.
A query letter goes out alone. Its sole purpose is to get an agent or publisher to ask to see the manuscript. It should not be sent until the novel is complete and polished, rewritten and revised until it cannot be improved. It should include the title, genre, word count, a paragraph about the plot, a paragraph about your qualifications to write it (including any writing awards or experiences used in your plot), and your thanks for their time. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for a reply. If and only if their submission guidelines ask for more would you enclose anything else, such as a bio, or the first 50 pages.
If your query letter worked and they ask to see the manuscript, congratulations. Now you send the manuscript with a cover letter. Its purpose is to remind the agent or publisher that this is material s/he asked to see, not something being sent unsolicited by someone hopeful but unprofessional.
(Don’t you feel smarter for asking before committing a faux pas?)
A cover letter can be as simple as “Enclosed you will find my novel, TIMEPIECE, as requested in your letter of April 15, and my SASE for your reply. I hope you enjoy it.”
Is it ok to submit a novel manuscript to several agents simultaneously?
I’ve always heard it’s bad form, but if an agent takes several months to read my submission I need to be able to send it to three or four at once. If I do simultaneously submit, should I mention that in my cover letter? Thanks for your advice.
KItty rogers, do I need to send my manuscript to an appraisal agency first? Is that the magic trick – pay to get it appraised? Please tell me. The work is good.
I need help understanding publishing terms?
I wrote a childerns picture. I know i well get rejections. I want to be rejected because of content not because i wrote up the cover letter wrong.I have a bunch of books on how to get it published. my problem is how to write up some of the terms.. and what it means. I am going straight to the publisher first.i tried the agent path and got burned a few times. some require a cover letter with your manuscript.
1) how do i write up simultaneous submissions of a cover letter. they ask for you to include that you have done it. ( i have not been able to find a sample letter to see.) which of the following is correct.
A) I have submitted my book to many other publishers
B) I have submitted my book to 5 other Publishers
C) i have submitted my book to the following Publishers: Harper Collins, Walden Books, Greenbrook Publishing and Tenspeed Publishing.
2) What is Biographical material ? ( i am thinking it is a basic Bio about me). Any tips on how to write it would help.
the publishers i used where just exsamples…some publishers incourage you to submitt to more then one publisher but would like you to mention it in your cover letter with your manuscirpt or qurrie letter ( each publisher wants it different).. and for following guidelines i have.. i have gone to some web sites and what they want for childern picture books.certain amount of words, cover letters or qurrie letters.. that is why i have a few questions about it..and some big publishers according to there web sites still want unagented submissions..there where a few things they wanted done a certain way and that is why i am asking….the 2 above questions……
the few agents i have dealt with where just crook.. they wanted me to pay and some of the contracts made my lawyer fall over laughing.. that is why i am tring to do it without an agent…if it dont workout then all i lost was a few months and a couple of hundred dollars…the book is not about holidays or cute bunnys.
First of all, Harper Collins and all major publishers will reject you unread. They do not accept unsolicited queries. You should know that if you have read their listing in Writers Market. They only deal with agents.
I would never submit to more than two publishers at a time. Sending to five is just unprofessional and amateur and all five will just reject you. You should just say I have simultaneously submitted this query to another publisher.
You mention sending a cover letter with your manuscript. That is absolutely NOT how it is done. Your manuscript will become lunch for somebody’s papershredder. You must check each publisher’s submission requirements and send them EXACTLY what they request. That doenst mean a manuscript. Usually it means a query letter along with a summary. Sending a manuscript is a sure sign of an unprofessional amateur author and a guaranteed form rejection letter.
You say you have a bunch of books, but it doesnt seem like you have read them. Do you have a copy of Writers Market? That is really the only book you need. All the information you require is right there. Not following guidelines will get you rejected. So will sending your letter on cutsey stationary, including “presents” and using cute stamps on the envelope. Your letter should be professional – on matching stationary with simple flag stamps. Trust me, people get rejected just for their choice of stamps on the envelope.
The only publishers you can query are small publishers who deal directly with authors. The A List publishers dont. DEFINITELY cross Harper Collins off your list.
I had a chance recently to sit down and talk with an exec at Harper Collins. We discussed the children’s market. 40% of all childrens’ books today are written by celebs – Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billy Joel etc. Another 40% is already established children’s authors – Eric Carle etc. 15-20% is reprints of children’s classics – Curious George, Dr Seuss, etc. That leaves approximately 5% for new authors. Publishers like Harper Collins have large backlogs of previously purchased children’s books that are getting printed a few at a time. And to make matters worse, adult fiction authors like Carl Hiaasen and several others are now entering the children’s market too — eating into that 5% of new authors. That is why you have been burned by agents. Most agents dont read children’s anymore – there just isnt any profit in it for them. They cannot sell the books and it’s a waste of their time.
Your only hope is to go to Writers Market and look through the small presses for ones still publishing children’s books. And trust me – there are not many. There are a lot of frauds and scams among smaller presses so make sure you go through Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks and research any company you intend to query. If there have been problems in the past, both sites will have details.
As for your bio, if you are an unpublished inexperienced author, you should say so. Dont artifically pump up your bio – it will be discovered. Ask James ‘Frey.
I do not mean to be so negative, but these are the facts in the children’s book world. It is tough – very tough. .I have a close friend who recently published a children’s book that went all the way to #1 on the NY Times children’s list. But it was an exceptional book, on an exceptional subject and he had some very important people backing him – namely the NY Yankees. If the book isnt exceptional, it wont go anywhere. And if it is a holiday book, Christmas, Chaunakah, Halloween etc – forget it – they get thousands a week and reject them all. The market is glutted.
Reread Writers Market. You need to review how to send in a submission before you do it. Good luck. Pax – C