A Four Paragraph Approach To Cover Letters

Filed under Book Proposal, Cover Letter, Get Published.

BubbleCow's 4 paragraph approach to writing a cover letterPitching your book to a publisher or agent is a tricky, but essential skill for all writers to master. A book pitch should consist of a cover letter, synopsis and extract. In this post I want to outline the ‘Four Paragraph Approach’ to writing a cover letter.

The aim of the cover letter is to demonstrate to an agent or publisher that:

  • 1. You understand the marketplace,
  • 2. Your book fits into their current list,
  • 3. Your book will sell enough copies to make it worthwhile printing it in the first place,
  • 4. You, the author, can support and promote your book.

Here is the structural outline we suggest to all writers who come to BubbleCow looking for help with their book pitch:

Paragraph 1: The aim of the opening paragraph is to hook the agent/publisher, spark some interest in your book and explain to them rapidly what your book is about. All in one paragraph!

The opening paragraph is split into two sections. The first is the elevator pitch, which consists of a couple of lines that capture the essence of the book. This is a concise and targeted summary of the book in just a couple of sentences.

You can’t choose who you fall in love with and that’s especially true with football teams. (The Bromley Boys, Dave Roberts)

Belle de Jour is the nom de plume of a high-class call girl working in London. This is her story. (Belle de Jour, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl)

Grosvenor HouseDeep in the City something had been woken, something so old and so ordinary that people had been walking past it for centuries without giving it a second look…(Stone Heart, Charlie Fletcher)

The second part of the opening paragraph is a brief summary of your book. This is not a synopsis just a very brief taster of what your book is about. At this stage you are simply showing the agent/publisher the type of book you have written and giving them a chance to see if it will fit into their current list. Here is an example for the classic fairy tale, The Three Little Pigs:

This coming of age fairy tale, sees three little pigs leaving home to build a new life. Yet faced with the problems of building regulations and a vicious serial killer known as The Big Bad Wolf, each pig must find their own solution!

Paragraph 2: The aim of the second paragraph is to present your book as a viable product. Having established your book’s theme and content, you must now demonstrate to the agent/publisher that you understand the market and have a realistic commercial proposition.

This paragraph should include the following:

  • The book’s genre,
  • The book’s word count,
  • An indication of the market with one or two representative titles,
  • Notes of any images, illustrations or unusual requirements,
  • An indication of if the book is written and if not when it will be finished.

The representative titles are important and should not be missed. The best way to decide on these is to think what readers of your book may also read. The examples will give the publisher/agent a good indication of whether your book is the kind of product they can publish/sell.

Paragraph 3: This is a loose outline of your book’s plot – just remember to keep it brief. Do include the key characters, the problem they face and the point of conflict. But do not expand this to a full blown synopsis. Short and sweet is the key here.

This builds on the first paragraph and will drive home your book’s narrative and give the agent/publisher a better feel for your story.

If we carry on the The Three Little Pigs story we get:

Set in the fairy tale land of medieval Europe, this tale sees three pigs leaving home to make their way in the world. However, their coming-of-age is overshadowed by the presence of the serial killer known as The Big Bad Wolf. The first pig opts to build a house of straw, but it offers little protection from the Wolf. The second pig tries sticks, but with the same results and he ends up as the Wolf’s second victim. The third pig develops a plan that involves a brick house, a chimney and a pot of boiling water – but will it be enough?

Paragraph 4: This is about you as a writer. In the modern world of internet driven marketing the writer is increasingly becoming an important part of the process. Include a brief biography, containing any relevant information such as previously published titles. I would also suggest that you add information regarding your web presence.

I absolutely want to know about you. I love pithy bios because it tells me a bit about the person behind the words.

Behler Publications

The key to remember is that the cover letter is just a taste of your book. At this stage it is all about finding the correct agent/publisher and making sure that your book fits their list. If the agent/publisher has no experience of selling the genre in which your book falls, then any potential partnership is doomed to failure.

Before we move on it is important to mention that the following information MUST be included in the cover letter: your name, your address, any website details, your email address and your home and mobile numbers.

It is a common myth that book proposals should be a one page cover letter and one page synopsis. It can be OK to write an extended cover letter (in some circumstances). Here’s a list of topics that might be included:

  • Marketing ideas: If you have a strong web presence, or if you have a solid vision for the marketing and promotion of your book then this can be included. However, simply saying ‘I will do ten book signings’ is not the kind of thing that will get anyone excited. This said, making it clear to the publisher/agent that you firstly, understand that marketing is part of the writer’s job, and secondly that you as a writer are prepared to get your hands dirty is always a positive. This is also where you should include any unique media contacts you may possess.
  • A book series: Another situation that may lead to an expanded book proposal is if you are pitching for a series of books. In this case it may be appropriate for you to include a one page synopsis for each title, plus an expanded description of your series in the query letter. This is especially true for non-fiction works that are more likely to NOT be written at point of proposal.

BubbleCow can provide writers with professional help to pitch your book or edit your book in preparation for submission or self-publication.

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  • someguy

    I would add a couple of points:

    1/ Any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors or bad punctuation are disastrous in a covering letter. You want to be taken seriously as someone who has mastered the basic tools of writing; so proof-read your letter extremely carefully. Then do it again. And again.

    2/ Avoid telling the recipient of the letter how amazing, exciting or otherwise brilliant your book is. You want to hint at these things in your synopsis and outline, but you don’t want to make bald – and obviously biased – statements as to the worth of the book. Your letter should be informative in that it explains what the recipient is about to read. Let them draw their own conclusions as to how good the book is. The work should speak for itself.

    3/ Similarly, I recommend a neutral and quietly professional tone throughout your letter. This instantly conveys the impression that you are a reasonable and balanced individual who knows how to deal with other people. Don’t make the mistake of flaunting your literary muscles in the covering letter. The letter is not the book, it’s a separate thing. Think of the letter as a hushed and respectful butler introducing a guest into the room. However wild, zany and otherwise mind-blowingly original the guest may be, the butler’s demeanour never changes.

    4/ On a related note, big gimmicks are almost never a good idea. Sending gifts with your letter or having it hand-written on papyrus or encrusted with glitter and miniature bells is a waste of your time, money and effort. However endearing you think such ploys may be, publishers are in the business to publish books that they love and want to bring to the masses. Gimmicks and gifts will not help your cause one jot. If anything, they are counter-productive, alerting a publisher that here is a manuscript that cannot speak for itself.

    2/

    • garysmailes

      Describing the tone of a cover letter as a ‘hushed and respectful butler introducing a guest into the room’ is simply genius.

    • garysmailes

      Thanks for this comment. I often think that being confident about your book is very important. If you don’t believe in you book then on one will. An experienced writer once told me that he wanted to make every book proposal sound like an opportunity that the publisher would be foolish to pass on…

  • someguy

    I would add a couple of points:

    1/ Any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors or bad punctuation are disastrous in a covering letter. You want to be taken seriously as someone who has mastered the basic tools of writing; so proof-read your letter extremely carefully. Then do it again. And again.

    2/ Avoid telling the recipient of the letter how amazing, exciting or otherwise brilliant your book is. You want to hint at these things in your synopsis and outline, but you don't want to make bald – and obviously biased – statements as to the worth of the book. Your letter should be informative in that it explains what the recipient is about to read. Let them draw their own conclusions as to how good the book is. The work should speak for itself.

    3/ Similarly, I recommend a neutral and quietly professional tone throughout your letter. This instantly conveys the impression that you are a reasonable and balanced individual who knows how to deal with other people. Don't make the mistake of flaunting your literary muscles in the covering letter. The letter is not the book, it's a separate thing. Think of the letter as a hushed and respectful butler introducing a guest into the room. However wild, zany and otherwise mind-blowingly original the guest may be, the butler's demeanour never changes.

    4/ On a related note, big gimmicks are almost never a good idea. Sending gifts with your letter or having it hand-written on papyrus or encrusted with glitter and miniature bells is a waste of your time, money and effort. However endearing you think such ploys may be, publishers are in the business to publish books that they love and want to bring to the masses. Gimmicks and gifts will not help your cause one jot. If anything, they are counter-productive, alerting a publisher that here is a manuscript that cannot speak for itself.

    2/

  • garysmailes

    Describing the tone of a cover letter as a 'hushed and respectful butler introducing a guest into the room' is simply genius.

  • garysmailes

    Thanks for this comment. I often think that being confident about your book is very important. If you don't believe in you book then on one will. An experienced writer once told me that he wanted to make every book proposal sound like an opportunity that the publisher would be foolish to pass on…

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