Chapter 2 | On Pitching
From The Little Black Book of Publishing:
Your cover letter must be personally addressed to the agent or publisher. They want to know that you are in the right place, so address them by name and reaffirm your readership and genre, even if it is specifically what they’re asking for.
Let them know if your manuscript is complete, or whether you are pitching a proposal. They might not request the whole manuscript upfront, but they will want to know it is completed. Tell them that you have entered short story competitions, been published in magazines, attended a creative writing course, festivals, etc. Show them that you are passionate about the business of writing.
Research each agent and publisher. Look at their catalogue and read the acknowledgements in the books they have helped publish for clues of what they love and what they’re all about; read their bio; check out their social media.
Yes, this is what I call professional stalking and it is important because I guarantee that they will ask you why you want to work with them and why they must consider working with you. The more genuine connection you can build with them, the greater the chance you will have of working together.
Bio
Agents and publishers want to see you are serious about writing and working on your craft.
Speak to the experiences that lead you to writing the book, life events, any writing experience, prizes you have submitted to, any long or short listings, any publications in magazines on websites, etc.
Often your biographical notes will go in your cover letter as opposed to a seperate bio however the same rules apply - keep it relevant! There is no need to tell them where you went to primary school or where you worked as a teenager unless there is something specific about those experiences that have impacted why you wrote the story.
The best cover letters include:
the agent or publisher’s name spelled correctly
your book’s details - readership, word count and genre (adult crime, 86,296 words, manuscript complete)
important and relevant biographical notes
why you are pitching to the specific agent or publisher (’I can see from the books you represent/ have published that you’re interested in X,’ ‘I loved reading X that you represent/ published and it influenced my own book…’, ‘I appreciate that you are making an effort and representing authors from diverse backgrounds…’)
why you are the person to write this book