Now this may seem like an odd question, but now that I have a couple of publishers interested in my novel, I'm not sure about a cover letter for the ms. itself. It will go to the publisher I prefer and if I don't get lucky with them it's nice having a backup.
But anyway, I can't imagine sending the ms. off without a cover letter, but is there anything I should say in it besides here is the ms you invited me to submit?
J. R.
[This message has been edited by JeanneT (edited August 23, 2007).]
Posted by darklight (Member # 5213) on :
Not that I've had been there, but yeh, I'd just pop in a note. Re your request to see the entire manuscript of <enter novel name> Here it is.
Maybe not 'here it is' but you get the idea. Others might differ on oppinion but that's what I would do. Just make sure your details are on the letter and you shouldn't go wrong.
But I'm no expert.
Posted by lehollis (Member # 2883) on :
I'm no expert. I've never been in that position. My gut says to include a cover letter, but don't say anything that doesn't need to be said. In other word, ditto to darklight.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
Dear Editor,
Thank you for your interest in seeing the complete manuscript of my novel The Greatest Book Ever.
I have enclosed it with a SASE. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
My Name
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
One (pragmatic) reason for enclosing a cover letter is so that the editor has something besides your manuscript to put his or her coffee cup down on while reading.
Other reasons are so that the editor has something besides the manuscript with your contact information and the story title on it, and so the editor has a piece of paper with lots of blank space for writing notes about the manuscript.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
At the very least the cover letter should thank the editor for giving you their his/ her time and consideration, imho. Beyond that, maybe just to jog his/ her memory (I spoke with you at blah blah convention, you told me to send it...)
Posted by The G-Bus Man (Member # 6019) on :
As a certificate holder in technical writing one of the things they teach us is how to write cover letters. I can e-mail you a sample if you want.
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
Why can't editors do what engineers do with their coffee cups? There's a great cup-holder built into every desktop computer.
Posted by The G-Bus Man (Member # 6019) on :