Successful cover letters are tough to write…
Rather than being a summary of your book, they are instead a sales document to convince agents/publishers to love your book.
I have had years of practice writing effective book proposals, both as a successful writer and co-founder of BubbleCow.
I am now putting aside some time each week to provide feedback on a few cover letters that have been submitted by writers. I will add my feedback to the letters and publish them the following day for all to see!
The rules are simple:
- Only submit with the form below,
- By submitting you agree that BubbleCow can publish your cover letter on our blog,
- Not all letters will be assessed – sorry.
Here’s last week’s cover letter assessment.
1. Publishers don’t want to publish your book
Book publishers are inundated with manuscripts. They get hundreds (if not thousands) of book ideas each week. They don’t need new ideas and more importantly they don’t need your book. So, when your book lands on a publisher or agent’s desk they are looking for a reason to reject. Rejection is easy, just a standard letter and the book is no longer their problem. As a writer you need to make sure you don’t give them a reason to reject your book. Make sure everything is the best it can be.
2. You are not writing the next Harry Potter
The book industry moves slowly. I mean really slowly. When a publisher takes on a new book it might be a couple of years before it hits the shelves. This means that a pitch today for the next Harry Potter is pointless. The only thing a publisher can promise is that when your book is launched Harry Potter will not be the next big thing.
3. Being good is not enough to get published
Good writing is a prerequisite for a publisher but it is not the deciding factor on whether a book will be published. Assuming your writing is up to scratch a publisher is then looking to see if your book fits their current range, if they think the market is big enough to make a profit, if they have the distribution to sell your book, if they have the correct editor to work with your book, to check you are not a nutter and so on. As a writer you need to make their job as easy as possible, you must pick the correct publisher and then you must make your pitch as up-to-date and as relevant as possible
4. It is not the best books that get published
It should be the best books that get published but it’s not. Most book deals are made with authors who the publisher and/or agent already know – proven writers are much less risky. Your job as a writer is to work hard to try and jump past the slush pile and become a ‘proven’ writer.
5. Most writers don’t make money
Most books sell less than a thousand copies. Most writers make almost no money – fact. If you are in this for the cash think again.
6. You need an agent
If you are in it for the cash then you need an agent – simple. Without an agent writers can’t get anywhere near the big publishers and it is the big publishers who sell the most books. So if you are a serious writer you are best spending your time researching and approaching the correct agent rather than wasting your time with smaller publishers.
7. You can sell your book without a publisher
The development of the internet has seen writers gain the ability to distribute and promote their own work. It is now possible for writers to produce thier own content and then sell it to thier fans, all without a traditional publisher. I think Scott Sigler and J.C. Hutchins would agree.
