Cover Letter vs. Query Letter

If you're going to send the full manuscript, then yes, just include a cover letter. The cover letter can be very simple--just state what you're sending, the approximate word count, any relevant writing credits, etc.

If you're submitting directly to a publisher, it can be hard to find the name of the senior acquisition editor; if you can't, then just use something like "Dear Editor".

One additional note: you probably want to mark your manuscript "Disposable Copy". This is generally the policy of publishers anyway; many now do not even want you to send a return envelope and postage. Some do not even want you to send a SASE for a reply. Just follow the guidelines of whatever publisher you're submitting your work to.

What Alley said. And Alley, love your Avatar!

A cover letter always accompanies a cold "unsolicited" manuscript, such as fiction, humor, essays, opinion pieces, poetry, jokes, fillers, and newspaper articles.A query letter is more substantial than a cover letter, it is a letter that is sent before the proposal of an article or nonfiction book. Most agents and editors require two presentations -- a query (getting their attention) and a proposal (getting their commitment) -- before they will accept your manuscript.

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Limo Hire

Query letters are also used for fiction submissions as well. Though a lot of agents (but not all) will accept some accompanying page with your initial query (5-10 generally).

Here's a good article about the difference between cover letters and query letters:

http://www.underdown.org/covlettr.htm

samuel1278 said:

A cover letter always accompanies a cold "unsolicited" manuscript, such as fiction, humor, essays, opinion pieces, poetry, jokes, fillers, and newspaper articles.A query letter is more substantial than a cover letter, it is a letter that is sent before the proposal of an article or nonfiction book. Most agents and editors require two presentations -- a query (getting their attention) and a proposal (getting their commitment) -- before they will accept your manuscript.

http://www.lux-limo.co.uk

Click to expand...

The bolded may be true for nonfiction, but not fiction queried to agents. When querying an agent with fiction, the query is what is sent to the agent - not a proposal or cover letter.

Then, if the agent asks for a partial/full manuscript by snail mail, a brief cover letter can accompany the requested material. But the query is the initial inquiry sent to the agent, and it needs to follow certain forms/criteria. Check out QLH for more info on query letters.

~suki

ESL is talking about a picture book. I don't know a lot about them. However, I think allycat might be right.

Suki's comments are correct for chapter books, MG, YA etc. Bit I'm not sure they apply to picture books.

With PBs, most editors want cover letters and the entire ms. Usually there are guidelines on their website.

Yes, look up the editor's name and use that in the cover letter. The letter for a PB is short and to the point. Polite though.

Something like this:

Dear (Editor's name):

(Attached/Below/Enclosed) is my 700 word picture book with the working title A Picture Book For Kids. I am submitting it to (publishing house) for possible publication.

Joey goes to the store to buy some bread, but instead, comes home with a reindeer. Not only that, but the reindeer talks.

Thank you for considering A Picture Book For Kids and I look forward to hearing from you. (Enclosed is a SASE for your response.)

Best regards,
A Writer

If it's nonfiction, and you have expertise in the field of the subject matter, you can state that in the third paragraph before your closing remarks.