Synopsis & Covering letter on same page???

[Stone Bridge]

Hi,

Many agent company's request a covering letter, a synopsis of the story, (I take it that means a brief description?) :Shrug:the manuscript or 3 chapters and a SAE.

I was wondering do you combine the synopsis and the covering letter on the same page or send a seperate sheet for each?

Sorry I'm new to this, I do have the Writer's & Artists Yearbook which is fab but can only find out how to write a good covering letter in it, it doesn't answer my question? so I thought some of you could help!!! ;)

Tanks, SB

[RLSMiller]

Hi,

Many agent company's request a covering letter, a synopsis of the story, (I take it that means a brief description?) :Shrug:the manuscript or 3 chapters and a SAE.

I was wondering do you combine the synopsis and the covering letter on the same page or send a seperate sheet for each?

Sorry I'm new to this, I do have the Writer's & Artists Yearbook which is fab but can only find out how to write a good covering letter in it, it doesn't answer my question? so I thought some of you could help!!! ;)

Tanks, SB

The synopsis is separate in this case. It's best to aim for one single-spaced page, or 2/3 pages double-spaced when writing a synopsis (no more than 1000 words).

However, it's also a good idea to include one or two synopsis-like paragraphs in your cover letter. I don't think it's quite as necessary to do this in a cover letter to a UK agent as it is in a cold query letter to a US agent, but I do it anyway. We have the benefit of three sample chapter and a proper synopsis when submitting to an agent, so the letter isn't quite so important, whereas US agents decide mostly based on the strength of the letter itself.

[moondance]

Separate sheet for a synopsis. And by the way, a synopsis is different from a blurb - it states exactly what happens in the story, ending and all. I would put a short 'hook' in the covering letter - just a teaser of the story maybe. One page for each, by the way, is best. The less paper, the better, as far as they're concerned!

[Stone Bridge]

Thank you to RLS Miller and moondance, you have both answered my question thats great, off to write them both up now!

SB