Hi all, I'm back again.
I figured I'm not the only one who could use a bit more advice on how to query UK vs. US agents. I've got my US query nice and sorted (thank you squirrels of Query Letter Hell), but I'm not sure how brief UK covering letters should be. I've got a draft that's 130 words, which seems ridiculously short. I've had a poke about the internet, but then here on AW I've seen that some people are having luck with more "American" style queries.
So, from what I understand, a cover letter is very short, more factual and usually less punchy, but with more emphasis on drawing comparisons to other works (which is really hard. Right now I'm tentatively calling mine a steampunk take on Middlesex and Water for Elephants).
Any other tips for formatting and what to include, points to relevant URLs, your experiences querying agents in both countries, and anything else is appreciated.
Why do you think UK agents and US agents have different philosophies on queries?
I figured I'm not the only one who could use a bit more advice on how to query UK vs. US agents. I've got my US query nice and sorted (thank you squirrels of Query Letter Hell), but I'm not sure how brief UK covering letters should be. I've got a draft that's 130 words, which seems ridiculously short. I've had a poke about the internet, but then here on AW I've seen that some people are having luck with more "American" style queries.
So, from what I understand, a cover letter is very short, more factual and usually less punchy, but with more emphasis on drawing comparisons to other works (which is really hard. Right now I'm tentatively calling mine a steampunk take on Middlesex and Water for Elephants).
Any other tips for formatting and what to include, points to relevant URLs, your experiences querying agents in both countries, and anything else is appreciated.
Why do you think UK agents and US agents have different philosophies on queries?