Since the covering letter is supposed to be attached, I have to admit I'm a bit confused about what actually goes in the body of the e-mail you attach everything to. A query pitch? A short statement about the attachments themselves (please find three attached documents for my submission: ...), or nothing.
I'm so used to subbing agents, but I have no idea what publishers want in the actual e-mail.
Down in the comments there is a bit about everything being an attachment. Doesn't explicitly say "nothing in email" but I think implies it. Probably.... You could ask.
To me,
cover letter and
cover page are two very similar words that usually mean different things.
The guidelines says to attach the
cover page in the same document as the synopsis and chapters -- the cover page, as far as I can tell in context, is your standard manuscript format first page. Title, wordcount, your name, address, phone number.
(See examples
here,
here and
here.)
The
cover letter is what I'm putting in the e-mail body: a quick one-paragraph pitch (that might not get read, who knows), wordcount and title, info on whether it's a multiple submission [or incomplete sub, if you're doing that], 'thank you for your time and consideration'. No address or phone details, because that info's in my cover page.
I'm following the usual British query process logic where the cover letter is just a polite intro letter, and the synopsis and sample chapters are the stars of the show. If anyone's unfamiliar with UK-style covering letters, Nicola Morgan's got you covered (hehe)
here and
here.
I know the comments use 'cover page' and 'cover letter' interchangeably, but I'm just ignoring that for now because that way lies madness.
