Hi all,

Having chiselled the barbed edges away from my synopsis (thanks again to those who helped) I'm about to release my novel into the unforgiving wilderness of Rejectionland!

Having taken on board the comments that were given a few months ago, below is my proposed covering letter. Following Naomi's advice, the contemporary/literary tag will be amended to suit each agent.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

GB

__________________________________________________________________________


Dear X,

I would like to submit my novel, Felix Shill Deserves to Die, for your attention.

Felix Shill Deserves to Die is a piece of contemporary/literary fiction, around 108,000 words in length. Set over three days, the novel follows the story of Felix Shill who, having been presumed dead following a terrorist attack on London, seizes the opportunity to start a new life. But first he must lay to rest several ghosts from his troubled past.

I was compelled to write the novel following a particularly traumatic episode that occurred to me a few years ago. It was as I was struggling to catch a plane that I received a series of telephone calls, which, when combined, threatened to irrevocably alter my life. Speeding along the motorway, I began to wonder, “What is the worst thing that could happen if I missed this flight?” And so, Felix Shill Deserves to Die was born.

Enclosed is a brief synopsis, along with the first three chapters, so that you can get a more detailed understanding of my work. I hope you enjoy reading these chapters and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Y

following a terrorist attack on London,

I would simply say 'a plane crash', since there is nothing in the synopsis about a terrorist attack.

I was compelled to write the novel following a particularly traumatic episode that occurred to me a few years ago. It was as I was struggling to catch a plane that I received a series of telephone calls, which, when combined, threatened to irrevocably alter my life. Speeding along the motorway, I began to wonder, “What is the worst thing that could happen if I missed this flight?” And so, Felix Shill Deserves to Die was born.

I have to be honest and say this is very unlikely to interest an agent. It would be better to have a two line summary about the novel in place of this paragraph.

so that you can get a more detailed understanding of my work.

This is un-necessary.

Don't forget to mention you 'include an SAE'.


- NaomiM