Should my synopsis in the cover letter give away the whole plot or just be a teaser like on the back of the book? ie

Jane has to choose between two boys but is unprepared for the consequences of her choice

Or

Jane, 16, has to choose between Karl, 17 and Darren, 20. Karl is devastated at her choice and decides to wreak his revenge.

Or even more detail than that - ie - do I include the eventual outcome too? This is just to cover letter I am asking about - I have also included a detailed synopsis.

Thanks!

If there's a full synopsis then what's in the cover letter should be very short and hooky - I'd suggest something like the middle one, which gives more of an idea of what kind of things happen while being brief. (I'd suggest that 'wreak' is a bit of an off-the-peg verb to tag onto for 'revenge'. You could extend it a bit, if you can still keep the sentence under control:

Jane is 16, and when she rejects Karl in favour of the older Darren, Karl decides to get his revenge, following them through Athens to the alleys and docks of Piraeus.

or something.

Emma



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rogue smiley...

Thanks Emma - that's really helpful.

As Emma says, the synopsis is separate from the cover letter, (ie, 1-2 pages, single spaced). You only need an overview paragraph in the cover letter, eg, to introduce the main protagonist, the setting, main antagonist, and mention the main conflict/life choice the main protagonist has to face, and convey the genre.

- NaomiM

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Jane is 16, and when she rejects Karl in favour of the older Darren, Karl decides to get his revenge, following them through Athens to the alleys and docks of Piraeus.

This implies it's an historical Thriller, and Karl is the main pov character. Is that the impression you menat to convey?

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...ie, you have Karl's motivations, implying he's the main pov character, rather than Jane. And if it's contemporary, why is the action taking place in a classical city like Athens?
Focus on Jane and her motivations in the overview.

Not at all - but the Piraeus etc refs were Emma's - not mine! My character very much stays in the UK....

Lol! my apologies.

Naomi, Athens is still there, last time I looked. They were on their way to a debauched week on Mykonons, you see...

Cacooper - I hope you didn't feel I was taking your story over! I was just trying to illustrate the way you might convey a bit more of setting and plot, within such a narrow compass.

Emma

Emma no not at all, don't be silly! Totally got that you were just trying to explain your point. Really appreciate your input

I was just trying to illustrate the way you might convey a bit more of setting and plot

And I was illustrating how such a line could come across to an agent, so pick every word carefully.