DEAR AGENT - Extract 1

I'm delighted to announce the 10-day countdown to publication of Dear Agent - Write the Letter That Sells Your Book! Dear Agent is my nifty, comprehensive ebook about that tricksy thing: the letter pitching your book and yourself to agent or publisher. Dear Agent will make a matching pair with Write a Great Synopsis - An Expert Guide, and once you've read them both, there will be no excuse for anything less than a splendiferous, stressfree, stylish submission.

Dear Agent will be published on August 10th and will be stupid cheap for that weekend only, so don't delay. I've had terrific feedback already. *dances*

Leading up to that, and up until August 17th, I'm giving you free extracts on this blog, and offering lots of giveaways here, on my Facebook page and on Twitter up till August 10th. Keep your eyes open! In fact, if you read to the end of this post, there's a PICK ME opportunity - two chances (and three more on my FB page) of winning a free copy of Dear Agent. Hurry, before I change my mind.

NB The extracts are all taken before final proof-reading.

First extract:

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Isn’t it the book that counts?
Yes. When I talk to aspiring writers how about to get published, I try to emphasise the truth: that it’s your book that will get you the deal, not how sparkly your smile or your covering letter, nor whom you know and how many hands you’ve shaken at conferences. But in the Q&A at the end of every talk, the questions focus invariably on how to submit the book to agents or publishers, far more than on the writing. Writers get terribly worried about and hung up on the tiniest aspects of the submission: should it be double-spaced or single? Times New Roman or Helvetica? Should I send three chapters or two? What if the guidelines say three but my chapters are really long? Or really short? Why can’t I send glitter or confetti or chocolates? Why can’t I show them a photo of my gorgeous legs?

The thing is that tied up in all these questions are two truths. First, the covering letter is like your shop window. A good one will draw people into the shop. Second, a bad covering letter is like a terrible shop window. Inside, there could be wonderful things but no one will even come in if your window is off-putting.

So, the writing is what will decide the deal. The covering letter is what can enable a deal even to be discussed.

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Dear Agent will be available on Amazon on August 10th (and shortly afterwards elsewhere) for the STUPID price of 50p(ish) for THREE DAYS ONLY. Tell the world! Well, writers, anyway... I would love the book to shoot up the charts at the start, as Tweet Right and Write a Great Synopsis did. I need your help, lovely people. Help!

More extracts in the lead up to August 10th. And more giveaways on this blog, my Facebook page and on Twitter over the next few days. No free copies after Aug 10th, though...


So, if you'd like the chance to win a free copy, simply plead with me in a comment below. I do love a bit of pleading... (Deadline for this Pick Me is Aug 9th, and after that you'll need to pay for it.) Same applies to today's giveaway of THREE copies on my Facebook page.