http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aduzco1VJZE
Life’s unfair. Right? Especially if you’re a struggling author.
Not only must you write a book that outshines the other manuscripts on your chosen agent’s desk – not only must you produce a coherent and enticing synopsis – but on top of that you absolutely have to attach a brilliant and seductive letter to your submission. Fail and your first sentence may not even get read! (Exclamation allowed here, I think)
The link above is to an informative – and sobering – YouTube clip by literary agent Piers Blofeld showing how he weeds out submissions. Watch this. Pause to either curse or sob. Then learn from it…
ninevoices 
Fascinating and depressing.
Of course, agents approach this task differently. Some (I believe) look first at the opening, then the end. Others may focus on the synopsis. But I agree that Piers Blofeld’s technique is scary.
My letters are ALWAYS pathetic. Must try harder, I suppose. And send to a spread of half a dozen agents at a time.
His other YouTube clips are equally fascinating.
Importantly, he makes it clear that the covering letter must include some sort of blurb or summary of what the book is about. I hadn’t taken that in before.
Good link.
What a shame you didn’t see our caption contest last month. Tailor made for you! Do look at the picture of the lion sitting at the desk with the bemused-looking Edwardian guy…
🙂 do you have a link?
The competition was launched in one of our posts, on February 9th. It was then mentioned again on the 18th and 26th Feb, again on our posts.
If you click on ‘older posts’ at the bottom of the current page you should get there. Alternatively, click on ‘ Archives, February 2016 in the left-hand sidebar.
Is the lion real? Is it a painting? We simply don’t know – but it’s a great picture. Pity you missed out on it – the prize money on offer was pretty mind-blowing.