How to Write a Covering Letter to a Literary Agent
When you submit your book to a literary agent, the covering letter is the first thing they read. In the US this is usually called a query letter, but it is the same document: a short, professional note that introduces you and your book, and persuades the agent to read the pages you have attached.
It is not a hard sell and it is not your life story. It is closer to a clear, confident introduction. This guide covers what goes in it, how long it should be, and the mistakes that quietly sink otherwise good submissions. If you are starting from the very beginning, our post on how to get a book published explains the whole route first.
What a covering letter is for
An agent receives a large number of submissions. The covering letter does two jobs at once: it tells them quickly whether your book is the kind of thing they might be interested in and, hopefully, shows them you are a professional they might like to work with. A good letter makes them want to open your sample chapters. That is all it needs to do.
What goes in it
A covering letter is short, usually a few paragraphs. There is no single rigid formula, but most strong letters cover the same ground.
Open with the essentials of the book. Early on, state the title, the word count, the genre, and the age category (for example adult, young adult, or middle grade). Agents need these facts immediately to know whether your book fits what they are looking for. One or two comparison titles can help here: recent published books that sit in the same space as yours, which signal where your book would sit on a shelf and who might read it. Choose comparisons that are realistic and reasonably current, not the biggest bestsellers of all time.
Describe the book itself. This is the heart of the letter: a paragraph, sometimes two, that draws the agent into the story. For fiction, focus on the main character, what they want, what stands in their way, and what is at stake. Write it the way the back cover of a novel might read, enough to intrigue, not a full plot summary. You are trying to make them curious, not to explain everything. Keep it concrete and specific to your book.
Say a little about yourself. A short paragraph on who you are. Any relevant writing background goes here: previous publications, competitions placed or won, a relevant qualification, or membership of a writers' organisation. If you have none of that, it is completely fine to say very little. Most debut authors have no publishing history, and agents know this. Do not pad it or apologise for it.
Close simply. Thank the agent for their time and sign off politely. Nothing more is needed.
How long it should be
Short. A covering letter that runs beyond one page is usually trying too hard. Agents read quickly, and a tight, confident letter reads far better than a long one that explains every theme and subplot. If you are struggling to keep it short, that is normal, and cutting is part of the job.
The mistakes that cost people
A few errors come up again and again, and most are easy to avoid once you know them.
Sending the same letter to everyone, unchanged, is a common one. Agents can tell. A letter addressed to the right person, mentioning that you know what they represent, lands very differently from an obvious mass mailing.
Not following the agent's own guidelines is the next. Agents ask for different things: some want the first three chapters, some the first ten pages, some a synopsis as well, some pasted into the email and some attached. These instructions are not suggestions. Following them exactly matters, and ignoring them sends the wrong signal before an agent has read a word: that you either did not read the guidelines or chose not to. Neither helps you.
Overstating your case also reads poorly. Calling your book a guaranteed bestseller, or comparing it to the most famous novels ever written, tends to have the opposite effect. Let the book speak.
And small things matter more than you might think: the agent's name spelled correctly, the right genre named, no typos. A clean letter signals a clean manuscript.
A note on going deeper
This post covers the shape of a strong covering letter. If you want a more comprehensive guide on how to submit well, the PairPi Submission Toolkit goes into depth.
The short version
A covering letter introduces you and your book in a few clear paragraphs: the essentials up top (title, word count, genre, age category), a paragraph that makes the story intriguing, a short note on who you are, and a polite close. Keep it to a page, tailor it to each agent, follow their guidelines exactly, and let the book do the rest. Then send it to the right people, which is the part PairPi is built to help with.