Hi, not sure if this should be in the Query Letter Hell form but I thought maybe that was just for feedback/critique and that's not really what I want to ask about... yet.
It seems quite obvious there's a clear difference between what makes a good query/submission letter for the UK and for the US. I'm trying to write up one for UK publishers/agents and I've been using one website in particular for advice on how to write a successful letter. I just wanted to check a few things they've suggested though - they seem odd to me.
1. For a Synopsis - should I begin with several little mini-paragraphs introducing my main characters?
2. Also in the synopsis - should I put each characters' name in capital letters the first time I use it (then normal case thereafter)? (And if the answer to question 1 was Yes, is there where I first put their names in capitals??)
3. I've read advice saying that I should mention something about myself that might seem quite ordinary but is fun or amusing or whatever e.g. I live with two cats and a rabbit. Is this weird though? It seems odd to me and I don't want to be laughed at!
4. General question not necessarily linked to UK queries - my novel has a mystery running throughout and it's only at the end, via flashback, that the reader discovers what happened to the MC years ago and why they are the way they are. In my synopsis, should I mention this at the beginning (so the events are technically in chronological order) or should I write it at the end of the synopsis to show the order it occurs in the book, and for the reader?
It seems quite obvious there's a clear difference between what makes a good query/submission letter for the UK and for the US. I'm trying to write up one for UK publishers/agents and I've been using one website in particular for advice on how to write a successful letter. I just wanted to check a few things they've suggested though - they seem odd to me.
1. For a Synopsis - should I begin with several little mini-paragraphs introducing my main characters?
2. Also in the synopsis - should I put each characters' name in capital letters the first time I use it (then normal case thereafter)? (And if the answer to question 1 was Yes, is there where I first put their names in capitals??)
3. I've read advice saying that I should mention something about myself that might seem quite ordinary but is fun or amusing or whatever e.g. I live with two cats and a rabbit. Is this weird though? It seems odd to me and I don't want to be laughed at!
4. General question not necessarily linked to UK queries - my novel has a mystery running throughout and it's only at the end, via flashback, that the reader discovers what happened to the MC years ago and why they are the way they are. In my synopsis, should I mention this at the beginning (so the events are technically in chronological order) or should I write it at the end of the synopsis to show the order it occurs in the book, and for the reader?
