Authors
How to Write a Query Letter to a UK Literary Agent
A query letter — often called a covering letter or submission letter in the UK — has to do a great deal in very little space. It introduces you, describes a book you may have spent years on, and gives a busy agent a reason to keep reading. The shape of it is predictable, which is good news: once you know what each section is for, you can stop worrying about the form and concentrate on the writing.
Agents see the same mistakes repeatedly. The long apology. The plot summary that runs to two pages. The biography listing every evening class and open-mic night of the past decade. What they actually want is straightforward: say what the book is, why it matters, who you are, and stop.
What UK Agents Want in the Opening Paragraph
Your first paragraph has one job: earn the next thirty seconds of attention. Agents read submissions in batches, between other work, looking for a reason to keep going rather than a reason to stop.
That means no preamble. Don't open with three sentences of good wishes, and don't open with your writing history. Open with the book. A useful first paragraph almost always contains:
- The agent's name, spelled correctly — misspelling it is the fastest way to look careless.
- Your title in capitals, plus genre, audience and approximate word count.
- One sentence on why you are writing to this agent, but only if you have a genuine reason: a book on their list that sits near yours, or a specific interest their profile mentions.
- The hook — the promise of the story, in a line or two.
Before any of that, read the agency's submission guidelines. UK agencies vary on whether they want the first three chapters, the first fifty pages or ten thousand words, and whether those pages should be pasted into the email or attached as a separate file. Some ask for a synopsis alongside; some ask for a one-page covering letter only. Follow the instructions exactly, including any subject-line format. A brilliant letter attached when the guidelines say "paste below" is still a rejection waiting to happen.
The Hook: Two or Three Sentences That Carry the Story
The hook is not a tagline and it is not a theme. It is a concrete situation plus the disruption that makes it a story. Name a person, give them something to want, then take it away or make it dangerous.
Weak: My novel is about love, loss and the secrets families keep.
Stronger: When a Hull trawler goes down in 1974, the skipper's widow finds the ship was insured twice — and that her husband knew.
The second version gives an agent a place, a period, a character and a problem. Keep it in the present tense, keep it specific, and resist opening with a question such as "What if you discovered your whole life was a lie?" It reads as advertising rather than writing.
The Pitch: 100 to 150 Words on Plot and Stakes
This is the paragraph most writers find hardest. Summarise the whole novel in roughly a hundred to a hundred and fifty words, in the present tense and the third person, even if the book is written in the past tense and the first.
Cover the protagonist, what they want, what stands in the way, what it will cost them, and how it ends. Do not hide the ending from an agent. Twists are kept from readers, not from the person you are asking to represent you — if the resolution is what makes the book work, say so.
Two or three named characters is plenty. Avoid plot fog: if you cannot say what happens in plain sentences, the novel probably needs another draft, not a better letter.
The Biography: Two to Four Sentences
Keep it relevant and brief. Publication credits, prizes, an MA in creative writing, or a professional background that informs the book all count. So does a genuine platform — a newsletter, a specialist audience, a trade you have worked in for fifteen years.
If you have none of these, write one honest line and move on: I live in Cardiff and this is my first novel. Do not apologise for it, and do not pad it out. Agents are not put off by a debut; they are put off by a writer who spends a paragraph explaining why they have nothing to say about themselves.
The Housekeeping Line: Word Count, Genre and Comparables
Somewhere early in the letter — often in the first paragraph — state the essentials clearly. Word count rounded to the nearest thousand, category (adult, young adult, middle grade), genre, and whether the book is complete and standalone or the first of a series.
Comparables help if used properly: two recent titles that share your book's readership and tone, or an "X meets Y" pairing. Choose books published in the last few years rather than household names. My book will appeal to readers of Rowan Hisayo Buchanan tells an agent something. Comparing yourself to a global bestseller tells them you don't read enough in your own genre.
A Template You Can Adapt
Dear [Agent's name],
[One line on why you are approaching them, only if genuine.]
THE SALT ROAD is an 88,000-word historical novel set on the Humber, complete and standalone. [Two-sentence hook.]
[100–150 word pitch: protagonist, want, obstacle, stakes, ending.]
[Two to four sentences of biography.]
[What you have pasted or attached, per their guidelines.] Thank you for your time and consideration.
[Your name and contact details.]
Aim for something that fits on one screen — roughly 250 to 350 words in the body. Formatting should be plain: no coloured text, no images in the signature, no attachments unless invited.
Before You Send: A Short Checklist
- Read the agency guidelines again and confirm you have followed every instruction.
- Check the agent's name, your title and your word count.
- Cut any sentence that does not add information.
- Read the letter aloud and fix anything you stumble over.
- Confirm the manuscript is finished and ready to send in full if asked.
- Log where you sent it and when, so you can keep track.
Then send it and start work on the next thing, because waiting is not writing. Some agencies reply to every submission; others respond only if they want to see more, and their guidelines will usually say which. Silence is normal, and a no is a verdict on one book sent to one agent, not on you as a writer. Send it out again.
Photo: Darkmoon_Art / Pixabay
