Making Light: Cover Letters

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/001505.html

Your basic cover letter is such a simple thing: Get in, get out, and shut up. Here’s a no-frills model:

Dear Editor:

Enclosed are the first three chapters plus an outline of my 85,000-word science fiction novel, Voodoo Robot. It is [insert here a one- or two-sentence summary of the basic setup and story arc]. This is my first novel. [OR: I have the following publication credits.] [Optionally, and only if EXTREMELY pertinent: In addition, I have the following related credentials or experience. For example: This is my first SF novel, but on the other hand I am Geoff Landis.] I also enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. [OR: You need not return the manuscript.]

Thank you for considering my submission. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
[your name here]

Forbes on Books

http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/30/books-publishing-internet-tech-media_cx_mm_m...

But surprise—the conventional wisdom is wrong. Our special report on books and the future of publishing is brim-full of reasons to be optimistic. People are reading more, not less. The Internet is fueling literacy. Giving books away online increases off-line readership. New forms of expression—wikis, networked books—are blossoming in a digital hothouse.
Special issue on books, publishing, and ebooks.