Notes from Hilary Sares, senior editor at Kensington

Cover letters should resemble back cover copy of novels. She wants them short and to the point.
It should contain the who, where, when, what in the first sentence and preferably an emotional high point in the second sentence. Be compelling, hint at secrets. Make her want to read the book.

When submitting to her, send three chapters or the complete novel. For her, a synopsis is unnecessary and she doesn’t care about it.

Always hit the emotional high points and go out on a limb with your stories. She wants real heroes and strong stories. Don’t worry about the little things.