Writing Queries and Covers

Earlier this week, I promised to elaborate on the specifics of the six parts of a good business letter. Both queries and cover letters are business communications, always a more formal type of writing with certain informational requirements. The six parts are, according to the Scribner Handbook of English:

• Heading
• Inside Address
• Salutation
• Body
• Closing
• Signature

The heading contains your address and the date. Because email systems sometimes remove formatting, place all the blocks at the left (flush left). On paper, the heading belongs at the right and it is right justified (flush right). And because emails have a built-in header with my name and the date, I may omit it the heading for electronic communications. On paper leave at least one line empty below the heading block.

Begin the Inside Address flush left. In an email, you know at least the name of the company and person you're writing to, right? Find out, even if it means a long distance phone call. Think of it as an investment in your writing career. "Dear Agent" or "Dear Editor" is not only not business-like, it is also poor form and out of style. Place the name and title and full address in a block of lines. Leave one at least one line blank below this block.

The salutation should not be "Hi" or any other word than "Dear" followed by the person's full name. Never address someone who is not already your friend by a nickname or even a first name until they ask you to do so. "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam" or any variations are archaic. Follow the salutation with a colon, at least the first time you contact this person. Leave another blank line below.

The body should also be flush left, with one blank line between paragraphs. In an electronic communication, don't even try to indent the first word of each paragraph. Keep the content short and to the point. The letter or message should fit on one standard page of business stationery. Don't let the illusion of additional length in an email lure you into wordiness or trying to cram in just one more piece of information. Omit humor, gestures of friendliness and personal comments about yourself or the person to whom you are writing. This is business!

Following another blank line comes the closing, flush left and beginning with a capital letter and ends with a comma. It can be any number of typical words or combinations. The first time I write to someone, I usually close with "Sincerely," or "Yours truly,". If we develop a relationship, later on I may use "Best Regards", "Cordially," or even just "Best,". Eschew "Respectfully" and "Faithfully" as archaic. Leave several blank lines on paper to accommodate your written signature as well as a printed one. In email, leaving just one line blank is sufficient. I often end email messages with my full name and contact information, which includes phone number, email address and physical address.

Here's a sample in email format:

Company Name
Ms. Firstname Lastname, Title
Street address
City, State Zip Code
Date

Dear Ms. Lastname:

Body of the message in 2 or 3 paragraphs.

Yours truly,

Georganna Hancock
Street address
City, State Zip Code
Phone number
Email address

See the post on Writing Cover Letters for tips on that kind of content for the body.