Cover Letter Quick Tips
Need some help getting your work seen? We got you!
Guest post by E.J. Batiste
As a writer, it can be tough to know exactly what to put in your cover letter for literary magazine submissions. Should I list every place my work has been published? Should I describe my work? What if I’m a new writer and I haven’t had any publications? -- These questions and so many more swirled around my mind whenever I first began submitting my creative work out into the great abyss of literary magazines. It was scary, I was nervous, but I figured it out. Now, as a seasoned writer with plenty of editorial experience, I’m here to share some tips!
Your cover letter should include:
A salutary message and a thank you
-If you know the editor’s name (usually available on the magazine’s masthead), feel free to use it. Otherwise, start your message with “Dear Editor”.
The title(s) and genre of the submission
-This can be important! If you’ve accidently submitted your work to the wrong genre (don’t worry, it happens!), seeing that your cover letter clearly states the correct genre often gets your pieces moved where they need to be.
-Titles are important as well: if the editor wants to publish your piece or pieces, having the title readily visible is helpful to them.
A comment on the magazine
- If you’re familiar with the publication (and I hope you are!) add a line about something you enjoy about it, or comment on a piece that the magazine has published recently.
Previous publications
- List a few—not all!—of the places you’ve been published (but if you haven’t been published yet, don’t worry, that’s okay too!).
Is it simultaneous?
- Note whether it is a simultaneous submission (meaning you have submitted or plan to submit this same work to other publications).
Note: Not all publications accept simultaneous submissions.
Info about you
- Feel free to add a sentence or two about yourself. Have an MFA? You can mention it. Would this be your first publication? Mention that too. Want to express a detail about your writing style? That’s fine, just don’t go overboard. This isn’t the place to list your entire bio.
Other tips:
Cover letters should be clear, quick, and easy to read.
Your work should be able to speak for itself. The cover letter shouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting—i.e., you shouldn’t need to go into detail about the work that you’re submitting.
If your cover letter is too long (more than one short paragraph), it might not get read. Editors are reading both thoughtfully and quickly, long cover letters lengthen the process.
Personality is fine, but not necessary in a cover letter. You don’t have to put a captivating line or a joke of some sort in order to get the editor’s attention. Again, the cover letter isn’t here for heavy lifting, and your work should stand on its own merit.
Above all, please make sure that you read any and all submission guidelines that the publication may have. Each magazine is different, and some include strict guidelines on how your work must be submitted/presented. Make sure your work and cover letter meet all guidelines, otherwise it might not be considered for publication.
Here’s some of my real-life samples!
Cover Letter:
Dear Editor,
Thank you for considering my work. I am submitting my poems "Black", "How-to Move", and "Solitude". I received my MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. My creative work has previously been published or is forthcoming in I-70 Review, For Women Who Roar, Southern Humanities Review, and others. I appreciate your time and attention.
This is a simultaneous submission. I will withdraw any piece if accepted elsewhere.
Sincerely,
E.J. Batiste
If magazines ask for a short bio, include one. It doesn’t have to be your whole life history, just a highlight or two (and here you can be quirky if you wish). It could be as simple as:
E.J. Batiste is a writer, screenwriter, and poet originally from Raeford, NC. Find her somewhere doing yoga on rooftops.
Or
E.J. Batiste (she/they) is a writer, screenwriter, and poet based in Houston, TX and originally from Raeford, NC. She holds an MFA degree from Queens University of Charlotte. Their creative work has appeared in various literary publications, to include I-70 Review, For Women Who Roar, and Southern Humanities Review. Find more of her work at ericajasmin.com or on Instagram: @TheEricaJasmin.
Happy Submitting!
