When submitting

ILove2Write · Jun 30, 2008

When submitting a short story I know you send the whole story, but what do you put in the query/cover letter? For books I realize you're supposed to tell them about your story briefly, but do you do the same for a short story? I would think that would give the whole story away...

mikeland · Jun 30, 2008

Your instincts are correct. Don't ever try to synopsize or explain the story in the cover letter. Don't say anything about it beyond the title and word count.

The cover letter is a business letter and largely a formality. Editors/readers don't decide to read the story based on the cover letter. So it is best to keep it simple and to the point.

Here's one example: http://pebblelakereview.com/samplecoverletter.htm

If you don't have any writing credits, don't worry about it. Just stick with "Here's my story, I look forward to hearing from you."

drachin8 · Jun 30, 2008

Dear Mr./Ms. <Awesome Head Editor's Name>,

I have attached "<Great Story Title>", a <word count>-word <genre> short, for your consideration. My previous publications include <list of previous publications that the editor possibly cares about>. Thank you for your time.

Best wishes,
<Your name here>

Something along those lines should work fine. Unless, of course, the guidelines state differently, in which case do whatever the heck the guidelines tell you to do for that magazine.

-Michelle

The Scip · Jun 30, 2008

drachin8 said:
Dear Mr./Ms. <Awesome Head Editor's Name>,

I have attached "<Great Story Title>", a <word count>-word <genre> short, for your consideration. My previous publications include <list of previous publications that the editor possibly cares about>. Thank you for your time.

Best wishes,
<Your name here>

Something along those lines should work fine. Unless, of course, the guidelines state differently, in which case do whatever the heck the guidelines tell you to do for that magazine.

-Michelle

This is pretty much the same thing I do: title, word count, genre, publishing credits and thanks.

Not much else.

It is a good idea to do some digging and use the editor's name if you can find it. A few times I have written "Dear Editor" but I think it helps to find the actual person you are sending the story to.

Captshady · Jun 30, 2008

Is there a min/max word count that constitutes "short story" ?

Mr Sci Fi · Jun 30, 2008

Captshady said:
Is there a min/max word count that constitutes "short story" ?

I'm probably wrong, but generally anything 1,000 - 7,500 words is a short story. 7,500 - 20,000 is a long story or novelette, 20,000-40,000 is a novella, 40,000 - 120,000 is a novel, and 120,000 + is The Lord of the Rings.

Aragon · Jun 30, 2008

and 120,000 words with 20,000 made up words is a Dune novel.

nevada · Jun 30, 2008

There are extremely short short stories, such as the drabble, a complete story in 100 words. Or the dribble, which is 50 words. And the best ones are complete stories with beginning, middle, and end, not just clever ideas.

ILove2Write · Jun 30, 2008

Thanks everyone for the help (Mikeland and Michelle your examples were just what I needed)! That was very helpful.

ILove2Write · Jul 1, 2008

Another question

Actually, I have one more question.

When submitting your SHORT story, do you still use "underline" for sentences that should be in "italics," or can you leave it in italics? I know for book format they want sentences underlined, but this always looked weird to me.

Disa · Jul 1, 2008

Captshady said:
Is there a min/max word count that constitutes "short story" ?

Make sure you check the writer's guidelines for the proper word count for each publication. You wouldn't want to send a 7,000 word story to a magazine that is only requesting 1,000-1,500 for example.

Disa · Jul 1, 2008

nevada said:
And the best ones are complete stories with beginning, middle, and end, not just clever ideas.

I agree with this, I've run across so many "short stories" that don't have a beginning, middle, and end and I just can't seem to understand how those are called "stories"

drachin8 · Jul 1, 2008

ILove2Write said:
Actually, I have one more question.

When submitting your SHORT story, do you still use "underline" for sentences that should be in "italics," or can you leave it in italics? I know for book format they want sentences underlined, but this always looked weird to me.

Yup, underline it unless the guidelines say otherwise.

-Michelle

dgiharris · Jul 1, 2008

drachin8 said:
Yup, underline it unless the guidelines say otherwise.

-Michelle

The lovely, talented, and gifted Michelle is correct.

Similarly, one mistake i've been making is not researching my publishers as well as I should have. I've gotten several rejections that stated they liked my story but it was wrong for their magazine. Typical rookie mistake

The guidelines are key, follow the submission guidelines, most are very similar, but every so often you run across a 'quirky' one.

Good luck

Mel....

Troo · Jul 2, 2008

ILove2Write said:
Actually, I have one more question.

When submitting your SHORT story, do you still use "underline" for sentences that should be in "italics," or can you leave it in italics? I know for book format they want sentences underlined, but this always looked weird to me.

There's nothing I loathe more than receiving submissions with underlines where italics should be (well, that and receiving submissions which are barely written in English).

Underlining italics is a hangover from the days of yore when typesetting was done by hand and the originator didn't have the option to italicise their own typing (because few typewriters offered italics). These days there is absolutely no excuse for sticking to this outdated insanity unless you're typing your manuscript and posting it.

Unless the recipient's submission guidelines specify that they want you to underline italic sections, come into the 21st Century and italicise them.

MumblingSage · Jul 4, 2008

Aragon said:
and 120,000 words with 20,000 made up words is a Dune novel.

XD Do repeats of made-up words count towards that 20,000?

Cybernaught · Jul 16, 2008

Everybody in this thread has steered you in the right direction. If I can add to it, I generally like a casual tone in my query letter, and a little paragraph that lets them know I'm familiar with their magazine. For example:

Dear X,

Please consider my latest 2000 word story, X, for publication in an upcoming issue of X. I welcome you to join the protagonist Brian in his quest for the ultimate cheeseburger, and the mishaps he encounters along the way.

I've been a fan of X for quite some time, and I especially enjoy the snarky humor in the feature stories. I think I've finally penned something that would fit in well.

My fiction has appeared in X and X.

Thank you for reading my submission, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

X

--

Editors appreciate that you're familiar with their publication. This way, they are more confident that they will be reading a story fit for their publication.

Good luck!

heatheringemar · Jul 17, 2008

Troo said:
Underlining italics is a hangover from the days of yore when typesetting was done by hand and the originator didn't have the option to italicise their own typing (because few typewriters offered italics). These days there is absolutely no excuse for sticking to this outdated insanity unless you're typing your manuscript and posting it.

Unless the recipient's submission guidelines specify that they want you to underline italic sections, come into the 21st Century and italicise them.

That's it right there. I've run across a few mags that specifically stated they wanted underlines instead of italics.

Just goes to show you, it's always a great idea to read sub guidelines first.

caseyquinn · Jul 22, 2008

I would also suggest:
1. dont indent your paragraphs. do everything left aligned, single spaced where double space between paragraphs
2. no special fonts

Most sites will tell you in their submission guidelines their word count limits and their specific guidelines.

When submitting

ILove2Write

Jaws has nightmares too

mikeland

Call me Pookie

drachin8

post-apocalyptic bunny

The Scip

...walks this way.

Captshady

What happened to my LIFE?!

Mr Sci Fi

Street Samurai

Aragon

nevada

ILove2Write

Jaws has nightmares too

ILove2Write

Jaws has nightmares too

Disa

Disa

drachin8

post-apocalyptic bunny

dgiharris

Disgruntled Scientist

Troo

MumblingSage

Inarticulate Herb

Cybernaught

Decker

heatheringemar

lurking behind that corner..

caseyquinn

Just happy to be here