Submission Query Letters: HELP!

When submitting entire mss. for short story (and provided that the editor wants that), a cover letter should be short, sweet, and to the point. After all, you are including the story and that in itself should hook the editor within the first paragraph.

So, the cover letter (a query is when you aren't submitting the mss.) should be one paragraph about the story--working title, # of words, one sentence about it, and that you're submitting it to (whatever) for possible publication.

Your bio and any pubbing credits (brief), or skip if none.

SASE included, thank you for your time, etc.

Best regards,

Hope this helps!

Good advice -- will add a couple things. One, the "one sentence about the story" is optional. Frequently this devolves into a re-telling of the plot, a sales pitch, or a history of where the story came from. Not a good idea. Just word count and title is enough (for me, at least). The story, as stormie said, should sell itself. Two, only list relevant publishing credits. That is, fiction in literary journals/magazines or books published by legitimate houses. Nobody cares if you edit the office newsletter or write local sports for the community paper. Three, keep the bio brief and pertinent, if anything. Writing programs, fellowships, conferences, writing awards, etc. No tales of how you came to writing or how your family loves your work. Finally, it's okay to use the same general format for cover letters, but for the love of Raymond Carver please make an effort to at least change the editor's name on the letterhead. I can't tell you how many subs I've read addressed to an editor for an entirely different journal than the one I work for.

Good luck!

Maddwriter said:

Hi everyone! I was wondering if there's some simple format you use when submitting a story (as in, same general letter but you change the editors name and mag name when sending to different places), or do you write a new query letter for each submission?

Just wondering because if I'm sending a short story out to a ga-zillion different places, an individual letter for each would be using up time that I'd rather do on other things like writing a new story.

Thanks for any advice!

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You really SHOULD NOT be sending out your story to a ga-zillion different places, at least not simultaneously. Better to target it to publications where it actually fits. The scattershot approach usually just garners a large number of rejections.

Maddwriter said:

Hi everyone! I was wondering if there's some simple format you use when submitting a story (as in, same general letter but you change the editors name and mag name when sending to different places), or do you write a new query letter for each submission?

Just wondering because if I'm sending a short story out to a ga-zillion different places, an individual letter for each would be using up time that I'd rather do on other things like writing a new story.

Thanks for any advice!

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Almost all of my cover letters sound the same:

Dear xxxx,

Enclosed you will find the short story "_______________." Please consider it for publication in _________________.

Thank you for your time.


One thing - make sure you check the submission guidelines! Many pubs require that you put "Fiction" or a section name in your cover letter when you submit.

In all legitimate magazines, someone - even if a low underling - reads whatever you submit. If they like it, it may or may not be published. If they don't, it won't. A letter won't make any difference. I stopped submitting letters with my stories years ago.

michaeloppen said:

In all legitimate magazines, someone - even if a low underling - reads whatever you submit. If they like it, it may or may not be published. If they don't, it won't. A letter won't make any difference. I stopped submitting letters with my stories years ago.

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However, if you have something to put on a cover letter -- publishing credits, for example -- it can make a reader more liable to be more patient with your story.

And if the magazine requires it in the submission guidelines, you should have a cover letter. Basic professionalism. A submission without a cover letter to a journal that requests one (and receives a thousand or more subs a month) is going to cause the reader/editor to be mighty impatient with your manuscript.

You only need a cover letter if the guidelines ask
for one. Personally, I rarely bother with them.
Previous credits are barely worth the waste of
paper, IMO.

The main purpose of a cover letter is so the editor
will have a sheet of paper with your contact info
on it that can be conveniently dropped into a file
folder. That's all it's for, so don't give it too much
thought.

HConn said:

You only need a cover letter if the guidelines ask
for one. Personally, I rarely bother with them.
Previous credits are barely worth the waste of
paper, IMO.

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This may be your opinion, but it has not been my experience working for several distinguished journals. Having no credits won't hurt you, but having solid credits will, as i've said before, make a reader more patient with your manuscript. Of course, if the manuscript stinks, previous credits won't do you much good.

I don't publish in distinguished journals. I publish
in genre magazines. No one in that world cares
where else you've been published. All that matters
is the story.

Maybe they would read your story first. Maybe.
But that's it, IME.

I'm happy to agree to disagree here.

agreed.

But what if...

Hi all -

Given the above comments, I was wondering what you would recommend if the submission guidelines say specifically "prefer a cover letter listing previous publications and awards" if I don't have any to list? Do I still need to send one?

FYI, this publication would fall into the "distinguished journal" category.

Thanks in advance for the help! This is my first posting - it's good to be here!

Welcome to the AW boards, Chartreuse! Everyone has an opinion on this, mine is to submit a cover letter. Short and to the point, just as a courtesy. See my previous posting on July 31. You can also put the flap of your SASE over the cover letter so it doesn't get lost in the main envelope. (Make sure your SASE is self-sticking with the tape still on or you'll have one unhappy editor.)

michaeloppen said:

In all legitimate magazines, someone - even if a low underling - reads whatever you submit. If they like it, it may or may not be published. If they don't, it won't. A letter won't make any difference. I stopped submitting letters with my stories years ago.

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I totally disagree. A letter is common courtesy. Plus, most mags take online subs now. A couple of lines in the email beats a blank mail with an attachment.