Submitting to Literary Journals - The Cover Letter

If you're like me, you're serious about your craft. Whether it's fiction or poetry, you've got to get it published somewhere. You want readers, right? And if you're just beginning, the best places to publish are in literary journals, the forgotten little books on the bottom row of the magazine rack at bookstores everywhere.

Polishing your piece of writing is a task in itself, but what most beginning writers fail to understand is the art of the cover letter that tags along with your submission is just as crucial.

The cover letter may seem like a waste of paper, and you're probably wondering who reads them anyway. But editors love simple and concise cover letters, believe it or not.

Good cover letters address the genre editor by name: Dear Bob Smith. Always try to find out who the poetry or fiction editor is at whatever journal to which you're submitting. If there isn't a name, just go with "Dear Poetry Editor" or "Dear Fiction Editor." Never use the dated "To Whom It May Concern" line. Show them you took time to write this letter.

Good cover letters are also short and simple. After the greeting, address the reason for this letter, something like this: "This is my short story titled "Why I Love Bob Smith" for consideration in [Insert Journal Name Here]." Be clear, simple, and direct.

Good cover letters also address whether or not your submission has been submitted elsewhere. This is called "simultaneous submissions," and all journals need to know if you've submitted the same work elsewhere. Sometimes they'll try to read your submission sooner, so they can make a decision on it. Editors hate reading a submission and then find out it's been accepted elsewhere when you didn't notify them in your cover letter

Good cover letters also give a short bio. Don't tell your life story and don't try to be cute and witty. Typically, you want to keep the bio short and professional. If you're in college, write something like: "I am currently a senior at [Insert College Name Here]. My work has been published in [List Other Journals Here]." If you don't have any publishing chops, don't worry.

Lastly, always thank them for considering your work in whatever journal to which you send your work. Basically, just be professional. Let your work speak for itself.

Don't ever include what your poetry or story is about. Don't talk about plot or themes or even summarize. Let your work do that. Just say, "Here's my submission. Thank you."

Don't ever write things like, "Please feel free to recycle my manuscript." It just makes you seem like you don't care about your work. Most journals will recycle the manuscripts anyway, so they don't need to be told.

Don't try to be cute in your bio. Don't write things like, "I am currently a starving writer exploring each day by sleeping on the couch." It's kind of tacky and the reading staff won't take you seriously. Just be professional. List any previous publications or colleges or awards you've received. Keep it simple.

Good cover letters are first impressions. If you write them poorly, it doesn't make editors feel good about the next five poems or twenty pages of fiction of yours they're about to read.

Believe me, it's tough to get published. I've worked on The Mochila Review and I've read some sad cover letters. Usually, the simple and clean letters are followed by some really outstanding pieces of writing, and this is what editors look for.