Cover Letters on Paid Market Submissions

[DaneCurley]

Hey All!

Still haven't joined the ranks of Rs, HMs, and xFs, but I have enjoyed the discussion/wisdom on the board. Let's cultivate more :)

What are your standard practices on cover letters sent to paid markets as new/young writers?

I usually mention that I am a professional writer and disclose that I have not been published in fiction.
In one, I mentioned a published written interview I wrote for a sports organization - I'm not sure that was the right move.
What have you learned are the yays and nays? Is anyone even reading them? Do they matter?

Peace~

[disgruntledpeony]

Simple is best unless a market asks for more (if they want more detail, they'll say so in their submission guidelines). My default cover letter reads like this:

Dear Editor,

I would like to submit "[story name]," a short story of XXXX words, for your consideration.

I have been previously published in [up to three markets, if applicable].

Respectfully,
[insert name here]

You certainly don't have to use this exact wording, but this is similar to example cover letters I've seen elsewhere.

[morganb]

I haven't been published yet anywhere, other than a short essay I wrote for Orange County, California's Literary Arts Center. My default cover letter reads like this:

Dear Editors:

Please consider my x,xxx word story "Story Title" for publication in "Name of Magazine".

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I hope you enjoy the story.


Sincerely,

Your Name

I would imagine they are really looking to see if you have any previous publishing credits. I don't, so I don't even mention it in my cover letters.

~Morgan

[jficke13]

Here is a good resource on this subject:

https://alexshvartsman.com/2016/05/09/h ... er-letter/

[amoskalik]

My standard cover letter is very similar to those given above.

Some markets will also ask for a writer's bio, so you may want to develop one. Write it in third person and maybe mention your occupation, where you live, family, pets, etc. Insert a link to your web page if you have one. Keep it to two of three sentences.