Use this Cover Letter for Your Submissions
Published: Sat, 03/15/14
First things first, I just have to say that you WriteByNighters are awesome. In response to last week's email in which we shared our best advice for starting to write, we received lots of personal success stories, like this one: "I was stuck--probably over thinking or more likely procrastinating. Your email gave me the enthusiasm to put in an hour of writing. I only finished 500 words, but that's much more than I had this morning. Thank you!" No, thank you. You made our day. By the way, 500 words is nothing to sneeze at. Get ready 'cause I'm about to blow your minds: write 500 words every day for three months . . . you've written a book. So when will you start? How about TODAY? How about RIGHT NOW? This goes for those of you working with short forms like stories and essays, too. The good news for you folks is that you may not even need three months to finish a piece. When you do finish and if you're interested in publication, here's a little something to make your lives easier: a cover letter for your submissions to literary journals, completely free, no strings attached. Seriously. Just copy/paste the cover letter below, fill in the blanks as appropriate, and submit away. Use this Cover Letter for Your Submissions Dear [contact's name or Fiction/Nonfiction Editor], I'm submitting my [short story, essay, etc.], [title of piece] ([word count: xxx]), for your consideration. [If you can demonstrate your familiarity with the journal, do so here.] My work has been published in [list your credits]. [Also list any contests you've won or accolades you've received. Include any relevant university degrees and/or writing-related credentials. Don't fret if you don't have anything to list. Journals like to discover new people.] Thank you for your time. Sincerely, [Your name] That's it! You can use this cover letter word-for-word (except for the bracketed portions you'll customize, of course). It's yours. Just remember to always check submission guidelines on each journal's website and follow them closely. Submitting is a pain. Hopefully, this cover letter will make it less painful for you. And if you need help with submitting, writing, or anything in between, you know where to find us. Happy writing and submitting, Justine
Justine Tal Goldberg Owner, WriteByNight
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