cover letter for a short story

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How to Write a Perfect Cover Letter for a Short Story Submission

Editors see mounds of bad cover letters. A lot of new writers submit short stories with little or no guidance and end up submitting cover letters that are either overenthusiastic or lacking the necessary information.

What you must know is that cover letters for different genres follow different sets of rules and etiquette. For example, an editor doesn’t expect you to write a cover letter for short fiction in the same format you would craft a query letter for a novel submission.

A cover letter is not a platform for you to brag about yourself or your writing accolades. There’s nothing that annoys an editor more than a cocky newbie.

Your cover letter is, most often than not, the first thing an editor sees and you have to be on point to create a strong first impression. Some editors that I have interacted with said that they read the cover letter after reading your short stories, and they admit that some cover letters convince them to go back to the story and reevaluate it.

Luckily for you, I have compiled tips on just how to go about crafting a good cover letter that can make a ‘strong first impression’ and influence the editor’s aftertaste after savoring your stories.

Research and… Research

In all the posts that I have made on cover letters, I have emphasized the importance of finding out the publisher’s/organizer’s guidelines.

Every organizer/publisher has a specific set of rules for short story cover letters, and knowledge and application of these guidelines raises the chances of your submission getting accepted.

You should research the publisher’s inclinations. Some publishers, or should I say most, won’t accept adult stories. They may not disclose these attitudes in their Ts and Cs, but an exploratory look at their published works can reveal what kind of genre they love to publish.

Tips on Creating a Perfect Cover Letter for a Short Story Submission

A good cover letter for a short story submission should be:

Short and Simple

Cover letters for short fiction always have to have the conciseness element. It should be short and simple but compelling enough; it has to signal to the editor that you’re at least a refined writer.

Courteous and Direct

It is unprofessional to send a cover letter that is copied and pasted from previous submissions. The cover letter should address the editor or publishers and must contain information relevant to that particular submission.

Professional

Although a good cover letter is supposed to be courteous, it doesn’t have to get too personal. The editor doesn’t really care if you know their name (although it’s okay to address them by their name if they suggested so), but the contents of the cover letter must remain professional.

How to Address a Cover Letter

It is advisable to leave niceties and go straight to business. I have read a couple of blogs by real editors, and they all agree on one thing: go straight to business.

If you’re going to make multiple submissions to different recipients, you have to make sure you don’t put too much effort into ‘playing the nice newbie’ and just focus on making the cover letter a contextually right letter.

What should be in a cover letter?

I didn’t want to ramble on about something I didn’t know anything about, so I decided to give you a list of things that Neil Clarke (a real-life editor from Clarkesworld Magazine) wants to see in your cover letter for short stories:

State whether you are previously published or not.
If you’re submitting work that you did not author (maybe you’re the author’s agent or something), you have to state it in the cover letter. You have to explain the working arrangement with the author or if you’re translating.
And if you state that you are submitting a translation, you should say whether the story was originally published and where, in what language, and whether the original author or whoever holds the rights on the original has given you the permission to translate and publish.
If you are submitting a reprint, the cover letter should state this and any restrictions placed on the reprint.
If your short story doesn’t fit in one of the categories that the publisher has listed, the cover letter must explain what type of genre it is.

The cover letter also needs to contain a short bio, the story’s word count, title, and a brief description of the short story (not summary), among other things.

Publishers and editors have unique preferences, so you’ll find what ‘unique’ things they want in your cover letter.

Don’t Put These in Your Cover Letter

Going back to Neil Clarke’s preferences (most of which are shared by most editors), these things shouldn’t be in a cover letter:

Bank or PayPal details.
Mailing address or phone number (This might not be the case for all editors/publishers). In Clarke’s case, the mailing addressing should be on the first page of the story.
A summary of your short story.

But I said in the previous section, every editor and publisher has their own preferences.

Don’t Say These in Your Short Story Cover letter

Cover letters rarely influence editors’ opinions of a story, but some things can annoy an editor. Although they’re likely not going to reject the story because of some ‘little things’ in your short story’s cover letter, it’s wise to stay on the safe side.

Confidence is good, but you don’t have to be arrogant. For instance, you don’t have to say “I’m the modern-day Charles Dickens.”

And… you know it’s so ‘amateur hour’ when you say, “This is the best story you’ll ever read.” Trust me, it’s not. Editors have read thousands of stories and it’s better to let them ‘choose’ which is the best they’ve ever read.

Even though it’s bad to sound cocky in your cover letter, it’s equally damning to show low self-esteem. So, in your cover letter, you have to avoid writing things like ‘how desperate you’re’ or ‘how many times your story has been rejected.’ Those won’t help your case at all!

Formats and Submission Guidelines

If you haven’t found this out already, some publications put so much emphasis on the format of short story submissions. Some publications will give you specifications for font size, line spacing, margins, etcetera. It’s either you format everything the way they tell you to, or it’s an instant REJECTION for you!

However, some publications don’t go that far, but most of them let you know that If you don’t follow their pocket-size guidelines, you might as well just keep your story to yourself.

Outside the typing window, there are other formatting issues that you have to be aware of. Things like file type (e.g., PDF, RTF, Word Doc, etcetera.) and the means of submitting (e.g., email, or through the publication’s website). A few old guards still require writers to submit stories in print—yes, inconveniently, through the postal service.

The submission guidelines may extend to the manner of attaching documents (and the number of those attachments). Hopefully, the publications you’re submitting to allow you to submit attachments (which is the most likely nowadays).

Sample Cover Letter for a Short Story Submission

There are more than a thousand ways you can write your cover letter for a short story submission. In case you don’t have the littlest idea of how to go about it, I have written a very brief cover letter.

Note : This is a sample and cannot be used as a blueprint for any short fiction submission. Well, you could use it if you think it’s okay; I mean, it’s not bad.

Dear Maggie (if you don’t know their name, just put their professional title like Editor), Please consider this 2000-word story, “Dying Good,” for publication in the Sun Dance Magazine . I believe this short fiction piece is exactly the type of story that the Sun Dance typically publishes. “Dying Good” is a tale of betrayal, anger, and—ultimately—redemption. It follows a man on his journey from the gallows of degeneracy to salvation. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Ed Halfords.

This cover letter is exactly 67 words (without that bracketed explanation) and even if you were to add some details, which is a likely thing, it wouldn’t be anywhere near 150 words. In such a short piece, you can put all the required information and still avoid taking much of the editor’s time.

Final Words on Cover Letters for a Short Story Submission

You shouldn’t have to worry about writing an out-of-this-world cover letter when submitting your short story. That will only make the process seem like a very challenging task—but, in all honesty, it isn’t. I believe that I covered all the ‘life-saving’ tips that you can use to make your story submission a seamless task.

I’m not an editor (well, not by profession), but I did my research and contacted some ‘editor friends’ of mine before I got down to write this post.

As long as you do your research, keep your cover letters for short stories short, and always stick to the point, omit anything else, your short story is ready for submission!

The Proven Method Of Writing Short Story Cover Letters

Welcome to this guide on how to write a cover letter for a short story, as well as for pieces for magazines, journals, publishers and presses , complete with examples that have been proven to work in the past.

The task of writing a cover letter can sometimes feel tougher than writing the actual story. Luckily, guidance is plentiful and having studied that guidance, I’ve put together a quick guide complete with examples.

At this early stage, it’s important to highlight that cover letters differ depending on whether it’s a short story, or a longer piece, such as a novel—submission requirements are more substantial for the latter.

For short stories, the best guidance I’ve encountered comes from Alex Shvartsman, well-respected editor and writer of sci-fi and fantasy. Check out his guidance in full here

How To Write A Cover Letter For A Short Story

Here are some of the highlights:

If you know the name of the editor, address the cover letter to them. For instance, ‘Dear Mr Gamgee’. If in doubt, just use ‘Dear Editors’.
Keep it simple. The editor is about to read your story, you don’t need to tell them the ins and outs of character and plot. Let them discover it themselves. And if you explain it badly, you may put them off reading it altogether.
If it’s not relevant, don’t include it. If you’ve got a law degree, nice work, but what has it got to do with the story? If your story is a legal drama, then that’s a different matter.
List some of your most notable publishing accomplishments. If you don’t have any, that’s fine! As Shvartsman says: “Every editor I know loves discovering new talent and loves being the first to publish someone, or first to publish someone in a pro venue. No one is going to hold a lack of past credits against you.”

A Proven Example Of How To Write A Cover Letter For A Short Story

So, the examples. This is a cover letter I used for a short story called Noodlin ’, published by Kzine in May 2019.

_______________

Richie Billing

12 Hobbiton Lane, The Shire, Middle Earth

T: 07458228888

E: [email protected]

W: https://richiebilling.com/

Dear Editors,

I attach for your consideration ‘Noodlin”, a fantasy story around 2,800 words in length.

My short fiction has featured in Aphelion Webzine, Alien Pub Magazine and Far Horizons, and non-fiction in Authors Publish Magazine.

I appreciate you taking the time to consider my submission.

All the very best,

If, for instance, I was sending this story to a few publishers (AKA a simultaneous submission), it’s wise to tell them you’re doing so. An example may look something like this:

I have submitted this story to other publishers. Should it be accepted elsewhere I will, of course, inform you without delay.

For the avoidance of doubt, the text should not be bold. I’ve merely done so for easier reference.

The address and other details are very much optional provided you include them all on the first page of your manuscript. A true letter would feature this information in such a style, or it could be justified to the right of the page. However, in this modern age your submission email usually comprises the cover letter and with that the format’s a bit different. With emails, I usually put all this info at the very end, after my signature.

How To Write A Cover Letter For A Novel

So that’s the practice for short stories, what about novels?

Publishers may ask for a short summary of the novel in the cover letter. How short depends on the publisher—they may ask for detail, they may ask for a mere sentence.

A standard accompaniment to the cover letter is a synopsis—what your story is about , i.e. the premise, the point of it; the characters, their emotional journey and the conflicts they face; the intended market, and; where it aligns in that market, for instance, comparing it to Lord of the Rings. The length is generally limited by publishers to one page. Invest a good amount of time in your synopsis. Make every word count. Read it aloud. Refine it until you can’t say it any better. The synopsis helps an editor form their impression of your story so try and make the best one you can .

More Help On Writing Cover Letters and Getting Published

For more help and guidance on how to write a cover letter, I’ve included links to some guides you may find useful below:

List of fantasy publishers
List of fantasy magazines and journals
List of book reviewers
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10 Impressive Cover Letter Examples for Short Story Submission

Hey fellow writers!

Are you an aspiring short story writer looking to get your work published? Well then, you’ll definitely need a killer cover letter to accompany your submission. But, writing a cover letter can be a daunting task and sometimes, you might not even know where to start.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We have compiled some cover letter examples for short story submission that will help you get started and show you what works and what doesn’t. You can use these examples and edit them as per your need.

Remember, your cover letter is your first impression on the editor, so you want it to be the best it can be. It’s your chance to show them who you are as a writer and why your story is worth publishing.

So, go ahead and check out our cover letter examples for short story submission. We’re confident they will help you craft the perfect cover letter that will make your work stand out!

The Best Structure for Cover Letter Examples for Short Story Submission

Submitting a short story can be a nerve-wracking experience. You’ve spent countless hours crafting your story, and now it’s time to send it out into the world. But before you hit send, it’s important to make sure that your cover letter is as polished as your story. Not sure where to start? Here’s the best structure for cover letter examples for short story submission.

First, start with the basics. Include the name of the publication you’re submitting to, the title of your story, and your contact information. It’s also a good idea to personalize your greeting by addressing the editor by name, if possible.

Next, move on to a brief summary of your story. This should be no more than a paragraph or two and should give the editor a sense of what your story is about. It’s important to be clear and concise here, as the editor may be reading hundreds of submissions.

After your summary, it’s time to talk a bit about yourself. This doesn’t need to be a long bio, but you should include any relevant writing experience or publications. If you don’t have any past publications, that’s okay! Simply mention why you enjoy writing and what inspired you to write this particular story.

Finally, it’s time to wrap up your letter. Thank the editor for their time and consideration, and let them know that you look forward to hearing back from them. It’s also a good idea to include a sentence about your availability in case the editor has any questions or wants to discuss your story further.

Overall, the best structure for cover letter examples for short story submission is one that is clear, concise, and professional. Keep in mind that the purpose of your cover letter is to get the editor excited to read your story, so make sure that your letter is engaging and well-written. Good luck!

Cover Letter Examples for Short Story Submission

Recommendation for publication.

Dear [Editor’s name],

I am excited to submit my short story [Story Title] for publication in [Journal/Magazine Name]. The engaging plot and character development make this story a perfect fit for your publication.

[Paragraph 1] This story follows the journey of [Character name], who [brief plot summary]. With twists and turns throughout, the reader is engaged until the very end. I believe [Journal/Magazine Name] readers will thoroughly enjoy this piece.

[Paragraph 2] As an experienced writer with several published works, I understand the importance of a good fit between writer and publication. This is why I think my writing style, which is [briefly describe writing style and how it fits your submission], is perfect for your readers.

Thank you for considering my submission. I look forward to the opportunity to share my work with your readers.

Best regards, [Your Name]

Request for Feedback

I am writing to submit my short story [Story Title] for your consideration and feedback. As an aspiring writer, I am always looking to improve my craft, and I believe your expert feedback can provide valuable insights.

[Paragraph 1] This story follows the journey of [Character name], who [brief plot summary]. With twists and turns throughout, the reader is engaged until the very end. I believe there is ample opportunity for growth and improvement in this piece, and I would appreciate your guidance.

[Paragraph 2] As a reader of [Journal/Magazine Name], I admire the quality of work that you publish. Your feedback, both positive and constructive, would be an incredible learning experience for me.

Thank you for considering my submission. I look forward to hearing back from you and incorporating your suggestions into my writing.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Request for Partial Payment

I am writing to submit my short story [Story Title] for your consideration and to request partial payment under your guidelines. I have read and understand your submission requirements for payment and am happy to meet all the necessary criteria for eligibility.

[Paragraph 1] This story follows the journey of [Character name], who [brief plot summary]. With twists and turns throughout, the reader is engaged until the very end, and I believe it will be a great addition to your publication.

[Paragraph 2] As a professional writer, I take great pride in my work, and it would be an honor to have my writing published in [Journal/Magazine Name]. I understand that partial payment is offered under certain circumstances, and I meet all the requirements. Therefore, I am requesting payment of [Amount] as stipulated in your guidelines.

Thank you for considering my submission. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Request for Exemption from Submission Fee

I am submitting my short story [Story Title] for your consideration and am requesting an exemption from the submission fee. I have read and understand your guidelines, and my submission meets all the necessary criteria for fee exemption.

[Paragraph 2] As a writer with a limited budget, the submission fee poses a financial burden that I am unable to afford at this time. I assure you that I meet all the criteria for fee exemption, including [briefly list your eligibility criteria as per the submission guidelines].

Thank you for considering my submission and exemption request. I appreciate your support for aspiring writers.

Re-Submission of Revised Short Story

I am submitting my revised short story [Story Title] for your consideration. Thank you for your thoughtful feedback on my original submission, which helped me to enhance the strengths of my piece.

[Paragraph 1] This revised version of the story follows the journey of [Character name], who [brief plot summary]. With improved character development and a more engaging plot, I believe this version better showcases my writing strengths and is a better fit for your publication.

[Paragraph 2] As someone who values quality feedback, I appreciate the time and effort you took to review my previous submission. Incorporating your feedback has improved the quality of my writing, and I believe it will help the story resonate with readers.

Thank you for considering my re-submission. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Recommendation for Award Consideration

Dear [Award Committee Chair’s name],

I am excited to submit my short story [Story Title] for consideration for [Award Name]. The engaging plot, strong character development, and vivid imagery make this story a true literary gem.

[Paragraph 1] This story follows the journey of [Character name], who [brief plot summary]. The plot twists and character development are masterfully crafted, keeping the reader engaged until the very end. As an accomplished writer with several published works, I believe this story ranks among my best and is worthy of consideration for the [Award Name].

[Paragraph 2] Winning this award would be a dream come true, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be considered. I appreciate the time and effort that goes into judging submissions for [Award Name], and I have great respect for the judges’ discernment.

Thank you for considering my submission for the [Award Name].

Request for Expedited Review

I am writing to submit my short story [Story Title] for your consideration and request an expedited review. The unique plot and engaging characters make this a must-read story, and I am excited to hear back from you as soon as possible.

[Paragraph 2] I understand the volume of submissions you receive, and I appreciate any effort to expedite the review process. As a writer, I am eager to receive feedback and hope to hear back from you soon.

Thank you for considering my submission, and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Cover Letter Tips for Short Story Submissions

Submitting a short story can be an exciting and daunting process. Along with the submission itself, you’ll need to provide a compelling cover letter that captures the editor’s attention. Here are some tips for creating a cover letter that will make your submission stand out:

Address the editor by name: Research the publication and the editor’s name to make your letter more personal. Addressing the editor directly shows that you have taken the time to do your homework and are serious about your submission.
Introduce yourself: Briefly introduce yourself and mention any relevant writing experience or publications. This helps establish your credibility and shows that you have a track record of writing.
Summarize your story: Provide a brief summary of your story, highlighting the unique angle or selling point. This gives the editor a taste of what they can expect from your submission and helps them understand why it would be a good fit for their publication.
Mention your writing style: If you have a specific writing style that sets you apart, mention it in your letter. For example, if you write in a particular genre or have a distinct voice, let the editor know. This helps them get a sense of your tone and writing style.
Thank the editor: Use the closing paragraph to express gratitude for the editor’s time and consideration. Sign off with your name and contact information.

Remember, your cover letter is your chance to showcase your writing skills and make a memorable impression on the editor. By following these tips, you can create a compelling cover letter that will increase your chances of getting your short story published.

FAQs for Cover Letter Examples for Short Story Submissions What should be included in a cover letter for a short story submission?

A cover letter for a short story submission should include a brief introduction, the title and word count of the story, a short synopsis, any relevant publication credits, and a professional closing.

Is it necessary to mention the word count of the short story in the cover letter?

Yes, it is crucial to mention the word count of the short story in the cover letter. Many publishers have specific guidelines for story lengths, and by mentioning the word count, you can ensure that your story is considered for publication.

Can I mention my personal information, such as age and gender, in the cover letter?

No, it is not necessary to mention your personal information, such as age and gender, in the cover letter. Your writing should stand on its own merit, and your personal demographics do not affect the quality of your work.

What type of language should I use in the cover letter?

You should use a formal and professional tone in the cover letter. Avoid using overly casual language or slang. Additionally, you should proofread your cover letter to ensure there are no grammatical or spelling errors.

Should I mention any prior publications in the cover letter?

Yes, you should mention any prior publications in the cover letter. If you have previously been published in literary magazines or other publications, it can add to your credibility as a writer.

Can I make changes to the cover letter after submitting my short story?

No, you should not make any changes to the cover letter after submitting your short story. The cover letter is your first impression to the publisher, and making edits or changes can reflect poorly on your professionalism.

Is it acceptable to include a bio in the cover letter?

Yes, it is acceptable to include a short bio in the cover letter. However, the bio should be brief and relevant to your writing experience and accomplishments.

Wrapping It Up

So there you have it, folks – some cover letter examples for short story submission! By now, you should have a better understanding of how to approach your cover letter, and what to include and avoid. We sincerely hope that this article has been helpful to you in some way, and if you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out. And of course, don’t forget to visit us again soon for more articles on writing, publishing, and all things bookish. Thank you for reading!

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The Perfect Cover Letter: Advice From a Lit Mag Editor

Today’s guest post is from Elise Holland, co-founder and editor of 2 Elizabeths , a short fiction and poetry publication.

When submitting your short-form literature to a magazine or journal, your cover letter is often the first piece of writing an editor sees. It serves as an introduction to your thoughtfully crafted art. As such, it is significant, but it shouldn’t be intimidating or even take much time to write.

As editor at 2 Elizabeths , I see a variety of cover letters every day; some are excellent, and others could stand to be improved. There are a few key pieces of information to include, while keeping them short and sweet. In fact, a cover letter should only be a couple of paragraphs long, and no more than roughly 100-150 words.

A little research goes a long way

Seek out the editor’s name, and address the letter to him/her, as opposed to using a generic greeting. Typically, you can find this information either on the magazine or journal’s website, or in the submission guidelines.

Read the submission guidelines thoroughly. Many publications will state in their guidelines the exact details that need to be included in a cover letter. With some variation, a general rule of thumb is to include the following:

Editor’s name (if you can locate it)
Genre/category
Brief description of your piece
If you have been published previously, state where
Whether your piece is a simultaneous submission (definition below)

Terms to Know

The term simultaneous submission means that you will be sending the same piece to several literary magazines or journals at the same time. Most publications accept simultaneous submissions, but some do not. If a publication does not accept them, this will be stated in their guidelines.

Should your work be selected for publication by one magazine, it is important to notify other publications where you have submitted that piece. This courtesy will prevent complications, and will keep you in good graces with various editors, should you wish to submit to them again in the future.

The term multiple submission means that you are submitting multiple pieces to the same literary magazine or journal.

Cover Letter That Needs Work

Dear Editor, Here is a collection of poems I wrote that I’d like you to consider. I have not yet been published elsewhere. Please let me know what you think. Bio: John Doe is an Insurance Agent by day and a writer by night, living in Ten Buck Two. He is the author of a personal blog, LivingWith20Cats.com. Best, John Doe

What Went Wrong?

John Doe didn’t research the editor’s name. A personal greeting is always better than a simple “Dear Editor.” Additionally, John failed to include the word count, title and a brief description of his work.

There is no need to state that John has not yet been published elsewhere. He should simply leave that piece of information out. (Many publications, 2 Elizabeths included, will still welcome your submissions warmly if you are unpublished.)

John included a statement asking the editor to let him know what he/she thinks about his work. Due to time constraints, it is rare that an editor sends feedback unless work is going to be accepted.

Unless otherwise specified by the magazine or journal to which you are submitting, you do not need to include biographical information in your cover letter. Typically, that information is either requested upfront but in a separate document from the cover letter, or is not requested until a piece has been selected for publishing.

Cover Letter Ready to Be Sent

Dear Elise, Please consider this 1,457-word short fiction piece, “Summer.” I recently participated in the 2 Elizabeths Open Mic Night, and am an avid reader of the fiction and poetry that you publish. “Summer” is a fictitious tale inspired by the impact of a whirlwind, yet meaningful, romance I experienced last year. In this story, I gently explore the life lessons associated with young love, with a touch of humor. This is a simultaneous submission, and I will notify you if the piece is accepted elsewhere. Thank you for your consideration. Kindest Regards, John Doe

What Went Right?

In this letter, John includes all pertinent information, while keeping his letter clear and concise. In his second sentence, John also briefly states how he is familiar with the magazine. While doing this isn’t required, if done tastefully, it can be a nice touch! Another example might be: “I read and enjoyed your spring issue, and believe that my work is a good fit for your magazine.”

I hope these sample letters help you as you send your short works to magazines and journals for consideration. While you’re at it, I hope you will check out 2 Elizabeths ! We would love to read your work.

Elise Holland is co-founder and editor of 2 Elizabeths , a short fiction and poetry publication. Her work has appeared in various publications, most recently in Story a Day . Through 2 Elizabeths, Elise strives to create value and visibility for writers, through writing contests , events , and more!

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[…] view post at https://janefriedman.com/perfect-cover-letter-advice-lit-mag-editor/ […]

[…] To get into literary magazines, you need a cover letter, so Elise Holland lays out how to write the perfect cover letter for a literary magazine. […]

Love this! The letter is short and to the point, and covers all the necessary information. Great tips! I always worry that the only publishing credit I have is the winning entry in a short story contest through the local paper. Should I mention that? And writing conferences I’ve attended?

As Elise says, it’s OK if you’re unpublished. Don’t worry about it. But feel free to mention your winning entry. If the writing conferences would likely be known to the journals’ editors, you might mention one or two.

[…] recently wrote a full article on the perfect cover letter, here. Check it out for clear, simple instructions, along with sample […]

[…] publication. Her work has appeared in various publications, most recently in Story a Day, and at JaneFriedman.com. Through 2 Elizabeths, Elise strives to create value and visibility for writers, through writing […]

Thanks for the concise and useful information! I’ve heard that it’s also a good idea to include a sentence or two that makes it clear that you are familiar with the kind of work the magazine has published in the past. Is this generally advised, or would you consider it nonessential unless specified in the submission guidelines?

Never To Live
To Ashes We Run
Published Short Stories
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My Writing Journey
Read It Again Reviews
Aspects of Fantasy
Tips and Tricks

How to Write Cover Letters for Short Stories

Writing a cover letter to submit with your short story to magazines or ezines is different from writing a query letter for a full length novel, but some rules do apply to both.

In the cover letter you don’t want to boast about yourself or your writing. If you make it seem like you think you’re “the next best thing,” editors will assume you’re a cocky newbie. And editors don’t want to work with cocky newbies. ;)

Don’t say:

“Everyone who’s read this story loves it.”
“I’m the next (insert famous author).”
“My story is so much better than everything else out there.”

On the opposite side of things, you don’t want to bash yourself or come across as having low confidence. If they see low confidence in you, it will influence them to have low confidence in your writing.

“I’ve never been published before.”
“I’ve been rejected by xx publishers before.”
“I know this story could use some work, but that’s what you’re for, right?”

You also don’t want to overload them with personal information. They’re not interviewing you right now, they’re looking at your story.

“I’ve been writing since…”
“I’m xx years old.”
“I work as a…” (unless your profession is related to the story you wrote and your inside knowledge makes it stronger.)

You want to address the cover letter by name if you can. Go to the website of the magazine or ezine you are submitting to and see if they have a list of who works in what position.

If you can’t figure out who exactly you’re submitting to, you can always just address your letter “Dear Editor” or “Dear Editors.”

Short stories are short. It doesn’t take long to read them, and it won’t take long for an editor to know all they need to about it. So unlike a full length novel’s query letter there’s usually no need for a synopsis or “back cover copy.” Unless it’s specifically requested in their submission guidelines.

All of this comes down to keeping your cover letting very brief. Most of the time there’s no need for it to be any more than 50 to 60 words long .

Because of this, cover letters for short stories often seem emotionless. They’re just the bare facts that an editor needs.

Finally, you always want to make sure you follow each magazine’s submission guidelines exactly.

We writers may not like to hear it, but if you were an acquisitions editor going through dozens or hundreds of submissions looking for the few you would choose, and you saw one that didn’t follow your specific guidelines, you would assume that since the writer didn’t care enough to check your guidelines before submitting, they wouldn’t care enough to write a good story or even edit it before they sent it to you.

And honestly, for acquisitions editors that’s a very good reason to reject a short story before even reading it.

Now on to some formats!

For a general cover letter, if you don’t see specific guidelines on their website, you can format it similar to this:

(Your Name)

(Email Address)

(Telephone Number)

Dear Editor,

Please consider my X,XXX word short story titled (story title) for (magazine name). The story is attached as a word document titled (document title).

Thank you for your time and consideration.

(your name)

Make sure you check their guidelines to see if they want the story sent as an attachment or in the body of the email, and modify your cover letter accordingly!

But sometimes submission guidelines are different from this format.

Here are two examples from short stories that I wrote and submitted to magazines (both were acquired, so they worked!).

For this magazine they wanted your personal contact information in the story’s separate document. In the cover letter they wanted:

Your first and last name, and your pen name if you wrote under one.

Your author website if you had one.

The name of the attached file that contained your story.

This was my cover letter:

My name is Jordan (last name), but I write under the pen name Just B. Jordan.

Attachment: (last name)—Howl

Author website: www.JustBJordan.com

I enjoy reading Splickety’s magazines and am hopeful that you’ll find “Howl” to be a good fit.

As you can see that was very short and to the point, no access information. It was 51 words long.

This second example is very similar to the one above, but this issue had a theme of literary re-imaginings. They wanted classic stories reinvented with a magical twist.

My cover letter:

The attached file is named (last name)—Covet, and the original classic story is Robin Hood.

And that’s it! Cover or query letters for short stories are very…short. ;)

Stick to the point and the information they require, omit anything else, and you’ll be good to go!

Good luck on submitting those short stories!

Just B. Jordan is an award-winning author of fantasy and sci-fi. She graduated high school a year early and received her first publishing contract at the age of 18. To Ashes We Run is her most recent novel. Find it here .

3 Responses

Pat Hanratty

Enclosed you will find the short story (7,000 words) The Visitor. Randy Taylor is abducted by a flying saucer and, because of his background as a great cook, is enlisted to save the world from the oncoming environmental catastrophe. Will Randy be up to the task? I hope you enjoy the story. Pat’s (3rd person) bio is short: He is a retired psychologist who loves to write. Pat has published one short story and two articles in the past six-months.

Where do I submit my story?

It is apparent that the author is a data geek. I like how he writes and writes facts. It is always such a joy to read articles created by real professionals, like https://oliviarkeane.com/5-rules-for-avoiding-wordiness-improve-writing-by-eliminating-words/ . I’m fed up with all that no-name, ghostwritten articles. That is why it was so pleasant to have a look at a compelling piece. I see the writer has ground knowledge it the topic as well as some practical experience. Such kind of information is more valuable than copypasted blog posts ideas.

How to Submit a Short Story

Last Updated on September 27, 2020 by Nathaniel Tower

Getting your short story published is often more difficult than actually writing the story. Even with thousands of literary magazines accepting short stories for publication, you still have less than a 10% chance of getting your story published any time you submit.

Unless you know exactly how to submit a short story.

With a smart submission strategy , your chances of acceptance can double, triple, or even quadruple.

If you follow this formula for submitting your short story, you will be celebrating your publication sooner than you thought possible.

Step 1: Find the perfect publication to send your story

The top secret for getting your short story published isn’t to have the best short story idea ever. No, you need to find a publication that’s a perfect fit for whatever story you’ve written. After all, a terrible story submitted to the right venue has a better chance of publication than a great story sent to the wrong venue.

Here are some general tips for finding the perfect venue to submit your short story:

The right word count. If your story is too long or too short, they won’t publish it.
The right genre. Although many literary magazines claim they don’t prefer a specific genre, there are even more that do. If you send your science fiction short story to a publication that primarily publishes romantic thrillers, then you don’t stand much of a chance. For magazines that don’t have a clear genre, avoid sending pure genre fiction. For example, don’t send a horror story to The New Yorker. It’s not going to get published.
The right aesthetic. Every publication has a style. That doesn’t mean all of their stories read exactly the same. Rather, it means there are patterns in the types of stories they publish. This may sound difficult to figure out, but all you need to do is read a handful of previously published stories. If your story is nothing like the ones you read, then it’s probably not the right publication.

Those aren’t the only factors that go into finding the right publication for your short story, but they will get you 90% of the way there.

Now that you’ve found the perfect place to submit your short story, let’s go to the next step.

Step 2: Submit your story in the right format

Literary magazines are notoriously picky about the format of short story submissions . The wrong margins, font size, or spacing will land you immediately in the rejection pile.

Not every publication tells you exactly how to format a story. If they do, you need to follow their guidelines no matter how ridiculous they sound. If they don’t provide any formatting guidance, then your best bet is to use standard short story format .

Of course, formatting isn’t just about having the right margins and fonts. You also need to save it as the right file type (Word Doc, PDF, RTF, etc.) And you need to make sure you send it using the right method. Fortunately, many publications make it exceptionally easy to submit a short story by using Submittable. For those that don’t, you will likely either need to email your story or use an online form.

There are very few publications left that don’t accept electronic submissions. For those that don’t, you’ll need to print your story and buy some stamps.

If you are emailing your story, make sure you follow their guidelines regarding attachments. Some publications do not allow you to submit attachments, which can make formatting your story a nightmare. In these cases, just do your best to get the story to look readable in the body of your email.

Okay, now that you know how to format the short story for submission, let’s talk about one more thing before you send it out.

Step 3: Include a brief cover letter and author bio with your story submission

While not every publication requires a cover letter and author bio, it’s generally best practice to include one unless they specifically tell you not to send it.

When you submit a short story, you should keep your cover letter brief and to the point. Unlike a novel query, a short story cover letter is not typically a pitch. Instead, you are simply writing a greeting, a brief introduction to yourself and the story, and a closing. Here are the best things to include in the cover letter:

The name of the publication
The name of your story
An approximate word count
A brief reason why you are submitting, if applicable

For example, you might say:

Dear Editor (use a name here if you know it, but make sure you don’t assume the editor’s gender ):

Please consider “Name of Story” for publication in Name of Journal. I believe this short story of approximately XXXX words will be a great fit for your journal because of its whimsical tone that aligns with the stories you typically publish.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

And that’s pretty much all there is to it.

Don’t get carried away with the cover letter. A lot of editors don’t even read them until right before they reject or accept your story.

You also typically want to include an author bio with your submission. This can be pasted at the bottom of your cover letter. If you are submitting your short story through a submission manager like Submittable , there may be a separate field for your author bio. If the publication requests a specific word count for your bio, make sure you follow their guidelines. Otherwise, a standard author bio will usually suffice.

Step 4: Submit your short story and track your submission

Once you’ve picked your publication, formatted your story, and written your cover letter and author bio, now it’s time to hit send. But that’s not the end of your job.

You also need to make sure you track your short story submission. Using a simple submission tracker like this free one will make it easy for you to:

Know how many times you’ve submitted your story
Withdraw your story if it’s accepted elsewhere
Determine any patterns of rejection that might suggest you need to rewrite the story

It may seem like an extra chore to track all your short story submissions, but I promise it will save you time and headaches in the long run. If you don’t log all your story submissions, then it’s only a matter of time before you send a story to a publication that’s already rejected it or forget to withdraw a story when it was accepted elsewhere. These types of mistakes will make editors very upset !

Final thoughts on how to submit a short story

Submitting your short story may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. By using the tips above, you can quickly get your story into submission shape and reduce the likelihood of rejection.

I’ve submitted my short stories over 1,300 times and have had over 200 acceptances using the formula above. In my early days of writing and submitting stories, I followed the old mantra of: if you throw enough shit at the wall, some of it will stick. As you can probably guess, not much stuck. Once I fine-tuned my process, I saw a huge increase in acceptances and income from my short stories.

Once you’ve mastered the art of submitting your short story, your next step will be to sell your short stories . When you’re first starting out, you may try submitting your stories to publications that only pay with exposure, but eventually you’ll want to move up to the big leagues! Fortunately, the process of selling your short stories isn’t much different than submitting your stories to non-paying venues. It’s all about finding the right publication and sending your best story in the right format.

So that’s all there is to it. Now it’s time for you to go submit something!

Have additional thoughts, comments, or questions about submitting short stories? Post a comment below, and remember to share this post on all your favorite channels.

3 thoughts on “ How to Submit a Short Story ”

Hi Nathanial, I just discovered your website and appreciate yourself expertise. I am a published writer with a successfully followed Facebook blog page. I would love to try submission to magazines. I write about recovering from grief based on wonderful love stories. There has to be a way to expand my work!

Thank you for listening

[email protected]

I have been reading posts regarding this topic and this post is one of the most interesting and informative one I have read. Thank you for this!

Where can I send everything (manuscript ETC). My compute, for some reason, will not copy and paste to companies??????.

Sample Cover Letters

Cover letters should be brief and simple. Here are a few examples of good cover letters. Feel free to use any of them as a template for your own letter.

Very Basic Cover Letter:

Dear Editors,

Please consider the following story for Strange Horizons . Thank you.

Sincerely, A. I. Robotsky

Cover Letter with Credits:

Please consider the following story for Strange Horizons .

My fiction has appeared in Asimov's , Clarkesworld , and the Zloty Press anthology The Zloty Chronicles .

Thank you, A. I. Robotsky

Cover Letter with Credits and Experience:

Please consider the following story for Strange Horizons . It's about robot factory workers, and I am a robot who has spent 5 years working in factories.

Cover Letter with Experience:

Please consider the following story for Strange Horizons . It's about Czech robots, and I was built in Prague. Thank you for your time.

Strange Lusts
Azimuth Highlights
Staff Stories
Critical Friends

How to Tell a Story in a Cover Letter

In This Guide:

But of course, how do you tell a story in a cover letter, how do you tell a story in a cover letter.

Your cover letter is a perfect opportunity for an employer to get to know the real you. You can use the cover letter to present yourself on a personable but professional level that demonstrates you’re a perfect match for their company culture.

I know what you’re thinking, is a cover letter really necessary?

Consider this, finding your dream job is a competitive process. You might be competing against 200+ candidates who are all trying to get one role.

A well-crafted, unique cover letter can be your secret weapon to standing out above the crowd.

So how do you write a cover letter which will catch the recruiter’s attention? Well, writing a cover letter is like telling a story about your work experience and skills.

Upload & Check Your Resume

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

Writing is a skill that we can all find difficult from time to time. Writing a cover letter can be especially hard because you’re writing to get your dream job and that’s a lot of pressure!

If you are struggling to the point where you need a break and a refresh, our Career Counsellors are here to help! With our cover letter writing service , we will not only write you the perfect cover letter but teach you the writing skills you can use for the rest of your career.

Before you start writing a cover letter there are some things you need to consider.

What do employers look for in a cover letter?

So what is the purpose of a cover letter ? Most importantly, what do employers look for in a cover letter?

A cover letter is a second chance for the employer to get to know your skills, but most importantly it’s a great way to get to know you!

Every company has its own quirks and personalities. Hiring managers have strategies to ensure their future employees will fit into their company culture. The last thing they want is to hire someone who will disrupt the workflow and interrupt their processes.

Why do you need a story for your cover letter?

A resume tends to be very factual and direct, but a cover has the possibility to get creative and personal. A chance to demonstrate that you understand the company’s values, goals and culture. Combine it with a story-telling resume and that's your best shot.

There’s so much to talk about in a cover letter, especially if your career is spanning over 20+ years and there’s a lot of incredible moments you’re proud of. Telling a story from beginning to end will be a good way of creating structure and will make it easier for the recruiter to read.

We’re all natural storytellers. We can connect to people by understanding their needs through empathy and compassion - this includes employers!

Employers don’t want to hire a robot, they want someone who brings a bit of life and charisma.

But how do you tell a story in a cover letter?

The best place to start is by writing your narrative structure. A writing structure will help you to categorize your job experiences and decide what’s most important.

Just like any story, an opening hook is a way to grab the recruiter’s attention and keep them engaged.

A few tips for picking the perfect hook,

Consider the company and who they are
Think about what will relate to them
Make sure it’s unique and memorable

One of my Executive Client’s was applying for a job at a small business that had an office cat. So with that in mind, we decided to use this hook…

Experience in leading high impactful teams and herding cats - Jackson the cat and I will get along perfectly!

You can also look into quotes for a strong opener.

Think of the people who’ve inspired you in your career than search to see what quotes they have which are relevant.

“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” – Steve Jobs.

Remember the cover letter is a chance to show your personality, and your hook is the perfect opportunity.

The middle - your experience

Your experience is the most important part of writing your cover letter. This is how you’re able to demonstrate that you match their requirements.

The best place to start is by looking through the job description and picking out 5 - 8 keywords, skills, and functions. Then, consider which achievements you can use to match them.

So for example, if the job description requires ‘effective communication’ then you need to consider a few of these things which match that.

For example,

‘Negotiated across stakeholders to close deals exceeding $50k’

‘Deligated tasks across large teams and cross functions’

‘Presented at a conference with guests of 500+’

The next step is to piece together your experiences starting with the most relevant and recent first.

Conclusion - reflection

Finally the conclusion. This is a chance to turn it back around on the recruiter and show you understand their values, goals, and company culture.

Every company has a mission statement. What you need to do is visit their website, go to their ‘about me’ or ‘values’ page. On here you’ll find all the mission statement and their values.

Use this information to your advantage. Show you’re able to resonate with what they believe and you’re able to help them achieve their mission!

That is why I was intrigued by company name emphasis on Value . I believe our values align in regards to job description value and I resonate with your another value.

A final takeaway from this is to get messy!

Don't be afraid to make a separate messy document with all your notes, structures and ideas. Writing is a creative process and if you’re stuck, try to let out all the ideas into one big document then work backward from there.

Cover Letter Guides

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Award-Winning Editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, Forever Magazine, The Best Science Fiction of the Year, and More

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Short Story Cover Letters

By Neil Clarke

On 08/17/2020

In anthologies , clarkesworld magazine , slush , writing

Let me preface this post by saying:

These are my preferences for cover letters when submitting a story to Clarkesworld Magazine or one of my anthologies. This is not a standard, though other editors may feel the same way.
Most cover letters are awful, so I read them last. I don’t want them influencing my opinion of a story before I’ve even read it. I’ve never rejected a story because of the cover letter.
This post will be updated as necessary. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments.

How to address a cover letter

You can skip Dear Neil, Dear Mr. Clarke, Dear Editor, Dear Editor and first readers, etc. It doesn’t have any impact. Simple mistakes here can sometimes work against you. For example, “Dear Sheila” tells me you either meant to send this to Asimov’s or they’ve already rejected it. Every editor I know has had this sort of thing happen to them. Some hate it. Some find it amusing. I couldn’t care less, so just skip the niceties and dive right into the substance.

What should be in a cover letter?

There’s a few things that might have me view your story in a different light.

if there’s a particular aspect to this story that pulls from your professional experience (for example, physicist, historian, astronaut, musician, etc.) or personal experience (cultural, regional, temporal, etc.)

You don’t have to “write what you know” but if you happen to know, it’s good that I know you do.

if you are a non-native English speaker

I have immense difficulty learning other languages, so I’m not going to hold a non-native speaker to the same standards for spelling and grammar. Your approach to storytelling might even be a bit non-standard to an native English speaker. This is important to know for the evaluation and (if accepted) editing phases.

if you are under 18 years old

I’m impressed. I never would have done something like this at your age. Like the non-native speakers, I’m going to cut you a little more slack on the grammar and spelling. (Not that I’m particularly hung up on that being perfect to start with.) It does, however, have an impact should we choose to accept your work: your parents or legal guardian will be required to co-sign the contract.

Since I read the cover letter last, think of the above items as having the potential to make me go back and read a bit further. This even applies in instances where I haven’t been the first reader. (Editors and first readers often stop reading a story when they no longer think it will work for a publication.)

if you are previously unpublished

I’m not buying names. I’m buying stories. What you’ve sold previously (or not) doesn’t mean this story will be any better or worse. That said, every editor I know loves to be the first person to publish an author’s work. It’s something that should be celebrated and I often don’t find out until after the story has been published. Telling me up-front helps avoid that.

if you are submitting a translation

You should tell me where the story was originally published (if it has been), what the original language is, your relationship to the story (author or translator), and whether or not you have the approval of whoever holds the rights on the original (sometimes this isn’t the author or their estate). The translator’s name should also be in the manuscript, typically under the author’s byline.

if you are submitting a reprint

We don’t accept reprints at Clarkesworld , but this does apply to any of the reprint anthologies I edit. I need to know where and when the story was originally published and if there are any restrictions (usually time, region, or language-based) in place.

if you aren’t the author

Yes, there are legitimate reasons this could happen. The most common is that the person submitting the work is the author’s agent or otherwise represents their estate. It also common with translations. We will verify this before issuing a contract.

if you selected “other” for genre

Since it doesn’t fit in one of the categories we’ve listed, please let us know what genre you think it is.

If none of the above applies to you, then a simple “Thank you for considering my story” is more than enough.

What shouldn’t be in a cover letter?

Our submission system already asks for title, genre, word count, and email address. Repeating them here is pointless
Mailing address (should be on the first page of the story) or phone number
A laundry list of everyone that has ever published you. Never include more than three, but honestly, you should just skip this information entirely
Bank or PayPal information
A summary of your story

Ultimately, I prefer your cover letter to be very short. If your cover letter is long (for reasons other than those positives I’ve mentioned), you’ve likely done something wrong.

Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 5, Table of Contents

The best science fiction of the year: 2020 submission guidelines, 82 comments.

Add Comment →

Carolyn O'Brien

Very helpful information,

Angela Panayotopulos

Good to know! Thanks!

Des Browning

“We don’t accept reprints at Clarkesworld, but this does to any of the reprint anthologies I edit”

This doesn’t read correctly, specifically “this does”. Should it be “this doesn’t apply” ?

Neil Clarke

Should have been “this does apply”

Oyeledun Jehofanifemi

About the Co_signing of the contract, how is it going to be possible with international writers

We work with international writers all the time and have never had any problem with receiving digital signatures on their contracts. Sometimes they sign through the PDF and sometimes they print, sign, and send us a scan or photo of the contract.

Hello, If I am writing with 8 other writers, and we would like to explain how this story came to be, would you like us to include that in the cover letter?

If you must, please keep it short. While it may be interesting, it isn’t relevant to the evaluation process.

Gim Patrick

Hello, I’m 15 years old right now and I’m from San Andres Island, Colombia. My mom already knows I want to start with this and supports me. ¿Do I still need a co-sign?

You can submit stories without needing any signatures, but if we accept one for publication, a parent or legal guardian will need to co-sign the contract we send you. This is a legal requirement for us when working with minors (anyone under 18).

Simon Kibunyi

Hey what if I rewrite a story that was written centuries ago,put my own twist into it. It’s important to also say that these stories are royalty free meaning I can do anything I want to do with them..do you accept them?

Retellings/reinterpretations of public domain works (stories, myths, legends, etc.) are quite common and we have published some. I would recommend mentioning the work that inspired yours in the cover letter.

Wow thanks for quick response…I will definitely do that..Thank you

Is there a way we can retain audio rights? It doesn’t say anything about having a podcast, so if I would like to submit the short story to another podcast, would that be possible?

And I was wondering about reprints. I know that most podcasts accept them, but I was wondering if it worked the other way around. If my short gets accepted for a podcast, but has not been published yet (in text form), can I still send it out to magazines after it’s in audio and published?

Clarkesworld requires audio rights. (We podcast all the stories that appear in our magazine.) If a story has been previously published by a podcast, it would no longer have the first rights we also require.

Can we still publish our own version after you publish the audio, or can we use your version? Would it be ok to use pointers on our website? Once I get one, that is.

We have exclusive rights to published works for six months from date of publication. After that you may reprint or publish the story elsewhere. The audio edition cannot be repurposed as that version of the narration is ours. You can, however, create a new recording of your own. You are also allowed to link to the published versions on our website.

Issac Strom

Would it be possible for you to offer an example of what you consider to be an exemplary cover letter?

I would be extremely appreciative. In any case, thank you very much for your time in writing out this useful advice.

Not including one was a deliberate move on my part. The above criteria can result in a variety of “exemplary” (by my standards) cover letters and providing an example of just one might mislead someone who needed another.

That said, merely “good” is good enough. If everyone followed the guidance of the last paragraph of this post, that would be a great start.

I would like to say, thank you very much for taking the time to make these guidelines crystal clear and easy to understand.. I look forward to submitting my work soon.

Thank you. I look forward to reading your stories.

I have a quick question, I know it might sound silly but I think it’s better to ask and be corrected than to make the mistake anyways. The short story that I have written is up to 20,000 words, I’m wondering if I could include chapters in it or it’s forbidden to do so.

Do what you think is appropriate for the story. Something that small won’t alter our evaluation of it. If we accept it and think it isn’t quite right, we’d discuss it with you during the editing phase.

Nithiya Shree

Hello Neil Clarke Sir. I want to introduce myself to you because I got very much inspiration from you. When I searching to Chakesworld for submission I saw ” Award Winning Editor” this impress me Soo much.

I’m Nithiya Shree from Myanmar ( Burmese). I’m 18. I’m finished my high school when I’m 16 and now I’m trying to be an author. As above you mentioned sir, I’m not English native speaker. I have only English intermediate level. But sir I will try my best to submit my story to your team. Also I’m not previously published. Again I’m not an author now. Even though I’m none of them, Can I able to become an author Sir ?

Now Sir I’m starting my plot. One day I will be as you.

This comment may br disturb to you, I’m sorry for that. As you said, I’m freely to comment. I hope it will not agitate you.

Hi Nithiya, You don’t need to be a published author (in English or any other language) to submit stories to Clarkesworld. We are happy to see works by new writers from all over the world. I wish you the best of luck with your writing and hope to see submissions from you over at Clarkesworld someday.

Nithiya shree

Thank you so much Sir.

Evonne M. Biggins

Hello, Clark,

I appreciate that you take questions. A couple years ago, I sent three stories to the non-profit state writing league. They were printed in a book with many other members’ stories, but whoever printed/edited them scrambled sentences, changed dates and locations, didn’t indent paragraphs. We were all very upset. Mine were my favorite stories. We weren’t paid for them, but the league made money from them. The league recently folded, no longer exists. So, are those stories considered previously published and not publishable or can we change the stories and the titles and be able to submit them?

Thank you, Evonne M. Biggins.

Published badly is still published. Even corrected, you won’t be able to sell them as originals anymore. They’ll be reprints from here on out. Changes would need to be substantial before someone would consider them as a new story. Changing names, formatting, and correcting errors doesn’t achieve that. Not surprised that the league folded if that’s how they treated the writers they worked with.

OMG. I meant to start with the correct spelling of your first and second name.

A lesson was learned on my part, sorry!

🙂 No worries. Happens all the time.

Hi Neil Clarke 🙂 ,

I expected that reply, and thanks again. I agree; those stories meant a lot to us, and the “leaders” of our chapter failed us. I’ll think up an even better story to send to you.

Hi, I was just wondering, do you consider stories with long, descriptive and slightly philosophical sections, or do you prefer fast- moving and plot based work? Thank you, Catrina

I don’t see it as an either/or situation. Happy to consider both approaches.

Thank you for the quick reply.

Ayesha javed

Hello Clark , I just turned 18 and want to become a story writer. I want to publish a story that I have been working on for the last couple of months. I have never published before and don’t know much about it. The story that I have been working on is in volumes and each volume has roughly 5000 words. I don”t have anyone to guide me so can you please tell me if I can publish my story in volumes

Short stories are usually submitted and considered by publishers individually. Even if we were to accept the first one, each one after that would still be considered on its own individual merits. We would also expect each story to stand on its own, meaning that someone could read story #3 without having to have read #1 and #2. If each story is dependent on the prior installment, you may be serializing a novel (depending on many 5K installments you have). While there are some current magazines that have published serialized novels (I can think of two in recent years), we’re not one of them. That said, we have published some short stories that have eventually been expanded into novels and published elsewhere.

Thank You for the guidance.

Evangeline Mmayie

Hello Clarke,

I have two questions concerning the type of story we are to submit. Should it be YA or adult SF/F?

Also, you stated you don’t want a story about rapists. But what if the rapist is the villain and the crime occurred long before the story begins?

Doris Antonio Balica

Hello Neil,

Continuing on what Ayesha previously asked, but somewhat different, could stories be published separately—and at a later date from each-other— in, let’s say two volumes, if the second one is not an actual continuation of the first, nor a “prequel”? Instead, the plot of the second volume occurs at the same time and is simply seen from the perspective of other characters / civilization, barely named in the first volume, or not at all. The plot culminates in the same ending, there are some repeating scenes and dialogues, but a different point of view, the stories do stand on their own, as someone could read #2 without reading #1 and vice-versa. Could the second volume be accepted (providing the first one is)?

So two stories happening in the same world at the same time, but told from two different points-of-view? I remember reading a book, many years ago, that did that. The book was evenly split between the two points of view and you could read either half first.

It is possible that could work in short fiction, but the amount of repeated content could become problematic (since short fiction is paid per-word, the amount of recycled word-for-word content might become a red flag for an editor/publisher) and as you said, the story ends the same way, so something else would have to stand out to make up for the spoiled ending. The latter is the same problem a lot of retellings face.

I wouldn’t discount the possibility this could work, but I think it might be harder than selling two very different stories.

Thank you for the reply, my first plan was to blend them together in a single story, but it would’ve had too many main and side characters even for a novella. I’m looking forward to submitting the first story soon and see how it goes from there.

Also, you stated you don’t want a story about rapists. But what if the rapist is the villain and the crime occurred long before the story begins?

Our audience is primarily adults, but adults read both, so it doesn’t matter which.

I don’t have enough information to make that call. Submit the story. The worst that happens is we’ll say no.

Okay, thank you

Robert Lewis

Can you withdraw after submission?

If one were to notice an error or a glut of errors would one be able to withdraw and submit a revision? A mark of the unprofessional, I know. Haven’t quit my day job yet.

Sure. If you contact us, we can remove the submission. You’ll have to resubmit and that will move you to the back of the queue. That said, if it’s just a few spelling errors, I wouldn’t worry about it. That’s not enough to sway our opinion.

Greg Osadec

After reading the original post and the comments, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything for me to include in a cover letter.

Is it okay to write one that’s just a few sentences (such as these examples from Strange Horizons: http://strangehorizons.com/submit/fiction-submission-guidelines/how-to-write-a-cover-letter/ ) or skip it altogether?

If none of the above applies to you, then a simple “Thank you for considering my story” is more than enough.

Oh jeez, I just noticed this in the original post. I’m embarrassed that I missed it. Thanks for your patience!

Do you accept high fantasy with a sword and sorcery vibe?

I need to write my details in the story, like an address, an account number, or do it in a cover letter.

Address is part of the standard first page information in the document containing your story and there is no need to replicate it in the cover letter. Account number is never necessary in a submission. That should only come up if a story is accepted for publication.

Can I submit a story based on science fiction, martial arts and fantasy.

Chris Wozney

I love the clarity and directness of these instructions. It’s quite clear that there are human beings (who are attempting to be judicious) on the receiving end of submissions, not a sorting algorithm.

My husband has written an excellent story, but he doesn’t have any confidence that it could be published, so he’s reluctant to submit it anywhere. Could I submit it for him and then (one hopes) surprise him with an offer to publish if you choose it?

A story shouldn’t be submitted without the author’s permission, even with the best of intentions.

Hi, can i write story with my native Malay language? I from Malaysia..thanks

Yesss, this is super informative. If we want to use a pseudonym, though, would we leave that in the cover letter, or just use it as our name in the information?

It doesn’t need to be in the cover letter. It should be in the story attached to the submission. The standard header should include your legal name and contact information. Your pseudonym would go under the title.

Perfect, thanks!

Hello Mr. Clarke,

Thank you for the clear guidelines! A lot of places it’s a shot in the dark. Stupid question: if I submit work to you folks and it is rejected, does this impact future submissions (assuming that the standard waiting period is observed etc.)?

I am trying to determine the fine line between persistence and being a nuisance.

Thanks in advance.

All the best, Vivian

Every submission is a clean slate. Previous rejections or acceptances have no bearing on how we consider the next one.

Thank you for clarifying!

Patricia C.

For the coming spanish submission process, the cover letter should be in spanish or in english if that is possible?

The cover letter for stories submitted during the Spanish Language Submissions Window can be in English or Spanish. Whichever is more comfortable for you.

What are the chances that I would be allowed to create the podcast (given the acceptance of my diatribe) myself. I have some experience of producing podcasts to a broadcast standard, and the equipment to do so.

We’d be open to discussing it, but if its a deal-breaker, we’d want to know that at time of submission.

Thank you Neil, it wouldn’t be a condition though..

Thanks so much for supplying this page (and all the other informative pieces you’ve written) to help us burgeoning writers. I was nervous about what to write re.cover letter, until I found your handy notes. Made it much easier than I thought it would be to submit a story. Now, I just have to find a nail and ready it for my rejection letter 🙂

Vishvanathan

i have been written the story in my own imagination and i also referred many movies stories and also some comics but i have been written with my own words and combination of those stories can i submit this type of work. should i need to submit any audio with this work.

if my work was submitted today after how many days i will be get my payment because i have been dropped out my collage and i have been started some side hustle so i found you i have been writing stories from my age of 16 and now i am 20 i have 4 years of experience so i think i can make this

And i have a doubt with the payment if u are giving 12 cents per word means 1000 words i will be receive120 dollars right or is there any calculation if there can you explain me

Howdy. I wonder if you have got a cover letter example on pdf format.

Dafny Anessa Guiali

Thank you so much!

Valerie Cole

I just tried to submit a story with a cover letter, and the system wouldn’t let me enter anything after 78 words. I swear, my cover letter was only 114 words anyway. Did I do something wrong? Thanks.

We have a 450 character limit on the cover letter. We mean it when we say we prefer short cover letters. The cap was put in place to push people in the right direction. Before that, we were seeing far too many 500+ word cover letters.

Having never done a cover lette rmyself, I’d love to see an example of one that I can try to match in terms of template.

Samuel Finn

I just tumbled to your comment section. To keep this brief I’m curious about your ask that submissions don’t include “easy FTL travel,” and wondering what constitutes acceptable FTL travel. If you rule out FTL travel you rule out a lot of sci-fi, don’t you? You can’t reasonably get anywhere outside our solar system without it, and how will any aliens reach us? I just submitted a story to you that includes FTL travel, which derives from an episode in a series I’m writing where I do give an explanation for how it works, perhaps lame and not too technical but at least something. Thanks

I suppose that the “acceptable” FTL travel is based in science, not simply a device to pull the plot forward. The modifications in the laws of physics that make the travel possible must be reasonable (plausibility) and be the same for everything else that depend on these laws, whether the thing is directly related to FTL or not (consistency). It may sound a little restrictive, but that’s how I do.

Let’s say that, for your FTL device to work, there is no conservation of energy. Ok, your device creates power from nowhere and the ship crosses the galaxy etc. But, what happens when you, standing on the surface of a planet and subject to gravity, throws a rock up in the air? Will it come back down? Maybe. Or maybe it will reach a height and stay frozen there as if there’s no gravity, or it will accelerate forever and escape the planet. You see, rock throwing has nothing in common with FTL travel, except that conservation of energy limits both situations.

Nothing stops you from saying that the device works by opening a wormhole to tap energy from a star, for example, as long as it is plausible and consistent.

We’re really just trying to eliminate the implausible and hand-wavy stuff. Think about the consequences of having this ability, power necessary to drive it, and its use. Think about how this changes our understanding of physics and society and what else that might impact. Something this big would change many things. A world where this can happen will be forever changed by it.

Rashan Kathurusinghe

How do enter my paypal details to receive the payments if it get accepted?

12 Writer Cover Letter Examples

Writers excel at weaving words into captivating stories, painting vivid pictures with their prose, and engaging readers with their narrative. Similarly, your cover letter is your chance to craft a compelling narrative about your professional journey, using your words to captivate recruiters and paint a vivid picture of your skills and experiences. In this guide, we'll explore outstanding Writer cover letter examples to help you pen your own captivating professional story.

Cover Letter Examples

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The best way to start a Writer cover letter is with a compelling hook that grabs the reader's attention. This could be a brief anecdote about a writing achievement, a unique perspective you bring to your work, or a notable publication where your work has been featured. Follow this with a clear statement of your intent, such as the specific role you're applying for. Remember to address the letter to the appropriate person, if their name is available. This personalized and engaging approach will help you stand out from other applicants.

Writers should end a cover letter by summarizing their interest in the position and expressing gratitude for the reader's time. They should reiterate their unique skills or experiences that make them a good fit for the role. It's also important to include a call to action, such as a request for an interview or a meeting. The closing should be professional and polite. Here's an example: "I am excited about the opportunity to bring my unique storytelling skills to your team and I am confident that I can contribute to your editorial goals. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing this opportunity with you further." Finally, they should sign off with a professional closing like "Sincerely" or "Best regards," followed by their full name.

A writer's cover letter should ideally be one page long. This is because the purpose of a cover letter is to provide a brief introduction of yourself and to explain the reasons for your interest in the specific position or organization. It's important to be concise and to the point, while effectively communicating your skills, experiences, and why you would be a good fit for the role. A one-page cover letter is usually sufficient to achieve this. If it's too long, there's a risk that the hiring manager might not read the entire letter, and if it's too short, it might not provide enough information about your qualifications.

Writing a cover letter with no experience as a writer can seem daunting, but it's important to remember that everyone starts somewhere. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to approach it: 1. Start with a strong introduction: Begin your cover letter by introducing yourself and stating the position you're applying for. Make sure to grab the reader's attention with your enthusiasm for the role and the company. 2. Highlight your relevant skills: Even if you don't have direct writing experience, you likely have other skills that are relevant. Perhaps you have strong research skills, creativity, or a knack for storytelling. Maybe you've written blog posts, social media content, or academic papers. All of these can be valuable in a writing role, so be sure to highlight them. 3. Showcase your knowledge about the company: Show that you've done your homework about the company and the industry. This can demonstrate your interest and your initiative, both of which are attractive qualities in a potential hire. 4. Discuss your education: If you've taken any writing-related courses or earned a degree in a related field (like English, journalism, or communications), be sure to mention it. Even if your education isn't directly related, discuss how it's helped you develop valuable skills. 5. Provide examples: Use specific examples to demonstrate your skills. For instance, if you're applying for a content writing role, you might discuss a time when you wrote a well-received research paper or a blog post. 6. Show your passion: Passion can often make up for a lack of experience. If you're passionate about writing, make sure that comes across in your cover letter. 7. Close with a strong conclusion: Wrap up your cover letter by reiterating your interest in the role and your eagerness to contribute to the company. Thank the reader for considering your application and express your hope for further discussion. 8. Proofread: This is especially important for a writing role. Make sure your cover letter is free of typos and grammatical errors. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere. Even if you don't have professional writing experience, your unique skills and perspectives can still make you a strong candidate. Good luck!

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Writing contests, make money writing, hottest topics, cover letters for short stories.

When I first began submitting my short stories for publication, I had no idea that cover letters existed until I’d chosen to submit my story to a publisher whose submission guidelines required that a cover letter accompany every manuscript. Once aware of cover letters, however, I found myself confused. So I conducted a bit of research in an attempt to discover what type of information should be included in such a letter. If you are just embarking on the writer’s journey and seeking to submit your first short story manuscript, hopefully this article will assist you as some guides on cover letters have helped me in the past.

Despite any advice I offer, however, please be sure to read a publication’s current submission guidelines and only send what the editor(s) request. Disobeying submission guidelines can sometimes lead to an automatic rejection of your short story. Some editors do not require you to send cover letters with your short story manuscripts, but when a cover letter is required try to think of your letter as a courteous, professional introduction to you.

Before we go any further, though, I would like to stress once more that this article was written with mostly a certain type of short story writer in mind–the one who, like myself, is predominately interested in submitting short stories to small press publications that publish genre fiction. Particularly publications like those listed at Ralan.Com whose editors rarely request query letters and are willing to publish unsolicited short story manuscripts. If you are not this sort of writer but still interested in this article, then please grab your magnifying glass and come along with me to take a closer look at cover letters for short stories.

In regards to short story submissions, cover letters are usually brief letters containing one to three short paragraphs, and is most often paper-clipped in front of your manuscript’s first page when you snail mail your submission. If you are submitting your manuscript through email, then your cover letter comes before your story as the main body of your email, and still serves as your introduction. Whether you are submitting through postal mail or email, your cover letter should be single-spaced, written in standard block or semi-block format, and double-spaced between paragraphs. If you are mailing your manuscript, then you should consider typing your cover letter on plain white 8 ½” by 11″ paper, using a font such as 12 point Times New Roman in black. A hardcopy of a cover letter should only be one page in length with your typeface taking up about half of the page.

As stated, the number of paragraphs in a cover letter can vary. But, regardless of how many paragraphs there are, some information that is usually listed in cover letters includes your story’s title and your story’s word count. If you are submitting your manuscript through mail, as opposed to email, you might also want to state that a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) is enclosed, and that there is no need to return the manuscript.

Here are a few other tips you might want to keep in mind when preparing your letter:

1. Remember to keep your letter short. Avoid including any irrelevant personal information that doesn’t pertain to your story submission. There is no need to include your life history or anything else that doesn’t relate to your story. Avoid giving a detailed description of your short story, as well.

2. Make sure to address your cover letter to a specific person whenever possible. Editors’ names are usually listed with a publication’s submission guidelines. When this is not the case, try to research market listings or find the masthead of the publication to locate the editor’s name. If unsure of an editor’s gender, then consider using the editor’s full name; for example, “Dear Pat Lewis,” or “Dear Editor Lewis.” In case of initials, “Dear J. T. Marshall,” or “Dear Editor Marshall,” should be appropriate. Avoid addresing an editor by his or her first name unless the editor has used your first name, or signed his or her first name in subsequent correspondence.

3. Remain positive. Never write about how your story has been rejected in the past, if that is the case. There’s no need to mention that you’re unpublished, either, unless the editor requests such information. Most editors aren’t concerned about whether or not you have been previously published. When they are interested in knowing of your publishing status, it will likely benefit writers. For example, mentioning that you have not been professionally published in your cover letter to the editor at Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine would be appropriate because the editor is especially interested in seeking short stories from such writers. EQMM, as the publication is also called, even has a “Department of First Stories” set up to receive submissions from writers who haven’t been published professionally. Otherwise, don’t worry about mentioning you’re unpublished.

4. Be professional in crafting your letter. Resist making witty comments or statements that hype your story. It’s highly unlikely that an editor won’t appreciate your attempts, and might form a less than favorable view of your submission package. Avoid making self-deprecating remarks about yourself and your writing. It is understandable that you might be nervous about submitting and are grappling with self-doubt about your writing skills, but there’s no need to express those feelings in your letter. And lastly, remember to double-check your spelling and grammar–it matters just as much as it does with your short story manuscript. A cover letter containing misspellings and poor grammar will probably lead an editor to expect the same lack of professionalism in your manuscript.

Below are two samples. Sample A represents a cover letter that would accompany a snail mail submission. Sample B represents one that would accompany an email submission.

Your Name Your Address Your Telephone Number Your Email Address

Editor’s Name Publication’s Title Publication’s Address

Dear [Editor’s Name]:

Please consider my 2,500-word, previously unpublished manuscript, “Your Story’s Title,” for publication at Any Title Magazine . A self-addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed for your reply. There is no need to return the manuscript should my story not interest you.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Please consider my 2,500-word, previously unpublished manuscript, “Your Story’s Title,” for publication at Any Title Magazine . I have sent my story as an .rtf attachment, as the submission guidelines suggested.

Best wishes on making a good impression with your cover letter, and on achieving your goal of becoming a published author.

About the Author:

C. M. Clifton is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.

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How to Publish a Short Story: 3 Ways to Reach New Readers

Once you've gotten the hang of writing short stories, the next stage is to get them in front of readers — preferably ones who will appreciate your writing. In this post, we'll walk you through the most popular ways of getting a short story out into the world.

Three ways to publish a short story:

1. Submit them to literary magazines

2. take part in writing contests, 3. self-publish a short story anthology.

Literary magazines are the traditional home of short stories, where many writers first get their works showcased to an audience beyond their family and friends. Magazine publication is a tried and true method for getting eyes on your work and gaining followers (plus earning a small chunk of money along the way).

There are hundreds of magazines out there, ranging from the prestigious to the niche, so no matter what you’re writing, there will be a place for it. Luckily, it’s easy to submit a story, and you can break down the process into three simple steps.

Seek out suitable magazines

If you’re not an avid reader of literary magazines and already writing with a certain publication in mind, a great place to start is a place like Reedsy’s literary magazine directory. This handy resource does the hard work for you, listing hundreds upon hundreds of magazines. You can filter by the genre you’re writing in, whether they require a submission fee, the format they publish in, and much more.

As you discover new magazines, consider where your story fits best. Some factors to consider include:

🎭 Genre and topic . If you've written a historical romance, don't include a sci-fi publication in your submission list.

📝 Short story length and style. Some magazines look for flash fiction (under 1,000 words); some ask for 5,000 words per piece. Most lie somewhere in between. Publications sometimes also ask for specific writing styles, like epistolary, or set themes for the stories.

✅ Author requirements. Most magazines and competitions are open to international submissions from anyone at least 18 years old, but some might have other conditions.

🔄 Simultaneous submissions. Do you want to submit to several places at once? Not every magazine will accept this, and contests definitely don't.

📚 Multiple submissions. If you have more than one story on hand, you may want to submit a few at a time, although not every magazine will accept that either.

Make sure to double-check each magazine’s submission guidelines. This is usually located on the submissions page of their website and outlines any specific restrictions or wants the magazine may have, like the preferred font and spacing for your manuscript.

Be aware that some magazines will have specific submission windows or reading periods when they are open to receiving new stories. Sometimes, you’ll need to wait a little bit until their window opens again to submit your work to the perfect magazine.

Even once you’ve selected your targets, the work isn’t done yet — you’ll need to prepare your supporting material for your submission.

Make an impression with your cover letter

a writer flying in a cover letter that has become a paper airplane

Most magazines these days will have a digital submissions form, which usually includes a field for your cover letter.

To start, quickly introduce the story you’re submitting and its word count. You can talk about what inspired the story or give its basic premise here, but keep it short — a sentence or less is ideal. Then, move on to introducing yourself.

Essentially, this is your author bio , and the place for you to show off any credentials you have (or experience that ties into your submission). This could include other magazines you’ve been published in, any books you’ve written and published, any awards or accolades you’ve received, or anything else that showcases your writerly abilities.

Don’t worry if you don’t have any publishing credits to your name, though. Literary magazines are more than willing to take a chance on unknown authors and have long been the place where writers launch their careers.

To make your cover letter more personal, you should directly address the editors in your greeting and mention any recent stories from the magazine you’ve enjoyed. This shows you’ve done your research and have a good sense of what will fit in the publication — aka, your own story!

Your cover letter could look something like this:

Dear [Editor’s First and Last Name],

Please consider [Story Title], a [word count] [Genre] short story, for publication in your magazine. I am an emerging writer; if this story gets accepted, it will be my first published work.

This story is being submitted to several publications, and I will let you know if I hear back from other places.

I am finishing my MA in Creative Writing at [University Name]. When I’m not writing, I usually work on my webcomic, experiment with watercolor painting, or go on hikes in the countryside with my partner.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Your Name]

Once you send your story out for consideration, there's still one small step left.

Track your progress

If you’re sending your short story out to multiple magazines through different methods and platforms, it can be easy to lose track of where you’re at. Finding a way to keep this information organized will keep your stress levels low and keep you on top of your submissions.

You can set this up in a document or make notes by hand, but to save you time we have a handy little submissions tracker spreadsheet filled out and ready to go. Download it here!

FREE RESOURCE

Story Submissions Tracker

Stay organized on your journey to find the right home for your short stories.

It's a good way to see where your stories are, how long you want to keep waiting for a response, and where you can go next if your attempt was unsuccessful. Keep in mind that usually editors and judges take 8-12 weeks to get back to you, but this does vary from publication to publication, and their submission guidelines page may give more specific information.

If you don’t have a story ready to go or need some inspiration to get started, a writing contest might be up your alley.

Contests might also offer added bonuses, like getting a blurb or introduction from a judge or getting a review by a literary agency, among other things. It can be a great place to gain some recognition since your success in a contest really is measured by your writing, not who you know or previous publication. All the judges care about is that you have a good story and tell it well. There are many writing contests out there — all you have to do is find them.

Search for contests

There are just as many writing contests out there as literary magazines and they provide a great opportunity for beginning writers to build practice and credibility. And get published, of course! Along with a cash prize, winning a contest often means you’ll be published in an organization’s own magazine or website, or in an anthology alongside other winners or shortlisted stories.

Some contests that publish anthologies are the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize , the BBC National Short Story Award , and the Bath Short Story Award .

Publishers , writer’s guilds, and other literary organizations often host contests, so if there are any in your area, see if they have a contest you can enter. Otherwise, Google is your best friend. But always be on the lookout for any scams. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

💡Want to know how to spot publishing scams? Check out this guide for tips on how to avoid publishing scams .

If you want to avoid scams and take some of the research time out of your browsing, Reedsy’s writing contests directory has over 500 verified, up-to-date contests you can enter.

Try out prompts-based contests

Instead of a traditional writing contest, why not try a prompts-based contest? Take inspiration from a prompt rather than racking your brain for an idea. The challenge of fitting a story to a specific topic while still remaining unique among dozens of other entries is a great writing exercise. And posting it on a community forum will give your writing exposure, perhaps gaining new fans who want to see more of your work.

If that interests you, Reedsy has its own Prompts contest you can enter. You can choose from one of five prompts every week and create a story based on them. It’s just five dollars to enter, and if you win, there’s a chance you could be published in Prompted , Reedsy’s very own literary magazine.

In many ways, self-publishing has completely changed the landscape of traditional publishing, and that applies even to the realm of short stories. If you’d rather not wait for your work to be accepted by a literary magazine or win a writing contest, you can take the power into your own hands by self-publishing an anthology of your short stories instead. To ensure that you have a satisfying and cohesive book that readers can discover and fall in love with, check out these three tips.

Note: The information below isn’t an exhaustive how-to list, but some important points to remember. If you’d like more detailed information about self-publishing, check out our in-depth guide here !

Pick an overarching theme for your anthology

A person sits on a book and writes in a notebook

One of the biggest pros of publishing your own anthology is you aren’t limited by the requirements of an outside organization, whether that pertains to topic or word count. The world is your oyster, and you can stretch your imagination's limits. However, the best anthologies aren’t simply a collection of an author’s work, but in some way, form a cohesive whole.

The easiest way to do this is by giving your anthology a central theme. Your stories could explore an idea from different angles or all be set in the same place. This connection doesn’t need to be obvious. In fact, it can be relatively loose, so long as when you put everything together, no story feels like the odd one out.

For example, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw explores the stories of Black women and girls whose lives are caught in a bind between the wants of the church and their own desires. While every story has this overarching theme, Philyaw discusses wide-ranging ideas from sexuality to generational trauma in each tale, and no two stories are exactly alike.

If you need some inspiration, check out published short story anthologies to see how other authors have done it. Or you could hire a developmental editor to look over your collection and help you streamline it.

With the content down, you still have to consider how your collection physically looks.

Make sure your book looks professional

When you’re self-publishing, you need to consider much more than just the writing of your book. Another important job is ensuring that your book is properly formatted . It will make your anthology look more professional and overall make for a better reading experience.

Even if you have no design knowledge, there are plenty of free easy-to-use tools that can help. We might be biased, but we recommend the Reedsy Book Editor. It’s a free book formatting app that is full of useful features. You can insert page breaks, style your paragraph and chapter titles, create a table of contents, and much more. Once you’ve finished working on the interior, you can export ebooks or print files that you can then import to your printing service of choice.

FREE FORMATTING APP

The Reedsy Book Editor

Format your manuscript for print or EPUB with a single click.

To make your book look even more professional, consider hiring a book cover designer to create a stunning cover and establish a visual brand that you can replicate for future anthologies. While the old adage advises us not to, readers really do judge a book by its cover, so having something that looks good and stands out will help you draw people in just as much as the rest of your marketing materials.

Now your book is ready to go. But as you prepare to officially launch it, consider what you can do to market it.

Start building your author platform

As an independent author, getting the word out about your book is incredibly important. You are your own marketing team, and there are many things you can do to support your book, from sending out ARCs to setting up Amazon ads. One thing you should definitely be focusing on is building a following; it creates longevity and a dedicated reader base who can help you promote your book in the future.

Capturing your readers onto your newsletter or on social media will allow you to nurture your readership and stay connected with them. It’ll also be helpful in the future as you now have a ready audience to whom you can market any future anthologies (or even novels if you decide to go long-form later).

You can do this by having a link to your socials and mailing list at the end of your book — and maybe entice readers further by offering a free bonus story when they sign up!

For a more in-depth look at how to create an author platform and market your book, download a free copy of Reedsy’s How to Market a Book , written by our co-founder Ricardo Fayet.

Whatever path you choose, publishing a short story is a great way to gain new readers and establish yourself in the literary world. There’s a place somewhere out there for your writing, so take a chance and find your audience today.√

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

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How To Write A Short Cover Letter (With Examples)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

When applying for a job you will want to make sure your cover letter has your qualifications and why you are the right person for the job. This sounds like an easy task, right?

While it may sound easy to do, recruiters and hiring managers don’t have the time to read through every application in detail. Sometimes a cover letter that is short and sweet is what you need to grab their attention without wasting their time.

We will go over why you should use a short cover letter, when its appropriate, and how to write one while providing some examples.

Key Takeaways:

A short cover letter should be about 100-250 words broken down into three to four paragraphs.

You should use a short cover letter if you are an entry level employee, if you are emailing your cover letter, or if you are submitting your application online.

Your cover letter should highlight your qualifications and sell you as the ideal candidate.

How To Write A Short Cover Letter (With Examples)

Why Use a Short Cover Letter

When to write a short cover letter, how to write a short cover letter, formatting a short cover letter.

You stand out. When you use a short cover letter, you will stand out from the other candidates. A hiring manager will likely be reading a lot of cover letters, and if yours is shorter from the rest, it will stick out and they will remember it.

You can highlight easier. A shorter letter lets you highlight your qualifications without burying it in fluff and buzzwords. It will also give the hiring manager enough information before, while you’re still able to give more information during an interview.

Time-saving. As said before, a hiring manager is likely reading a lot of cover letters. If yours is short, they are more likely to read yours over the long ones.

If you’re applying for a high-level executive position, it makes sense for you to write closer to 400 words.

An entry-level employee. You won’t have as much experience as those high-level execs so an entry-level cover letter should be closer to 200 words, or even less.

Email cover letter. Emails are short and usually to the point by nature. Email cover letters should not be long. Otherwise, it would look like a gigantic block of text that the hiring manager will likely not even bother with.

Electronic application. If you are submitting your cover letter through an online application, you will need to keep it short. Many of those supplied text boxes have strict character limits.

You’re not tied to the above scenarios. If you don’t feel like the position calls for a long cover letter, then don’t include a lengthy attachment. You should still include a cover letter, though. Just keep it short. Think short story, not novel.

A short cover letter does pose an interesting challenge. There is a lot of information you want to convey, and you have so much space to do so.

Generally, a cover letter is about half a page in length and consists of 200-400 words broken into three to four paragraphs. The same cannot be said for a short cover letter.

You can still include all of the same elements you see in a regular length cover letter. You just have to be more selective with the words you use and the achievements you highlight. Here’s how to write a short cover letter:

Cut the fluff. Nobody wants fluffy cover letters. Despite how it sounds, fluff is actually a technical term. It means adding more information than is really necessary. So cut the fluff and remove unnecessary details.

You may find it easier to remove the fluff after you’ve finished your cover letter. Or, you may find it easier to be aware of it as you write and avoid it altogether. Your preference really matters.

But, how do you cut the fluff? Simple.

Avoid adjectives. Sure, adjectives liven up your writing, but this isn’t a creative writing piece. It’s a cover letter. You don’t have to cut them completely, but you should use them sparingly.

Avoid buzzwords. Try not to fill up your sentences with words like self-motivated, results-oriented, deadline-driven, or team-oriented. They just make your writing feel bulkier.

Write concisely. Get to your point quickly. If you can shorten the sentence, do it. Be careful, though. Sometimes when we write concisely, it comes off as terse or rude. Your tone really matters, so be aware of it.

Focus on relevant skills and experience. Technically, any cover letter you write should focus on the skills , experience, and achievements that relate to the position you’re applying for.

In a short cover letter, you want to be very selective. Use the job description to identify the qualifications and skills they find most important and focus on those.

Use bullet points to your advantage. Seeing a bulleted list in the middle of a cover letter is completely normal. Many job applicants use bullet points to highlight their most attention-grabbing (and relevant) qualifications and achievements.

Those bullet points can make a bigger impact in a short cover letter. You can include more in fewer words.

Focus on the value. Your cover letter should be conveying your value. Focus your attention on what you can bring to the position and the company.

As a general rule, the format of your cover letter should not change much, no matter the length. The biggest difference between a short cover letter and a regular length cover letter is the delivery method.

Your short cover letter should include :

Header. If you are emailing your cover letter or submitting it via an electronic application portal, you will not need to include a header . If you are submitting it more traditionally, then you will still need to include the header at the top.

Your header should look like this:

Your full name (Optional) Your current address Your phone number Your professional email address Your online portfolio (Optional) Your website, LinkedIn Date of submission Hiring manager’s name Hiring manager’s title within the company Company name (Optional) Company address

Greeting (Salutation). Regardless of how you are submitting your cover letter, you will need to address it properly . “Dear [ hiring manager’s name ]” is the standard. If you can’t locate the name of the hiring manager, you can use a more generic greeting. But, you should never use “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.

Opening lines. Your opening lines should capture the reader’s attention and convince them to keep reading.

Body paragraph. This is where you will highlight your relevant skills and experience. Remember to pull information from the job description to help you determine which qualifications and achievements to focus on.

Closing lines. End your cover letter with a strong call-to-action. Give the hiring manager a reason to reach out to you.

Sign-off. Similar to your greeting, there is a right and a wrong way to close your letter. Even if you are submitting via email, you should use a formal closing such as “Sincerely”, “Respectfully”, “ Thank you ”, or “Best regards”.

You may also want to include your contact information below your name. This is especially true if you are excluding a header.

Example Answer 1: Short Email Cover Letter:

Subject: Customer Service Representative – Eloise Greene Dear Ms. Chatner, XYZ Department Store is known for its incredible customer service. I believe I would make an excellent addition to your team, and I have the customer satisfaction ratings to prove it. I take pride in the companies I serve, and it shows through my professionalism and enthusiasm. At ABC Shoppe, I was regularly mentioned by name in customer feedback surveys and had the most positive feedback ratings each week. You will find that I develop an excellent rapport with my customers, solve customer problems quickly and efficiently, and can work well independently. My coworkers and superiors know that there is no one more dedicated, reliable, or efficient than me. I look forward to speaking with you about this position. Sincerely, Eloise Greene 555-123-4567 [email protected] linkedin.com/in/eloisegreene478

Example Answer 2: Sales Rep Short Cover Letter:

Tanner Gaddas Atlanta, GA 555-123-4567 [email protected] linkedin.com/in/tannergaddas January 1, 2021 Genevieve Hudson VP of Human Resources 123 Sellers Dear Ms. Hudson, As a talented sales professional with eight years of proven history generating new leads, converting leads to customers, and driving growth in my territory, I believe I would be an asset to 123 Sellers. During my tenure at XYZ Enterprises, I have earned multiple awards and was named top seller three years in a row. I have expertise in client retention, new customer acquisition, and cold calling and am comfortable using CRMs like SalesForce and Hubspot. Highlights of my achievements include: Growing a $1M territory to a $4M in two years Converted 300 new customers over the course of a year Exceeded sales goals by 50% in my first year Maintain expert knowledge in complete product line up consisting of over 200 products I am confident that with my sales experience and techniques, I will help your company gain a larger market share. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to discussing this opportunity further. Respectfully, Tanner Gaddas 555-123-4567

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Samantha is a lifelong writer who has been writing professionally for the last six years. After graduating with honors from Greensboro College with a degree in English & Communications, she went on to find work as an in-house copywriter for several companies including Costume Supercenter, and Blueprint Education.

Matt Warzel a President of a resume writing firm (MJW Careers, LLC) with 15+ years of recruitment, outplacement, career coaching and resume writing experience. Matt is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Focus) from John Carroll University.

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How To Write A Short Cover Letter

How to Create a Compelling Cover Letter in Microsoft Word

E very time you apply for a job, it's a good idea to include a cover letter. Deciding how to write each one is hard, but at least you don’t have to start from scratch with their design.

Microsoft Word offers templates and welcomes third-party designs to help you create compelling cover letters. Here’s how to use such options in Word and make the best first impression possible to potential employers.

Use Microsoft Word’s Cover Letter Templates

Formal letters don’t have to be bland. Go to File > More templates on Word, and type “cover letter” in the search box. You’ll find several stylish designs that add structure and color to your document.

What reflects you better, a subtle or sharp color scheme? If you’re considering a bold header for your professional details, learn how to design letterheads on Word , too. You can even add your portrait to your cover letter.

Microsoft Word’s built-in templates also include fields for you to fill in with your information and that of your potential employer. They guide you in these small ways, some even providing a sample for your letter’s main body. It’s a good idea to rephrase that, though, to fit each job application.

If you don’t like any of the options on Word’s desktop app, explore more Microsoft cover letter templates online and download your favorites from there.

Use Third-Party Templates in Microsoft Word

You can create cover letters for your dream job on platforms besides Microsoft. If you’d rather stick with it, you’ll even come across third-party templates specifically designed for you to download and customize on Word. Here are some examples.

1. ResumeLab

Explore over 50 cover letter templates, ranging from minimalist to eye-catching designs. Keep in mind that a few of them are meant to be created on ResumeLab. The rest you can bring onto Word by clicking their Download it free here link.

You’ll be redirected to websites like Good Resume and Resume Genius , which help you quickly download your documents. Then, all you have to do is open them in Microsoft Word.

You’ll also notice that some cover letters on ResumeLab are edited versions of Word’s built-in templates, but this just adds to your selection and gives you more ideas.

2. Template.net

This is a popular site for templates of all kinds, including cover letters. For some designs, you pay a small fee, but Template.net has an impressive range of free options, too. What’s more, the download process is very easy.

Just browse its collection, click on a design you like, and select the Word button under Download Free Template . In the next window, hit Free Download . If you’re not signed in already, you’ll be asked to as the final step.

Follow Best Practices for Cover Letters

Familiarize yourself with the dos and don’ts of writing a cover letter . Remember these guidelines when selecting and customizing a template or crafting a cover letter from scratch. They boil down to the following rules.

1. Research Potential Employers

Do your research before writing or designing your cover letter. Get to know each company and even the recruiter you’re addressing. It’s the same strategy as tailoring your resume for different job types .

2. Tailor Your Cover Letter

When showcasing your skills and interest in a position, use your research to tailor your letter so that it grabs the recruiter’s attention and impresses them. Be smart, enthusiastic, and concise with your words.

3. Use Your Blank Space Wisely

Aim to limit your cover letter to one page. Any more than that, and you risk losing the recruiter’s interest. Think about what you need to say, including important and relevant details not covered in your resume. Express these things as succinctly as possible.

4. Your Visuals Should Complement and Not Overwhelm the Letter

Add a bit of color and texture, going for a subtle effect. You could even use some small icons, as long as they’re tasteful and discreet. Whatever you choose, keep these visuals on the letter’s edges, and don’t let them dominate the text.

5. Master Word’s Features That Benefit Cover Letters

For example, you can create your cover letter more efficiently by setting the text’s boundaries from the get-go. To do this, go to Layout > Margins . From the same toolbar, you can adjust paragraph spacing and indentation.

Through Insert > Pictures , you can import an image of your signature and place it at the end of the letter. Your header and footer can be customized from here, too.

Even the Mailing toolbar might be of interest. It can help streamline the process of writing and sending letters, as well as keeping track of recipients.

Good Planning and Wording Make the Best Cover Letters

Between Microsoft and other providers, you have access to a wide selection of templates for simple but attractive cover letters that you can personalize on Word. The app itself is full of useful writing and editing tools.

With this leg up, designing a cover letter for every occasion is easier. Sound research and planning in terms of how to approach each application can help polish the letter even more.

How to Create a Compelling Cover Letter in Microsoft Word

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How to Write a Perfect Cover Letter for a Short Story Submission
The cover letter also needs to contain a short bio, the story's word count, title, and a brief description of the short story (not summary), among other things. Publishers and editors have unique preferences, so you'll find what 'unique' things they want in your cover letter. Writing a cover letter on the laptop.
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Learn how to write a cover letter for your short story submission with these 10 examples. Find out the best structure, tips, and templates for different purposes and situations.
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Learn the key elements of a cover letter for short stories, such as word count, title, genre, and brief description. See examples of good and bad cover letters, and tips from a lit mag editor.
How to Write Cover Letters for Short Stories
Writing a cover letter to submit with your short story to magazines or ezines is different from writing a query letter for a full length novel, but some rules do apply to both. In the cover letter you don't want to boast about yourself or your writing. If you make it seem like you think you're "the next best thing," editors will assume ...
What's in a Short Story Cover Letter?
Short. Professional. In a letter format with a salutation and signature. Something like: "Dear Editors, Please consider my 4000 word short story "The Example Title" for publication in The Stand-in Literary Magazine. It fits your theme of being a fake anthology by being a fake story.
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Step 1: Find the perfect publication to send your story. The top secret for getting your short story published isn't to have the best short story idea ever. No, you need to find a publication that's a perfect fit for whatever story you've written. After all, a terrible story submitted to the right venue has a better chance of publication ...
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Learn how to write a cover letter for fiction submissions to Strange Horizons, a magazine of science fiction, fantasy, and poetry. Find out what to include, what to avoid, and how to format your letter.
How to Tell a Story in a Cover Letter
Combine it with a story-telling resume and that's your best shot. There's so much to talk about in a cover letter, especially if your career is spanning over 20+ years and there's a lot of incredible moments you're proud of. Telling a story from beginning to end will be a good way of creating structure and will make it easier for the ...
fiction
In short, make certain to read the submission guidelines. (Online and print requirements may differ, even within the same publication.) A manuscript in the wrong format is not going to be read quickly, if at all. I don't know if the tone of the cover letter matters or not, although if I were submitting to McSweeny's I'd spend more time on that ...
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Short Story Cover Letters. By Neil Clarke. On 08/17/2020. In anthologies, clarkesworld magazine, slush, writing. Let me preface this post by saying: These are my preferences for cover letters when submitting a story to Clarkesworld Magazine or one of my anthologies. This is not a standard, though other editors may feel the same way.
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For instance, if you're applying for a content writing role, you might discuss a time when you wrote a well-received research paper or a blog post. 6. Show your passion: Passion can often make up for a lack of experience. If you're passionate about writing, make sure that comes across in your cover letter. 7.
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Learn how to write cover letters for short stories, what information to include, and how to format them for different submission methods. See examples of cover letters for mail and email submissions.
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The more direct you can be at the beginning of the cover letter, the better. Don't hesitate to specifically point out why you are the perfect fit for their company and role. Your opening paragraph is what will either hook the hiring manager or lose them, so be sure to get to the point quickly! 2. Be Enthusiastic.
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1. Address your cover letter properly. Include your name, the position you're applying for, the company name, and job ID (if applicable). 2. Start your cover letter captivating. That way, the recipient of your email will read on with interest. Include a job-fitting accomplishment to impress the reader from the top. 3.
Short Cover Letter Examples: How to Write a Short Cover Letter
4. Use short words rather than long phrases. Without realizing it, we sometimes write unnecessarily long phrases on professional documents when a single word is enough. After you've written your cover letter, go back and reread it. Replace longer phrases with single words (or at least fewer words).
How to Publish a Short Story: 3 Ways to Reach New Readers
Learn how to submit your short stories to literary magazines, enter writing contests, or self-publish a short story anthology. Find out how to write a cover letter that impresses editors and judges.
How To Write A Short Cover Letter (With Examples)
A short cover letter should be about 100-250 words broken down into three to four paragraphs. You should use a short cover letter if you are an entry level employee, if you are emailing your cover letter, or if you are submitting your application online. Your cover letter should highlight your qualifications and sell you as the ideal candidate.
15 Short Cover Letter Examples + Tips on How to Write One
Short application cover letter for USPS. Dear Ms. Wu, My name is Larry and I have attached my resume for the position in USPS as the lead automotive technician. My 5 years of experience as an operation manager from my previous company will be of help after joining your team.
How To Write a Cover Letter (With Examples and Tips)
Middle paragraph (s) Closing paragraph. Letter ending and signature. Your cover letter should be one page long and use a simple, professional font, such as Arial or Helvetica, 10 to 12 points in size. Your letter should be left-aligned with single spacing and one-inch margins. Show Transcript.
How to Create a Compelling Cover Letter in Microsoft Word
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Tips For Writing A Career Change Cover Letter. 1. Personalize Your Approach: Address the letter to a specific person whenever possible.Doing so demonstrates attention to detail and a genuine ...

How to Write a Perfect Cover Letter for a Short Story Submission

Research and… Research

Tips on Creating a Perfect Cover Letter for a Short Story Submission

Short and Simple

Courteous and Direct

Professional

How to Address a Cover Letter

What should be in a cover letter?

Don’t Put These in Your Cover Letter

Don’t Say These in Your Short Story Cover letter

Formats and Submission Guidelines

Sample Cover Letter for a Short Story Submission

Final Words on Cover Letters for a Short Story Submission

Recommended Reading...

The Proven Method Of Writing Short Story Cover Letters

How To Write A Cover Letter For A Short Story

A Proven Example Of How To Write A Cover Letter For A Short Story

How To Write A Cover Letter For A Novel

More Help On Writing Cover Letters and Getting Published

1 thought on “The Proven Method Of Writing Short Story Cover Letters”

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10 Impressive Cover Letter Examples for Short Story Submission

The Best Structure for Cover Letter Examples for Short Story Submission

Cover Letter Examples for Short Story Submission

Request for Feedback

Request for Partial Payment

Request for Exemption from Submission Fee

Re-Submission of Revised Short Story

Recommendation for Award Consideration

Request for Expedited Review

Cover Letter Tips for Short Story Submissions

Wrapping It Up

The Perfect Cover Letter: Advice From a Lit Mag Editor

A little research goes a long way

Terms to Know

Cover Letter That Needs Work

What Went Wrong?

Cover Letter Ready to Be Sent

What Went Right?

How to Write Cover Letters for Short Stories

Don’t say:

Finally, you always want to make sure you follow each magazine’s submission guidelines exactly.

Now on to some formats!

But sometimes submission guidelines are different from this format.

This was my cover letter:

My cover letter:

Good luck on submitting those short stories!

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How to Submit a Short Story

Step 1: Find the perfect publication to send your story

Step 2: Submit your story in the right format

Step 3: Include a brief cover letter and author bio with your story submission

Step 4: Submit your short story and track your submission

Final thoughts on how to submit a short story

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Sample Cover Letters

How to Tell a Story in a Cover Letter

In This Guide:

Upload & Check Your Resume

What do employers look for in a cover letter?

Why do you need a story for your cover letter?

The middle - your experience

Conclusion - reflection

Personal Details on CV (Contact Info, Phone Number & More)

Award-Winning Editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, Forever Magazine, The Best Science Fiction of the Year, and More

Short Story Cover Letters

Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 5, Table of Contents

Carolyn O'Brien

Angela Panayotopulos

Des Browning

Neil Clarke

Oyeledun Jehofanifemi

Gim Patrick

Simon Kibunyi

Issac Strom