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 you want to include in your own cover letters, 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.

How to Write Your Best Cover Letter

A little research will go a long way. And most often, this simple research is the step I see skipped. Stand apart from the crowd or proverbial “slush pile” by doing a couple of things in advance of penning your next cover letter.

• 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. This tiny shift in the letter feels much more personal and makes it clear from the get go that you’ve taken the time to tailor your cover letter to the publication, as opposed to blasting out the same generic letter to 20 different literary magazines.
• Be sure to read the publication’s 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)
• Word count
• Title
• Genre/category
• Brief description of your piece
• If you have been published previously, state where
• Whether your piece is a simultaneous submission (definition below)
• Your name

Note – If you have not yet been published, simply leave that piece out! If that is the case, most publications will still welcome your submissions warmly.

Important 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 publishing by one magazine, it’s important to notify other publications where you have submitted that piece. This courtesy will prevent complications and will keep you in good grace 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 Example

Dear Sandra,

Please consider this 2,460-word short fiction piece, titled “John.” I discovered your publication quite some time ago and am an avid reader of the fiction and poetry that you publish.

The piece I am submitting, “John,” 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,

Jane Doe

Why this Works

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

Pro Tip: When you submit your work, keep a simple spreadsheet that tracks the following items to prevent you from submitting the same piece twice to a magazine or journal. There is no reason to duplicate your work, and avoiding doing so will keep you looking organized in the eyes of the editors you’re reaching out to.

• Title of the piece you submitted
• Name of the publication you submitted to
• Date of submission
• Status of submission (i.e. Did you hear back from that editor?)

Follow these tips to help you pin down your next cover letter with finesse. And if you’re so inclined, grab a copy of the 2 Elizabeths submission guidelines. We’d love to read your work.

Elise Holland is the editor of 2 Elizabeths, a literary magazine focused on poetry and short fiction, with an emphasis on romance and women’s fiction. Her work has been published in Writer’s Digest and has appeared on Jane Friedman’s blog. Find Elise online at 2Elizabeths.com.

The post Submitting Your Work: How to Write Your Best Cover Letter appeared first on DIY MFA.

1) Know your options

When you first begin exploring literary magazines and journals, it is completely normal for the market to seem intimidating. A quick Google search will yield a dizzying number of options, and it is helpful to have some context to guide your research.

Sites such as Poets and Writers or Submission Grinder are great resources for sorting through the market. These sites offer a list of magazines and journals, along with some details regarding the type of work each publication seeks, and related deadlines.

Read as many literary magazines and journals as possible, to get a feel for the kind of writing different publications seek. If you want to conserve cash, many magazines and journals also publish work for free on their websites. Be sure to read those pieces in addition to any hard copies you select to purchase. Look carefully at each publication you read. Do they mostly publish poetry, essays or fiction? Do they prefer literary or genre work?

2) Find publications and editors that share a similar taste to your own

Editors at varying publications will have different taste/preferences, and you will see that reflected in the work they select to publish. When you are overwhelmed by the number of magazines and journals out there, consider that it is best to boil it down to those that you enjoy reading.

It’s very intuitive; if you find a journal to be boring or odd, then it is probably not a good fit for your work! If you love the stories a magazine prints, and you find them to be similar to your writing style, submit your work! While there is no way to be 100% certain your work will be selected, following this rule of thumb will point you in the right direction.

3) Make your cover letter sweet and simple

As editor at 2 Elizabeths, I see a variety of cover letters every day; some are excellent, and others could stand to be improved. With that in mind, there are a few key pieces of information you want to include in your own cover letters, 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 few tips on writing cover letters:

• Try to seek out the editor’s name instead of using a generic greeting. Usually, you can find this information on the magazine or journal’s website, or in their submission guidelines.
• Be certain to read the submission guidelines thoroughly for each publication you send your work to. This should state the exact details that need to be included in each cover letter.
• I recently wrote a full article on the perfect cover letter, here. Check it out for clear, simple instructions, along with sample letters.

4) Track your submissions.

Most magazines and journals will accept simultaneous submissions, meaning that you can send the same piece to several publications for concurrent consideration. Compound that with multiple submissions, meaning you send more than one piece of work to the same publication to consider at one time, and you can see how it might become difficult to remember what work you’ve sent where!

To avoid forgetting to send a piece to an editor who might love it, or alternatively, to avoid sending the same piece to the same editor more than once, it is a great idea to track your submissions with a simple list or spreadsheet. Click here for your free template!

5) Celebrate and Keep Going!

Take a moment to acknowledge what you’ve accomplished; you’ve submitted a piece of thoughtfully curated art, all your own. I believe it is important to celebrate our accomplishments, big or small, in some meaningful way. It is important to do this in order to prevent burnout, and to continue to love creating your work. So, call an old friend to join you for dinner, take your dog to your favorite park, or just pour yourself a relaxing bubble bath at the end of a long day. Choose a small celebration that resonates with you, and enjoy!

Once you’ve celebrated, the best thing you can do is get back to writing! Keep your creative juices flowing, and increase your odds of being selected for publishing, by writing and submitting work frequently. While you’re at it, send your short fiction or poetry to 2 Elizabeths! We would be honored 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, and at JaneFriedman.com.  Through 2 Elizabeths, Elise strives to create value and visibility for writers, through writing contests, events, and more!

The post #5onFri: Five Tips for Submitting Your Work to a Literary Magazine appeared first on DIY MFA.

On the show with me today, I have the DIY MFA podcast producer, Elisabeth Kauffman. As you’ll learn in the episode, though, Elisabeth is also taking on a big new role at DIY MFA and we’ve got a really exciting announcement too. But first, here’s a little more info about who she is and what she does when she’s not moonlighting at DIY MFA.

By day, Elisabeth is a freelance editor at Writing Refinery, helping authors find their voices, develop their manuscripts, and birth their stories into the world. When she’s not editing novels, she’s editing this podcast and doing all those little, behind-the-scenes things that keep DIY MFA Radio running smoothly. Seriously, while you might not hear Elisabeth’s voice on the show very often, she is just as much a part of this podcast as I am, from helping to decide the episode lineup, to keeping me on track when I babble, and editing anything that might get me into major trouble.

Today, though, I have Elisabeth on the show for a particularly exciting reason. She’s here to help me make a special announcement!

*drumroll please*

DIY MFA is launching an Anthology!

Elisabeth will be co-editing this anthology with me, but really this project is her baby. She’ll  be taking the lead on this and spearheading the editorial team while I help to direct the overall vision of how the Anthology will fit within DIY MFA overall.

I can’t tell you how excited we are about this project. For a while now I’ve wanted to create a forum where my word-nerd family could share their writing plus get a chance to see their names in print (or digital ink). This is also a way for new writers to get that first publication credit, which–as I’ve learned from personal experience–can potentially open the doors to many other publications down the road. Listen to the podcast for more details about this new DIY MFA opportunity!

In this episode, Elisabeth and I discuss:

• What the anthology is all about,
• Our mission for launching it, and
• The “secret sauce” that makes this anthology different from any other.

One of the big reasons that Elisabeth and I are launching this Anthology is that we want to bridge that gap between the Write with Focus and Read with Purpose components of DIY MFA. The process we’re using to select pieces for this anthology puts craft and creativity front and center, so get your writing chops ready. We’re looking for pieces that don’t just tell a good story, but that illustrate particular aspects of craft, or use elements of craft in unique ways. Also, because the main requirement for submission is that your piece use a Writer Igniter prompt, you’ll get brownie points for being really creative.

Later in the episode, Elisabeth and I get on the subject of submitting work to magazines and anthologies, and we give you lots of tips on how to submit to us, as well as other places too! Listen to the episode for tons of tips about the ins and outs of submissions and how to put your best foot forward when you send out your work.

Writer Igniter Anthology submissions are officially open!

If you want to submit to the Writer Igniter Anthology, learn more at DIYMFA.com/writer-igniter-submissions. Make sure you read the submission guidelines thoroughly, then email your submission to submissions@DIYMFA.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Link to Episode 36

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 36: Writer Igniter Anthology appeared first on DIY MFA.