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) Lack of Authority

A lack of authority in the manuscript is far and away the biggest turnoff for me, when considered submissions. I’ve recently heard authority described, helpfully, as “that ineffable quality—you’re not sure quite what it is, but you know it when you see it.” I guess I would consider authority in a novel to be absolute control over the language: every word is exactly right, placed just where it belongs, creating a narrative voice that says, “You can trust me. I know what I’m talking about.” If I find myself nitpicking grammar or wondering if the YA author has ever spoken to a teenager, that authority and trust is already lost. In a way, lack of authority immediately makes it impossible for me to suspend my disbelief and enter into that contract between writer and reader; it ruins the immersion.

2) Great Concept, Poor Execution

This is also one I see a lot. I’ve read the fantastic query letter, the synopsis has me captivated, I’m on the edge of my seat, and then . . . the actual story is poorly written—terrible grammar, head hopping, lack of authority, typos galore, etc. Or it’s boring—told from the wrong character’s perspective, or telling me backstory before getting me interested in the main story, or spending too much time on world-building. Or in some other way it fails to live up to its promise. This is always disappointing, as a reader. If you’ve received a number or rejections, you might consider sharing your book and your synopsis with some beta readers to see if they match up. Perhaps you simply need to rewrite your synopsis to better reflect what the book actually is (and so as not to set up the wrong expectations), or perhaps you can identify how the book is not living up to the synopsis and revise accordingly.

3) Too Much Editing Required/Isn’t Ready Yet

I find this reason disappointing, but in today’s industry, most companies can’t take the time to substantively develop a book. Even if the editor—or even the company—absolutely loves the story’s concept and it’s told in beautiful, authoritative language, the manuscript may still require too much time and work to reach its full potential and the press can’t realistically risk taking it on. Sometimes the editor will provide detailed feedback, inviting you to revise and resubmit, or else they might ask you to keep them in mind for your next book. But this isn’t a guarantee, so be sure to hone your manuscript and story to best of your abilities before submitting.

4) Mis-representative Samples

Specifically my beef is with prologues—though there are plenty of other examples of samples that misrepresent the work. Even though my company asks for the first three chapters of the book, we’ll often get queries that contain only the prologue. Personally, I would suggest skipping the prologue entirely in a submission, unless you’re sending the complete MS, as they’re rarely indicative of the quality and style of the book as the whole. Prologues sometimes introduce a framing device or focus on something that happened twenty years before the present day of the novel; sometimes the writing style is vastly different from the rest of the book. There are plenty of reasons to write a prologue, but they usually don’t give editors a good sense of what the rest of the book is going to be like. And this means that if the prologue or other writing sample isn’t as strong as the rest of the book, and you don’t give them anything more to consider, they might not be interested in seeing the completed manuscript.

5) Potentially Offensive Material

I’ve spoken a little about editing out the occasional instance of (hopefully unintentionally) problematic material, but if it occurs early on, in a way that is not obviously purposeful within the text, it will likely throw up red flags. If a line or description or scene makes the editor uncomfortable—in a way that is not intended or addressed—they might reject it right away. This is why authorial authority is so important: it establishes the author’s intentions and sets up a barrier between, for instance, the sexist character and the author who is writing him.

6) Rude Query Letters

Rude query letters will usually be rejected as matter of course—they might even go directly in the trash—so be sure to be kind and considerate. Don’t insult the press’s list or the editor or even any of the books or authors on your comp. title list. If you’re worried your query letter could be misconstrued as hostile or offensive, get a second opinion, or even just rewrite it. Never give the press a reason to dismiss you out of hand!

7) Not a Good Fit for Our Company . . .

It’s a staple line of the form rejection, but it’s absolutely true. Sometimes editors do get submissions they genuinely adore that are just not the right fit for the company. Commercial thrillers, no matter how fraught or exciting, likely won’t be a great fit for an indie literary press, and highly experimental novellas might not work for a company that specializes in romance novels. I’ve had to turn away many books I loved that we just didn’t have the market for, or else they were not what the publisher was interested in. Be sure to research the company before submitting!

8) . . . At This Time

Most small presses can only publish a handful of books a year, so it’s often a tightly curated list, not unlike a lit mag. So they might like to put out books that complement each other, thematically. Or perhaps they just published a book similar to your submission and are waiting to see how the sales turn out—particularly if it’s a new genre they’re trying out. Sometimes a publisher might decide to take a break from a specific type of book based on the current market, or they’re looking for something to play to the strengths of the team they have that year. It is a staple of the rejection letter, but a rejection might honestly be a simple matter of bad timing.

So don’t beat yourself up over every manuscript rejection! Keep revising as you see fit, and keep submitting—you’ll find the best home for your work!

Constance Renfrow is a New York-based writer and lead editor for Three Rooms Press. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in such places as Cabildo Quarterly, Denim Skin, and Petrichor Machine, and she hosts a monthly open mic series at New York’s Merchant’s House Museum. Recently, she compiled the anthology of millennial fiction, Songs of My Selfie, available from Three Rooms Press, and writes about the book publishing industry for DIY MFA. She is pursuing her MFA in fiction from Pacific University. Visit her at constancerenfrow.com or follow her on Twitter @MissConstance21.

The post The Eight Most Common Reasons I Send a Rejection appeared first on DIY MFA.