To be honest, I’m not fond of trying to come up with cover letters when sending out poems and for those of you who are nervous, here are some things you can do. Format your cover letter the way you would for a job application. You’ll want to provide your contact information, details about what you have published or at least what poems are enclosed. Thank the editor for their time and end it just as you would a cover letter for a potential job.
For those of you out there who have done many cover letters, any suggestions in the comments section for myself and readers would be greatly appreciated!
I wish you all success as you send out poems and cover letters, please drop in again Monday…
My wife published both webzines and hardcopy magazines and was always inundated with submissions. In a word, keep it brief. The odds are they’ll cut straight to the poems anyway. Every magazine is different and some can be a bit fussy about how you submit stuff. If they’re too fussy I look elsewhere. It’s not as if we’re short of places to send our stuff.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteThank you! I always say the shorter the better. Besides, the work should speak for itself.
--Paula