What's In a Cover (Letter)?

The job search continues here in North Carolina as I look for steady employment to pay the bills. It means that most of my day is dedicated to writing. Some of it to stories and poems and (yes) even this blog.

But mostly, I'm writing résumés, applications, not-so-subtle pre-interview 'what would I do?' questionnaires, and above all, cover letters.

Writing these cover letters got me thinking: Is there a difference between writing a cover letter for the job market and writing a cover letter to submit a story to a lit mag?

Answer: Ah, hell yes!

Job market cover letters are longer (though never longer than one page) because they have to dance to the tune of many songs. A job market cover letter must at once hit keywords from the job description so you get picked up by the computer sorting and rejecting people before humans view the possible candidate, as well as convince the hiring manager that though you have no relevant experience or degree in their field, you'd be a great hire because of reasons a,b,c,x,y,z.

Whereas, a cover letter to a lit mag should be a very simple thing. Cover letters for your story should NEVER give a summary or synopsis of the story itself. Instead, follow this simple template:

1. Start your cover letter with a salutation. ("Dear Editor," works if the fiction editor's name is not listed on their site.)

2. Let them know what you've attached (either as a .docx attachment or in the body of the email) including the story title, word count, and genre (if the magazine publishes more than one).
Example: I have pasted my story, "Awesome Apes Five" (4,000 words, Fantasy) in the body of this email for your consideration.

3. List any significant publishing credits. No, that newspaper article you wrote freshman year doesn't count. Only include contest entries you won or placed in, or pieces that appeared in magazines published by people who are not related to you and who you do not know. No favors from your magazine owning uncle, and usually, no self-published material unless it got really really big on Amazon. (Note: if you're a new writer with no significant credits, no problem! Simply skip this step and go straight to #4.)

4. Close the letter.
Example:
Thank you for your time,

Super Writer
999 Publication Way, New York, NY
555-I'm Awesome
superwriter@imthebest.com


The main difference between a cover letter for the job market and a cover letter for a lit mag boils down to this:

To get a job, you want to prove that you're the best candidate for the position by smart talking and sweet talking your way to an interview. Flourish it up.

To get a story considered for publication, you need to not screw up your chances before the editor takes a peek at your story itself.  Keep it simple. Don't make them dislike you before they read your first sentence.

Don't get bogged down thinking you need to write a full page. And don't - whatever you do - ever think that you should explain why you're the best person to write this story.

You're the best person to write this story because you wrote it, not anyone else. End of discussion.

So, next time you want to submit, remember that simple is always better. Relay important information in the cover letter and let your story do the heavy lifting. It is, after all, why you created it.