Have you ever read the entire four-page letter explaining why your dollars are desperately needed for a charitable cause? What about the single-spaced, printed-on-both-sides, drowning-in-facts welcome to you, the new user of the latest and greatest piece of indispensable electronic equipment?How about just the E-mail that comes with your online auction purchase?

Let’s be honest here.Cover-to-cover and no skimming — have you ever truly read all of any of the above?

Barring contract-related correspondence, I haven’t either.

Today, more than ever, people feel harried and stressed. They don’t want their time wasted.Not you, not me, not the editor we so fervently want to buy what we believe is the best short story that person’s going to see this year! A cover letter that’s clear, concise, and professional lets the editor know the action on a particular piece has been passed to him or her.

Start with the business information.For hard copy submissions, use your letterhead or a standard letter format. (Any reasonable style guide will work, so long as it conveys your name and address/contact information and that of the person to whom you’re sending the letter.) Follow this with the date.

Then go to the meat of your letter:

Dear Ms. Stiletto,

In response to your call for stories for Best of the Best Best Erotica on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association, attached is “Candles are a Girl’s Best Friend,” a professional freelance submission which I am offering for your consideration. I hope you enjoy the story.

Sincerely,

Jane Dough, writing as Ima Writer

It’s short, sweet, and to the point — and it primes the editor to turn the page and read your story because you’re delivering exactly what s/he requested. (Which you are, of course, because you’ve done your homework, right?!)

If a word count is needed, you can slip it in after the story title.If s/he wants only unpublished works, state that yours is unpublished (and be sure it is!) If s/he wants reprints, state — briefly — where the piece was originally published: title, author/editor, publisher, year.(It goes without saying that if you’re offering a reprint, you’ve double-checked that you retain the right to make the new submission.)

If a short bio is requested, add that in a separate paragraph. (More on bios next month.)Check the grammar and spelling (this includes double checking the spell checker).If you’ve particularly enjoyed a specific previous work by the editor, say so.Again, be quick and to the point. For example:

I especially enjoyed your previous anthology, Best of the Best Favorite Erotica. I’m looking forward to seeing Best of the Best Best Erotica in print.

When you’re all done, eyeball the letter to ensure it looks pleasing on the page.For hard copy submissions, if necessary, play with the white space so the letter looks balanced and easy to read.For E-mail submissions, make sure the subject is to the point: Submission: Candles are a Girl’s Best Friend. Then aim for having as much as possible of the true meat of the letter (the I’m sending you what you want information) where it’s visible without scrolling when the E-mail opens.

Sign it with your real name, followed by “writing as” and your penname if that’s how you’ll want the story published.

Voila! A cover letter that conveys the information you want to convey, in a timely and professional manner.Whether or not the editor takes the piece, you’ve started down the path of a good professional relationship with your new business colleague.

Kate
September 2005

“The Business End” © 2005 Kate Dominic. All rights reserved.