How Do You Write A Cover Letter For A Short Story?
Including a cover letter with your short story manuscript is a good way to introduce yourself to an editor. It lets him know a bit about your story. Some authors don’t feel a cover letter is necessary, arguing that the story should speak for itself. Indeed, the story should be good enough to sell itself, but a good cover letter will never hurt your chances for acceptance. It should convey information that an editor might appreciate, such as your previous publishing history, the story’s previous publishing history (if any) and perhaps an interesting back-story to your submission. Determine to whom the letter should be addressed. This is an important first step in getting your story read. An editor will be much more impressed if your letter is addressed directly and correctly to him (name, title and address correct) than if you simply put down, “Dear Editor.” If you don’t care enough to find out his name, he might not care enough to read your story. Write a first paragraph that tells the
