what is a cover letter for poetry

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How to Write a Poetry Submission Cover Letter

The best publishing option for a collection of poems is to submit it to literary magazines or poetry publishing houses.

But getting your poetry collection accepted by a reputable poetry publication isn’t a slide; you have to write awesome poetry and have to abide by the submission guidelines.

Major poetry publications have specific submission processes that are a bit similar and, in most cases, the cover letter is going to be addressed to the publisher’s poetry editor. You need a good cover letter that will impress the editor and increase the chances of your poetry being published.

You need to know what you’re doing and understand that you don’t need an insanely creative, impressive cover letter. What you need is a brief letter that sets up the editor for the submission. Cover letters on their own won’t get your poems accepted; however, they can easily get them rejected.

So, how can you write a perfect cover letter for a poetry submission? Read on to find out how.

What is a Cover Letter for Submitting a Poem?

When you submit your poems to a publishing house , literary magazine, or poetry contest, you’re required to submit your poetry with a cover letter that comes with some details about the poems submitted and the author (that’s you!).

The publishers often have varying formats, but basically, cover letters have a format that includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

As I already stated, the cover letter is brief but it is very important because the editorial team does make decisions (including whether to publish your poetry or not) based on that small piece of writing. If it weren’t that important, it wouldn’t be the document that editors always read first before going into your poems.

Why Do They Need It?

There are lots of things that a cover letter contains that may aid the decision-making process of the editor or contest organizer.

If it’s a submission from a non-native English speaker, a cover letter may reveal this and the editor can take into consideration the difficulties that such a writer may face writing in a foreign language. The submission might come from a child and that may require the editor to engage the writer’s parents or legal guardian to co-sign the publishing contract.

A cover letter contains more information than those two, and such information makes it easier for an editor to do their job.

What a Good Cover Letter Should Have

A concise introduction.

The whole cover has to be concise and gets to the point as quickly as possible. This is one of the secrets of writing a good cover lever for a poetry submission; you put a huge stamp in a very brief letter.

That’s hard and easy, at the same time. The editor will probably have to read hundreds of poetry submissions, so you must craft a cover letter that shows respect for the editor’s time and editorial duties.

A Courteous Tone

A good cover addresses the editors/publication by name and has a nice tone. You don’t want to leave a bad first impression by sending a cover letter that comes off as a copied and pasted letter.

Right Context

When writing a cover letter , you have to consider the context. You have to remember that it’s a poetry submission, so you have to mention your credentials that have something to do with writing and nothing else (unless requested by the publication/editor). The guidelines also provide some sort of context; you have to follow them to the letter when writing your cover letter.

What Most Submissions Want In a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

Although the contents of a cover letter may vary between submissions, your personal information is required in almost all submissions.

Editors go back to look at your cover letter and bio after reading your poems to match them. Here are some of the requirements for different cases:

Poetry Publication

A list of the submitted poems’ titles.
A short bio.
Your recent publications or upcoming publications.

Poetry Retreats, Residencies, and Fellowships:

A list of the submitted poems’ titles
A short bio (below 100 words)
3-5 places where you’ve been published, or say you haven’t been published yet
Aesthetics statement (your artistic influences and some context for your poems)
A few words about your bio (what you do, where you work, and any work you do in the art community).

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

1. research and follow guidelines.

Before writing your cover letter (and, sometimes, before writing your poems), the first thing to do is research your target publication, contest, fellowship, etcetera. Every one of these institutions or organizers has specific guidelines, and submissions that fail to satisfy them are instantly thrown out.

2. Address the Organizers/Publishers by name

Addressing the Organizers/Publishers by name shows your professionalism and due courtesy. Covers letters that achieve this are bound to face warm reception and that is a good start for your submission.

3. Link to your past work

If it’s your first submission, don’t worry, your work will speak for you. However, if you have a couple of published works to your name, link to your published work if the organizers allow or provide means of doing so.

Some organizers or publishers provide somewhere else for such links. Submitting using email is even better. You can attach copies of your published work along with the current poem submission.

4. Stay On Topic

I talked about respecting context when writing a cover letter, and this also touches on that. The cover has to contain the necessary info (publications, writing credentials, etc.), but it shouldn’t stray out of context and mention unrelated academic and personal referrals. It might be a good thing to tell the editor what you’ve learned, but it’s unwarranted in this case.

5. Skip Unnecessary Pleasantries

Addressing the editors directly is encouraged but don’t drop a ‘newbie alert’ on them by trying to be too nice.

They’re not your buddies and don’t waste their time—go straight to the matter at hand.

6. Provide Contact Information

Your submission should include contact information (i.e., your full name, email, phone number, et cetera) that may help the organizers to get in touch with you.

Poetry Cover Letter Example

Here’s an example of a brief but effective cover letter for a poetry submission. There are countless ways of writing and the form that a cover letter depends, to an appreciable extent, on the publisher’s preferences and guidelines.

This is just a sample, not a template that you can use for all your poetry submissions. But it’s a very good reference, in case you decide to use some parts of this sample.

Dear Editor, Please consider my three poems for publication in your journal, Poetry Mountain. The first poem ‘Milk way Love’ is a free verse that talks of one man’s undying love for a selfish woman. The other two, ‘Morning Dance’ and ‘Happy Horses’ are inspiring sonnets based on my auntie’s life story. I am a poet based in New York. I began writing poetry when I was 7 and have 30 published poems to my name. My poetry (none of which is among these 3 submissions) has previously been published in the Otter Voice, Talking Hills review, and the Mustard Poetry Journal. Thank you very much for your time and consideration . Sincerely Yours, Dennis Bergman

In this template, I briefly talked about the poems and slotted them in my succinct bio. You could write a longer cover letter but be economical with your words. If you add anything to a template like this one, it should be something requested by the publisher or something you’re convinced enhances the cover letter’s intentions.

Write A Great Cover Letter, Submit Delicious Poetry

The cover won’t get your poems accepted and published—the quality of your poems will.

If you want to write poems about beauty , you have to ensure that your writing is evocative and thought-provoking. So before writing your cover letter, you have to ensure that your poetry is ‘on point.’

Some well-established editors give the cover letters to their assistants while they savor your poems. In this case, you have to write poems that match the quality of your cover letter.

In most cases though, editors look at your cover letter before reading your poems, you cannot mess up. You have to satisfy the publisher’s guidelines before you start thinking about how creative you’re going to be with your cover letter.

How to Write a Cover Letter for A Poetry Submission

Cover letters are the resumes of the literary world. They offer a brief introduction of your writing career while also providing a pitch to the editor about why your submission is the best fit for the magazine, journal, or press.

When writing a cover letter, it’s important to think about your audience: the editor. They will be searching through hundreds—if not thousands—of submissions, and in the words of Aladdin: They will be looking for the “diamonds in the rough.” Depending on the size and staff of the magazine or press as well as how prestigious and reputable it is, the submission process will take them months to complete, so keeping the cover letter short, concise, and informative will ensure that your letter is considered and that it makes an impression with the editor.

Here are the steps to writing a strong cover letter that you can use as a template for any cover letter you need in your writing career.

Provide your contact information

At the upper left-hand corner of your document, type your residential address, your phone number, and your email. Make sure you check that it is accurate because, for magazines that don’t use Submittable , your contact information is the only way they can reach you.

Write the greeting and body

First, begin with the date. Next, write the salutation to the magazine, press, or publishing company. You can also address the poetry editor to personalize the greeting. Look at this template as an example of how to format it.

The next step is to write the body of the letter. In the above example, you’ll notice he mentions the names of his poems as well as previous poets the magazine has published. This proves to the magazine that you are an avid reader of their work. This isn’t necessary to include, but it does get you bonus points with the editor.

Depending on their guidelines, you might want to mention how many poems you’re sending. You can also mention that you are sending this to other publications and will alert them if it’s published anywhere else: This is an expectation every publication has for poets who are submitting simultaneously . Most magazines accept simultaneous submissions, but some don’t.

After this first paragraph, include a short biography in the second paragraph. This bio should be around five sentences. A short bio is better than a longer one due to the volume of submissions they receive. If they want a longer bio, they’ll let you know when they accept your work.

Also, for the bio, highlight your best-published work and major awards or prizes. If you haven’t received any yet, don’t worry about it: When a magazine is truly interested in your poetry, your work is the most important thing: not the cover letter.

Write the closing

Last but not least, close the letter with: “Thank you for considering my work. I look forward to hearing from you soon.” Then include your name at the end.

Overall, you just need three paragraphs for a typical cover letter. However, to submit your poetry book to literary presses, you’ll want to tailor the letter and make it longer, so you can give a synopsis of the work. In general, it’s usually best to keep the cover letter a page long. For large publishing companies such as Andrews McMeel Publishing , you’ll want to write a pitch or proposal rather than a cover letter.

Provide exactly what they want

Before you send out your letter, make sure you double-check the submission guidelines and then make a checklist of everything you need, or just scan the letter to make sure you provided exactly what they asked for. Sometimes your submission could be discarded just because you didn’t fulfill the requirements. For example, some literary presses want to “judge blindly,” which basically means they want to give judges the manuscripts and poems without any contact information or names of the poets. This ensures the submission process is fair, and that there are no biases based on gender, publication history, or many other factors that can cloud an editor or judge’s decision.

Tips to consider for literary magazines

Some literary magazines or presses care about credentials and past publication history. They want established poets rather than novice and up-and-coming poets, so for these magazines, a well-crafted cover letter can make a difference in receiving an acceptance rather than a rejection.

Thankfully, the majority of literary magazines are not concerned about past publication history: They are just interested in stellar literary work, so your chances of getting published are high even if you don’t have a history of publication credits. However, once they choose the best work, and they have their editorial meetings and are debating whose work will be printed, it’s possible they will consider your publication career, and that’s where they will take into consideration your cover letter.

I was the editor-in-chief for the literary magazine of the program where I received my MFA in creative writing, and I never cared about whether the writer was well-known or unknown: I just cared about the work, so let me assure you that if you send your poetry to a small literary magazine, your chances of being published increase. Most students of graduate and undergraduate literary presses and magazines are just looking for the best poetry and prose.

The purpose of submitting is to get your beautiful poetry into the hands of readers. No matter how large or how small the audience, sharing your work with the world is the reward and the joy of being published.

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How to write a cover letter for poetry submissions, plus a downloadable template.

If you are looking to submit your poetry for publication, you may come across a request for a cover letter.

A cover letter’s main purpose is to give context for your poetry. You will want to explain why you are writing, and what you are submitting.

WHY You’re Writing

It may seem obvious that you are submitting your poetry in the hopes of getting published. But it is essential that you still state the obvious.

State why you are writing— “I am writing for your consideration of my poetry for publication in your literary magazine”. Easy Peasy.

WHAT You’re Submitting

Make sure then, to include the titles of the poems you are submitting, in quotations. And also reference the publication you are submitting to, the title of the publication in italics.

But that is not nearly enough information, so we will want to include a few more things.

Include your contact information and relevant social media accounts, especially if you have a significant following

Reference or link your other published works (if you have none, not to worry, this doesn’t necessarily count against you)

Give a little context for you, as a poet. Have you studied poetry? Who is your favorite poet? Is there a form that you particularly enjoy? Do your views align with the publication you are submitting to?

The cover letter requires a little bit of research as well. It will behoove you to read past issues of the publication and reference what you enjoyed reading. Nothing is more flattering than talking to a fan, so become a fan.

On the flip side, you must remember that you are asking someone to take time to read and consider your work. The least you can do is read their work, and as the Editor the publication *is* their work.

These are the essential steps to writing your cover letter. But here are a few other things to keep in mind…

Less is More

Keep it relevant

Address the Editor Directly if possible. A name is always better than, To Whom it May Concern. With a little research, it should not be difficult to figure out who the editor is.

Be Respectful & Humble*

* I say be humble with the utmost trepidation. So I will define it here: Be Humble in Deference to the Editor. Not in regards to your own achievements. Do you see the difference? Acknowledging the prestige and “rank” of the editor does not mean that you have to downplay yourself.

Still need help? Not to worry! Click here for a simple template to help you write your cover letter.

Now tell me below in the comments, what is the thing that makes you the most nervous when submitting your work?

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

Ready to submit your poems for publication? Write a strong cover letter to introduce yourself and your work and give one more reason for editors to choose you.

A cover letter is part and parcel of poetry submission as each poet needs an introduction and a few words of their bio and creative method. A cover letter is a resume in the literary world that can vary from two brief paragraphs to a couple of pages, depending on the requirements and guidelines. In this article, we’ll cover everything from small details, like fonts and length of a cover letter, to broader topics, like content and do’s and don'ts of a poetry submission cover letter.

What is a Cover Letter for Submitting a Poem?

Any literary magazine, anthology, poetry competition, or poetry fellowship requires poets to submit their work plus a cover letter with some details about the poems submitted and the author themselves. Although a cover letter format is generally similar (introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion), the length and other elements may vary depending on its purpose.

You can rest assured that an editorial office makes any publication-related decisions based on your poetry. The poetry is always read first. However, later in the selection process, when deciding which to choose and which to reject, cover letters become the critical tiebreaker.

Typically, cover letters for publication will make do with just 30 words while applications for poetry retreat, poetry residency, or a job will require 1 to 2.5 pages. Submission requirements contain all the information regarding the format of a cover letter.

What to Include in a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

It is important to include your personal information along with all information required by the organization’s descriptions. In almost all cases, poetry reading before publication is blind. Therefore, editorial assistants will later need to quickly match poems with the author’s cover letter and bio.

List your submitted poems’ titles;
Professional bio (30-75 word) (optional);
3-5 places where you’ve been published, or say you will be published (optional).
Professional bio (30-75 word);
3-5 places where you’ve been published, or say you haven’t been published yet;
Aesthetics statement (your artistic influences and some context for your poems)
A few words about your personal bio (what you do, where you work, and any work you do in the art community).

Writing a Cover Letter for Poetry Submission

Even if you know nothing of writing poetry cover letters, it is common sense to stick to a business letter format. What you must remember at all times, though, is to start your cover letter by reading the submission instruction first. Read the organization’s submission requirements before you start writing, and after you proofread a piece several times. Make sure you include all of the specific information requested of you. After you have included it all, double-check the instructions again to see if you followed them correctly. In many cases, applicants find out that they missed an important part, or two, of the instructions.

Provide Your Contact Information. Many magazines, such as the Poetry Foundation , have stopped accepting paper submissions and invite poets to send their work via email. Although your email submission contains your email address, include all your contact information at the upper left-hand corner of your document to be on the safe side and ensure that a magazine or a journal can reach you. Nowadays, they don’t need to know your residential address. Normally, your valid email and working phone number are enough for any organization.

A sound piece of advice is to “include your name in the subject line so the editor can easily find your message in their inbox if they are looking for it again.”

Write a Greeting. Personalized greetings are favored over generic ones. ‘Dear Sirs’ is a big no-no. There’s no reason why an editor should be a man.

A good rule of thumb is to look for the current editor’s name on the organization’s website or Submittable page. If you cannot find the editor’s name, say ‘Dear editor’ or ‘Dear editors.’

Address All Requested Information in the Body Paragraphs. The guiding principle of writing body paragraphs in a poetry cover letter is brevity. Rely on the requirements but address each item on the list briefly and succinctly.

The staple element of all poetry cover letters is the content of a submission.

If you include less than three pieces, add a short sentence for each poem. If your submission has more than four poems, try to come up with a common theme(s) and describe it in 2-3 sentences under 100 words.
If you include your bio, do it briefly: “I am a poet from New Brunswick currently studying at New York University.”
If you want or are asked to add a more extended biography, include your pronouns, your primary form of employment, your most significant awards, and your level of education/city of residence. Keep it under 100 words.
If you include your publication history, 2 to 5 places are more than enough. If you have had multiple publications, pick the most impressive ones but don’t give them all.
If you submit your poetry to other publications, mention it briefly, too.
If you’re an avid reader of the magazine, you can mention a few poets or poems you like the most.

Close with Some Nice Words. It is ok to finish off on a dry, unimaginative note, like “Thank you for considering my work. I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.” However, you can add some vitality to your letter and make it more memorable. Tell them what you love the most about their organization. Thank them for their time. Try not to step over a fine line between familiarity and niceness and not to tumble down into rigidity and formality.

A Basic Template for a Poetry Cover Letter

[Your Name] [Your Postal Address] [Your E-mail Address] [Your Phone Number] [Your Website or Social Media] [Name of Editor] [Job Title] [Journal/Magazine Title] [Department if applicable] [The date when you send the submission]

Dear [Name of Editor]: I’ve enclosed my poetry/fiction submission for publication in [Journal/Magazine Title]. Included are [Titles of Poems]. My work has appeared in [3-5 Titles of other publications], among others. Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Short Professional Bio is written in the third person in case of publication] Enola Holmes was born in Hawaii and raised in Washington, D.C. After graduating from New York University, she became a self-taught poet. Holmes currently works as a freelance copywriter and volunteers as a vet in Soho, NY.

To expand on the template , ALWAYS read the description on the organization’s website, follow their instruction, and add what is required.

Sample Cover Letter for Poetry Submission

Sample 1: Here’s a cover letter for the submission of four poems with explicit instructions not to include a biography.

To the readers and editors of Poetry Foundation,

I write to offer my four poems for submission in Poetry Magazine. To elaborate, the poem ‘Japanese Nocturne’ refers to the mass destructive events of WWII. ‘Apples and Figs’ appeared as a response to a recent Trump political decision and the sense of alienation some people are experiencing now while ‘Dressed to Impress’ and ‘Hope’ touch on the theme of migration and globalization. I hope you enjoy the work, and thank you for considering my submission.

Sample 2: This cover letter also includes a short bio as required by the submission instruction.

I have included two poems – ‘Cat Forgotten’ and ‘Leaves on the Ground’ – from my recent manuscript. Both poems are connected by the theme of loneliness in the digital era and alienation in urban spaces. Among my current loves is Patrick Melbourne’s ‘Love Deterred’ and Felicia Jones’ ‘Given and Forgotten’ published in your magazine. If you accept my submission for publication, it would be an incredible honor for me. These poems have been submitted to another publication as well.

Bio: Enola Holmes (she/her) is a poet and multimedia artist. She was shortlisted for the 2019 National Book Foundation Award and is a finalist for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award for the poetry collection Silver Bells and Cockle Shells (Hawaii Publishing Books, 2019). Holmes has been awarded American Library in Paris Visiting Fellowship in 2018 and Vermont Studio Center Residency in 2019. Her work has been published in Slate and Playboy. Holmes received a BA in Creative Writing from NYU.

Tips on Writing a Cover Letter for Poetry Submission

You are probably aware that editors and editorial assistants read tons of applications and submissions daily. It means they have developed inevitable fatigue to trite and banal introductions and approaches. Therefore, you must follow the rules of cover letter writing, but at the same time, you need to try and infuse some vitality and freshness into these few simple paragraphs.

Here are the rules you must follow:

Always support your words with facts. Avoid describing your biography in banal phrases like “I have always loved poetry, and I cannot live without writing.” To stand out from the others, show your emotion and passion through facts. “After I read Langston Hughes for the first time I got infatuated with Harlem Renaissance, which resulted in a publication in Black Poetry titled ‘Born Again with a Retrograde Mercury.’”

Stay on topic. Although earlier, a cover letter was referred to as a resume of the literary world,’ it should not be as detailed as a formal resume. The exact number of earlier publications and/or awards is given for a reason. Don’t include exhaustive lists of all your awards and residencies. Add only the most impressive items.

Avoid small talk. You absolutely must skip any pleasantries if you believe they are part of common formalities. Editors do not expect you to entertain them. Rather, they appreciate if applicants are polite and to the point.

Control your tone. Respect is expressed not only through proper greetings, good grammar, and error-free writing. Show respect by not acting as if you submitted exceptional work that cannot help but be accepted. But also don’t act as if you expect your poems to be rejected! Neither overconfidence nor self-doubt will pay off.

Choose adequate fonts. Single-spaced, Arial or Times New Roman, 12 point is standard. Any smaller fonts are difficult to read. Any larger fonts are irritating.

Some technical details. If you submit your poetry online, insert your cover letter in the body of an email, and add your poems as a separate attachment (as a pdf-file or Word file) unless you are explicitly told to do otherwise.

Your Take-Away

We prepared this material to help you not to smudge the memorable impression your poetry made on editors. If you believe your poetry is strong enough to be published in a magazine or a journal, polishing your cover letter will seal the deal. Just follow the rules and give your cover letter a thorough read-through, double-checking all publication requirements. However, remember that getting published demands time and effort. It often takes publishers months to respond. Poets get rejected more often than not. So don’t get disheartened and keep submitting. Often poetry publication is a matter of taste of an editorial office. Eventually, all writers can find their publishers.

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Submission Series: How It’s Done.

So you’ve never submitted your poems to literary magazines before. Where do you start? It can definitely feel intimidating (and time-consuming) the first time you send your work out to potential publishers; but once you’ve gone through the steps a few times, it just becomes another part of your writing routine. To help you get going, here are some tips to guide you through the process and proper etiquette.

Before You Submit Your Work

This might seem obvious but it bears saying aloud: read lots of literary magazines! This is essential homework if you’re going to start submitting work to them. This helps you to know what is being published by these journals, and what they’re looking for. Two great resources for discovering literary magazines are NewPages and Chill Subs , which maintain a fairly comprehensive database of listings and publish reviews of literary magazines. And, most of all, consider subscribing to literary magazines, if you can. Regularly reading the new issues of journals in which you hope to publish can often lead to breakthroughs in your work. Remember: there are no good writers without good readers. Here are some helpful resources and links:

NewPages posts calls for submissions for magazines in their classified section.
Duotrope & Chill Subs both house databases containing information about thousands of literary magazines and journals, so you don’t have to scour the interwebs all by yourself.
We’ve even gotten into this data compilation action ourselves by running a quarterly “Where to Submit” blog series to let you know who is currently open and looking for your poems & manuscripts!

A Duotrope account also comes with the ability to log your submissions and responses on the site, which helps you track your submissions while also contributing data to the statistical information that Duotrope gathers & provides for each lit mag profile.

Start a little smaller at first: submit to literary magazines that focus on work by emerging and/or unpublished writers. You can always find this information on the publication’s website.

Most literary magazines and journals receive submissions online (some exclusively) and many of those use the submission management platform Submittable for receiving and responding to those submissions. So, you should also go ahead and set up your free Submittable account. Other literary magazines either receive submissions by email or through an alternative submission management platform.

How to Craft a Cover Letter

Most literary magazines and journals will ask you to include a brief cover letter to accompany the packet of poems you’re submitting. Although most publications will not disqualify a submission based on the cover letter, it is important to make a professional first impression. There is definitely an art to the submission cover letter, so here are some tips for how to do it right:

Use the appropriate editor’s name in your opening address (you can find this on their website, usually on the masthead page),

Briefly state your intention (“I am submitting my poems XYZ for consideration for a future issue of Lit Mag Name .”)

If this is a simultaneous submission , let them know here, but you don’t have to say where else you’re sending your work. (“These poems are simultaneous submissions but I will inform you promptly should they be accepted elsewhere and need to be withdrawn.”)

Do not describe your poems or give your life story . If you choose, you can give a very brief third-person biographical note (generally 50–100 words). But this is usually optional.

Briefly thank the editor(s) for considering and reading your work.

Close with your first and last name, and your contact information.

Cover Letter Template:

Dear [Insert Editor Name],

I would like to submit my poems [insert poem titles] for consideration for a future issue of [ Insert Magazine/Journal Title ]. I have also included a brief biographical note below, should that be needed.

[Insert brief bio here.]

This is a simultaneous submission. Thank you so much for reading my work!

[Your Name]

[Your Mailing Address]

[Your Phone Number]

[Your Email Address]

How to Track Submissions

This is so incredibly important to remember: you are responsible for keeping track of your submissions! This is the information you need to keep a detailed record of:

The titles of the poems you submitted.

The title of the publication to which you submitted them.

The date you submitted the poems.

The submission fee you paid (if any).

The type of response you receive (acceptance, personalized rejection, form rejection, or author withdrawal).

We recommend keeping a spreadsheet customized for this purpose. If you simultaneously submit poems to multiple places (which is standard practice, but check the guidelines), and one or more of those poems are accepted by a publication, you will have to know which places you need to withdraw those accepted poems from. It is your responsibility to keep track of this. It is also your responsibility to withdraw those accepted poems from the lit mags still considering them in a timely manner — which means the same day you receive the acceptance for the poem(s) in question.

What to Expect (When You’re Waiting & Waiting & Waiting)

It will take anywhere from two months to one year for literary magazines to send you a response. Check the submission guidelines for this information. Many times, they will let you know how long they tend to hold onto submissions before responding. They will also let you know when it is acceptable to query about a submission — do not do this before the prescribed response time has lapsed. You don’t want to annoy the editors who are often working on hundreds of submissions at any given time.

You will want to make sure you are checking your email account regularly, so that when you do receive a response, you are able to get to it right away. Always check your spam or junk folder because sometimes they get erroneously filtered there! It’s also a good idea to log in to your Submittable account at least once a week to check the status of your current submissions because sometimes those emails can go astray.

If you receive an acceptance, don’t leave the literary magazine waiting! Make sure you respond to their message as soon as possible — in the precise manner and with the exact information they request — so that you don’t end up missing out on this publishing opportunity. Some publishers have a shorter turnaround time for issue production, so letting them know they have permission to publish your work sooner rather than later will be most helpful for the editors. If an accepted poem is simultaneously submitted elsewhere, you need to make sure you withdraw the accepted poem (from the lit mags still considering it) as soon as possible. If another publisher sends you an acceptance letter for the same poem, you’ll find yourself in an uncomfortable situation where you have to disappoint one editor or the other. If you receive a rejection, first of all, don’t take it personally. Allow yourself to feel the disappointment briefly, then let it go. There will be more of these than you will want to count. Second, do not reply to a rejection letter, unless it is absolutely clear that the letter has been personalized.

Best Practices

The best advice we can give you is this: always read the submission guidelines! They will be slightly different for each publication. Make sure you follow them, or your submission could be disqualified without being read. Here are a few terms you will need to become familiar with:

Blind submissions: If a publication says that submissions must be blind, that means that no identifying information is allowed to appear on your submission document: no name or contact information, either within the document or even in the file name.

Simultaneous submissions: This refers to submitting the same poems to multiple publications at the same time. Most journals accept this practice, but you must inform them about it in your cover letter. And, as mentioned numerous times above, you must also be responsible about withdrawing poems promptly if they are accepted at one publication while under consideration at others.

Finally, this is a very important thing to remember for first-timers: posting your poems to Facebook, Instagram, a blog, etc. will count as “previously published” for a literary journal. Most of them (not all — check the guidelines) will only consider work that is entirely unpublished. So, if you want to publish specific poems in literary journals or magazines, do not post them online in any form before publication.

Did you know that Tell Tell Poetry also offers Submission Support services? Reach out to us here for more information. We’re wishing you the best of luck with your poetry submissions!

Pssst. We’re launching a submission course soon! Drop an email to [email protected] if you’re interested in hearing more when we launch!

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This was Indeed helpful!

How to Write a Poetry Cover Letter

We always get questions about cover letters and it’s only because of our work on both sides of the desk (poet and organizer) that we’ve began to understand this a little better. Yes, we work for The Watering Hole, but we have also worked for The South Carolina Review , Yemassee , among others. We’ve been through hundreds of cover letters. Hopefully, this will demystify them for you.

Cover letters change shape based on what you are applying for. Sometimes poetry submissions lay out exactly what they are looking for in a cover letter. Often they don’t. Always, check that organization’s guidelines.

In general for poetry retreats, residencies, and fellowships , the poetry is read first, then the editors make a shortlist of acceptances, after which the cover letters are read, and more cuts are made. However, for publication , the cover letters are only read a month after all acceptances have been made, when editorial assistants copy and paste bio information for the publication. Clearly, these need not be comprehensive. The poetry is most important. Check out these sample below. Note the “business letter” format, which we’ll discuss further at the end.

Cover letters can be anywhere from 30 words to 2.5 pages, depending on whether you are applying for publication (30 words to 1 page), retreat (up to 1 page), fellowship and residency (up to 2 pages), job (up to 2.5 pages), and so on.

Definites for Publication: You definitely need to end the cover letter with a list your submission poems’ titles. The cover letter’s primary function is to match the blind poems (which don’t name the author) with the author’s cover letter (which does name the author and all contact info). The editorial assistants separate these parts during reading and judging and need to be able to put them back together easily.

Optional for Publication: Optional elements to include for a publication cover letter would be a 30-75 word professional bio, and 3-5 places where you’ve been published. (Really? No more than 5? Yes. Really. Definitely. No flex zone. ) If you haven’t been published yet, feel free to say that. Journals jump at the chance to “discover” a hot new poet.

Definites for Other Programs: On the other hand, for retreats, fellowships, and residencies the cover letter is very important. This is helps determine who makes the short-shortlist. In addition to the information above, these cover letters would add a brief aesthetics statement of who’s influenced your art and what you seek to accomplish within your poems (to contextualize the poems in your submission); what you do; where you work; and any work you do in the arts community. The acceptance committee is trying to find out what kind of person you are, whether you work well with other artists on a regular basis, how your personality and personal goals jive with the retreat’s spirit and objectives, how you can enhance and be enhanced by that community of artists, whether there might be any issues that could disrupt the feelings of community (i.e. ego, belligerence towards equals, etc.), whether you are the best fit for their program. You have to tailor the letter to their interests and goals. As we mentioned before, always check the organizations requirements.

Sidenote for Longer Cover Letters: After having read a ton of these, in longer cover letters, everyone says the same thing. “I’ve been writing since x grade/year. Since my teacher read x poem, it’s been my passion. love love blah blah blah. I write for love, expression, revolution. I couldn’t breathe. Writing is my air.” Everybody has this story. Cut it. Don’t tell your passion: give evidence of it. Think about what would be the best evidence in a court of law. Think FACTS=PASSION. Think FACTS=CHARM. “Since 2014, I have participated in a small livingroom reading group, which led to my interest in Afrofuturism. That has resulted in a publication in Pluck titled ‘Superwoman gives up tights.’” This method will help you say something that is unique to you and will therefore make you stand out.

Definites for Everyone: Finally, pay close attention to following the “business letter” format, even for e-mailed submissions—your name and address, e-mail, phone, their name and address, e-mail, phone, date, Dear Name of Actual Person In Charge, letter, Sincerely, your name and brief list of 1-3 resume affiliations/titles. A little bit of professionalism goes a long way.

If you are applying to our ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS , the deadline is March 31, 2015. Since we are a budding grassroots organization, we don’t have a street address just yet, so don’t worry about that part of the cover letter you write for us.

Anyway, I hope this provides some clarity. I’ve included a sample below. Feel free to steal it. Good luck, poets! Hit us if you have any questions.

P.S. Don’t play with the font. Single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point is standard. The smallest you can go is 11.5. Any smaller than that and people over the age of 50 get angry. And never put poems in the body of an e-mail. Always attach them as a Word document, unless you are told specifically to do otherwise.

Sample Publication Cover Letter:

[Your Name] [Your Street Addy] [Your Town, State, Zip] [Your E-mail Addy] [Your Phone Number] [Your website if you have one]

[Name of Editor] <—-You want the editor or poetry editor [Job Title] [Journal/Magazine Title] [Department if applicable] [Their Street Addy] [Their Town, State, Zip] [Their Country if outside of the U.S.]

March 1, 2015 <—-This should be the date that you send the submission

Dear [Name of Editor]:

I’ve enclosed my [fiction/nonfiction/poetry] submission for publication in [Journal/Magazine Title]. Included are [Titles of Poems]. My work has appeared in [3-5 Titles of other publications] among others . [*If submitting via mail] I’ve included an SASE for [response only/the return of my manuscript].

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Your Name] [Your Title if applicable] [1-3 affiliated organizations or universities]

[Short Professional Bio written in the third person in case of publication] Ex. Jane Smith was born and raised in Camden, S.C. After graduating from Hilman College, she has studied poetry at VONA, Breadloaf, and The Watering Hole. Muffet currently works as an insurance agent and hosts open mic nights in Memphis, T.N.

^ ^ ^ If you choose to integrate this bio into the body of your letter (instead of the postscript), use the first person I.

If you need query letter help, check out our article on that!

7 Comments

This is good information and very useful. I have always wondered the difference in cover letters for different submission types. Thanks

Super helpful!

Very helpful and concise. Advice from successful experience. Thank you so much

Thank you for this. Can you show us an example of a Cover Letter (with aesthetics statement)?

This was very informative! Thank you

Ditto all of the above.

This was excellent and helpful. Thank you so much ..

How to write a covering letter

When you send your poems for submission to a magazine, you will generally have to include a covering letter..

Some magazines will tell you what they want from your covering letter, others won’t. If they do tell you, stick to their suggested content – editors want to know that you will be easy to work with, and following their advice is a good start!

Some magazines accept postal submissions, others accept email submissions. However you are submitting your work, keep the covering letter short and polite. If you are writing a letter, make sure you format it correctly. If you are writing an email, you don’t need to worry so much about the layout, but don’t become too chatty!

As well as checking what the editors want from a covering letter, check all the submissions guidelines very carefully. How many poems do they want? Do they specify formatting? Do they want the poems in the body of an email or as an attachment?

Below are some guidelines if you are starting to send out your work.

– DO see if you can find the editor’s name. If you can, address the letter to them. And make sure it’s the current editor!

– If you can’t find the editor’s name, DO say ‘Dear editor’ or ‘Dear editors’.

– DO keep it short – editors are often very pushed for time.

– If it’s an email, DO include your name in the subject line so the editor can easily find your message in their inbox if they are looking for it again.

– If it’s an email, they will have your email address. There’s no need for any other contact details. If it’s a letter, DO give a postal address and email address in the top right hand corner.

– If you are submitting by post, DO include your name and postal or email address on each poem. That way, if the poems get separated from the covering letter, the editor will still know who to contact.

– DO give your full name and the names of your poems. Pay attention to whether they have asked for your poems in the body of an email, or as an attachment. If your poem has unusual formatting which gets lost in the email, paste it in the body of the email and include an attachment as well, and explain why you have done this.

– You could include a very brief biography, e.g. ‘I am a poet from Newcastle currently studying at university.’

– You could also give a brief publication history – don’t include everything, just 2-4 places you have been pleased to see your work published. Don’t worry if you haven’t been published anywhere yet – if the editor likes you work, they will be pleased to discover a new talent!

– If you have read and enjoyed the magazine before DO say so – and you could list a couple of poems or a feature you particularly liked. (It’s a good idea to read any magazines you’re submitting to, as it will give you a sense of whether your work will fit).

– DO thank the editor for their time.

– If you are accepted, DO send a short email thanking the editor/s for their decision. You can be excited and enthusiastic – it’s nice for editors to feel like they have made someone’s day!

– DON’T say ‘Dear Sirs’! There’s no reason why an editor should be a man.

– DON’T meander off the point – the editor just wants to know who you are and what your poems are called.

– DON’T act like you expect your poems to be accepted – and don’t act like you expect your poems to be rejected!

– If you are rejected, you DON’T need to respond. If you feel like you should, keep it to a short email thanking the editor/s for their time. You could also say you are looking forward to reading the magazine/ book/ website etc. Careful not to sound reproachful – sending rejections is a horrible job and that will just make the editor feel uncomfortable.

– DON’T be disheartened if your poem is rejected – editors are just people with subjective tastes, and if they have rejected your poem it doesn’t mean it isn’t a good piece of work! It just means it wasn’t to their taste. Send it out somewhere else instead.

Good luck with your submissions! You can find ideas of places to send your work on our list of Poetry Opportunities .

Published April, 2015

14 thoughts on “ How to write a covering letter ”

If submitting by letter is it also acceptable to use a letterhead (with name, adress and contact details in bottom centre)? Instead of a plain sheet with the adress at the top right-hand corner.

Hi Em, as long as your contact details are clear then that would be fine.

“In particular, tell us who your target audience is and provide a rationale for why we are the best publisher for your work. An outline of the entire work and an estimate of the length of the prospective manuscript. Please be sure that your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address are on the submission “

This is what the guidelines say but I am really disturbed with the thought with how to write it. What about potential audience what am I supposed to write? I am doing this for first time and if only I get an example of how this thing as a whole is to be written that would be great. For now rest all points are clear except for the above mentioned 3. I want to know how to write about potential audience and why the publisher is best to publish me. Also there is nothing stated in the guidelines if it has to be attachment or e mail text what way do I do it? The who thing with attachment? Publisher Guidelines from Andrews Mcmeel

Please do clarify this and i would be really thankful

I appreciate your commitment towards poets

Thanks for your comment. If you have questions about a specific job, it’s always best to ask the employer directly – we don’t want to give you bad advice!

Our best guess? By ‘potential audience’ they might mean is your work aimed at young children, young adults, adults etc.; men, women etc.; LGBTQ audiences; audiences who like dogs; audiences who are also fans of X Y Z other writers… any indication of who you have in mind when reading your work!

We would guess they would prefer a cover letter as an attachment but hopefully it won’t matter too much. Do get in touch with them and ask.

Best of luck!

Young Poets Network

I just read one of your commenters Ajay sounds great i wanted to know about the same by meaning of attaching the cover letter do you mean only the manuscript or entire like our details and all requirements if so what should be the mail content? That cant be kept empty right? Andrews is real confusing

Thanks for your comment! It depends on the submission guidelines from the particular magazine you’re submitting to. Normally, though, you would attach a cover letter and, separately, your poems. In your email, you could write something short such as:

‘Dear [name of editor(s)], Please find attached 3 poems for your consideration and a covering letter. Thank you for your time. Best wishes, [your name]’.

Does that help? Best of luck!

Should you sign a cover letter with attached poems?

It depends! If you’re printing out your cover letter and sending it in the post, it might be nice to sign the cover letter, though most poetry magazines won’t mind whether you do or don’t. If you are submitting over email or Submittable then you shouldn’t need to sign anything. Do always check the submissions guidelines though.

Hope this is helpful!

Best of luck,

Helen at Young Poets Network

Hi, I want to submit my poems for publication in a magazine but their submission guidelines do not include a bio. should I send one anyway? plus, they did not indicate whether the cover letter should be sent as an attachment or in the body of the email. what’s the most professional way to do so?

Our top tip is to follow the submissions guidelines to a T. So, if they don’t mention a bio, then you don’t need to send one.

As for the cover letter: normally, if you are emailing your poems over, it’s most common to include your cover letter in the body of the email – unless they’ve specifically said to attach it. However, if they haven’t said either way, then it shouldn’t hurt your chances whatever you do!

thanks for the prompt response. it’s very helpful

No worries – best of luck!

Hi Little Poet, I just recently started watching your videos on Youtube. My, my, my, how I have been helped with your insights about things. Please let me know if I can be on your mailing list. I love you Little Poet. I really do. Isn’t life wonderful when something or someone just comes into your life and blesses you really good?

I’m pleased to hear you’ve found Young Poets Network useful! I’ll add you to our mailing list.

All the best,

The Perfect Cover Letter: Advice From a Lit Mag Editor

Today’s guest post is from Elise Holland, co-founder and editor of 2 Elizabeths , a short fiction and poetry publication.

When submitting your short-form literature to a magazine or journal, your cover letter is often the first piece of writing an editor sees. It serves as an introduction to your thoughtfully crafted art. As such, it is significant, but it shouldn’t be intimidating or even take much time to write.

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 to include, 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.

A little research goes a long way

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.

Read the 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)
Genre/category
Brief description of your piece
If you have been published previously, state where
Whether your piece is a simultaneous submission (definition below)

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 publication by one magazine, it is important to notify other publications where you have submitted that piece. This courtesy will prevent complications, and will keep you in good graces 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 That Needs Work

Dear Editor, Here is a collection of poems I wrote that I’d like you to consider. I have not yet been published elsewhere. Please let me know what you think. Bio: John Doe is an Insurance Agent by day and a writer by night, living in Ten Buck Two. He is the author of a personal blog, LivingWith20Cats.com. Best, John Doe

What Went Wrong?

John Doe didn’t research the editor’s name. A personal greeting is always better than a simple “Dear Editor.” Additionally, John failed to include the word count, title and a brief description of his work.

There is no need to state that John has not yet been published elsewhere. He should simply leave that piece of information out. (Many publications, 2 Elizabeths included, will still welcome your submissions warmly if you are unpublished.)

John included a statement asking the editor to let him know what he/she thinks about his work. Due to time constraints, it is rare that an editor sends feedback unless work is going to be accepted.

Unless otherwise specified by the magazine or journal to which you are submitting, you do not need to include biographical information in your cover letter. Typically, that information is either requested upfront but in a separate document from the cover letter, or is not requested until a piece has been selected for publishing.

Cover Letter Ready to Be Sent

Dear Elise, Please consider this 1,457-word short fiction piece, “Summer.” I recently participated in the 2 Elizabeths Open Mic Night, and am an avid reader of the fiction and poetry that you publish. “Summer” 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, John Doe

What Went Right?

In this letter, John includes all pertinent information, while keeping his letter clear and concise. In his second sentence, John also briefly states how he is familiar with the magazine. While doing this isn’t required, if done tastefully, it can be a nice touch! Another example might be: “I read and enjoyed your spring issue, and believe that my work is a good fit for your magazine.”

I hope these sample letters help you as you send your short works to magazines and journals for consideration. While you’re at it, I hope you will check out 2 Elizabeths ! We would love to read your work.

Elise Holland is co-founder and editor of 2 Elizabeths , a short fiction and poetry publication. Her work has appeared in various publications, most recently in Story a Day . Through 2 Elizabeths, Elise strives to create value and visibility for writers, through writing contests , events , and more!

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[…] view post at https://janefriedman.com/perfect-cover-letter-advice-lit-mag-editor/ […]

[…] To get into literary magazines, you need a cover letter, so Elise Holland lays out how to write the perfect cover letter for a literary magazine. […]

Love this! The letter is short and to the point, and covers all the necessary information. Great tips! I always worry that the only publishing credit I have is the winning entry in a short story contest through the local paper. Should I mention that? And writing conferences I’ve attended?

As Elise says, it’s OK if you’re unpublished. Don’t worry about it. But feel free to mention your winning entry. If the writing conferences would likely be known to the journals’ editors, you might mention one or two.

[…] recently wrote a full article on the perfect cover letter, here. Check it out for clear, simple instructions, along with sample […]

[…] publication. Her work has appeared in various publications, most recently in Story a Day, and at JaneFriedman.com. Through 2 Elizabeths, Elise strives to create value and visibility for writers, through writing […]

Thanks for the concise and useful information! I’ve heard that it’s also a good idea to include a sentence or two that makes it clear that you are familiar with the kind of work the magazine has published in the past. Is this generally advised, or would you consider it nonessential unless specified in the submission guidelines?

Need help submitting your writing to literary journals or book publishers/literary agents? Click here! →

Write A Cover Letter Or A Query Letter: The Basics

by Writer's Relief Staff | Cover Letters , Editing And Editors , Literary Agents , Query Letters , Submit Your Writing | 17 comments

Review Board is now open! Submit your Short Prose, Poetry, and Book today!

Deadline: thursday, april 18th.

Write A Cover Letter Or A Query Letter: The Basics

If you’re thinking of writing a cover letter or a query letter, you’re taking the first steps toward getting your writing published!

The prospect of writing cover letters and query letters often sends writers into a state of anxiety. But we’ve been helping writers compose cover letters and query letters since 1994! What follows is a basic introduction to cover and query letters.

For advanced strategies and techniques, visit our Free Writers Tool Kit!

What is the difference between a cover letter and a query letter?

What is a cover letter? The term cover letter is generally used to refer to the letter of introduction that accompanies your poetry and prose submissions to literary journals and magazines.

What is a query letter? A query letter is a type of cover letter that is geared specifically toward literary agents . Literary agents represent book projects and sell them to publishing houses. They rarely represent short stories or poetry.

In the freelance writing industry, the term query letter can be used to refer to a letter that is pitching a nonfiction article to an editor at a news magazine or other periodical. But in the book publishing industry, query letter describes letters that are sent to pitch books to literary agents.

What do cover letters and query letters have in common?

Literary agents and editors want concise, clear information. They don’t want to be distracted by gimmicks or bogged down by long-winded explanations.

Both cover and query letters are letters of introduction. Both contain author bios and basic information about what is being submitted.

The primary difference is that, while query letters include a synopsis of the project in question (in order to entice an agent to read more), cover letters do not.

A cover letter presumes that the editor who receives it will read the enclosed/attached materials.

A query letter must entice a literary agent to read the attached/enclosed materials or must entice said agent to request more pages of a manuscript.

How long is a cover or query letter?

One page. Single-spaced. And, no, your letter is not the exception that can be longer than one page. 🙂

What’s the bottom line with cover and query letters?

Editors at literary magazines or literary agents may or may not read your cover letter, but you’ll still need to follow their submission guidelines carefully in order to be taken seriously.

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to create an amazing cover or query letter. Our free articles will help. Be sure to check out our Free Publishing Tool Kit!

Here are some other important posts about cover and query letters:

Cover And Query Letters: Striking The Right Tone In Your Writing

The Anatomy of A Query Letter

How To Handle Salutations

Top Query Letter Mistakes: Avoid These Amateur Errors

Fan Fiction: Should You List Fan Fiction Awards And Publications In Your Writing Bio?

Query Fail: How NOT To Write A Query Letter

Query Letters: When (Not) To Talk About Multiple Books, Including Sequels, A Series, And Other Projects

Self-Publishing: When (Not) To Include Your Self-Published Book In Your Query Letter:

How To Write And Send E-Queries

Want help writing a cover letter or a query letter? Contact Writer’s Relief!

17 Comments

I wish to place on record my thanks to Writer’s Relief. The guidelines were helpful and answered a few queries that I had.

Both cover letters and query letters are written with the purpose of introducing yourself and your work to a potential recipient, such as a hiring manager or an agent/publisher.

A cover letter and a query letter are quite different. For poetry and short stories, most markets don’t have you query, just send the material, sometimes with a cover letter.

It can be brief and to the point.

Dear Mr. Editorname,

Enclosed is my 2500 word story “Ralph,” about a man who vomits for a living. I hope you’ll agree the readers of Magazinename will enjoy it.

Thanks for your consideration.

The term introductory letter is by and large used to allude to the letter of presentation that goes with your verse and exposition entries to abstract diaries and magazines. In the independent written work industry, the term inquiry letter can be utilized to allude to a letter that is pitching a verifiable article to an editorial manager at a news magazine or other periodical. An inquiry letter must allure a scholarly operator to peruse the joined/encased materials or must tempt said specialist to ask for more pages of an original copy.

Presentation is key esp the cover letter design, fonts and presentation. More important is the person you are communicating.

We tend to tell one thing to all clients who contact EssayWritingLab with this question – all you have to do is know what to name the letter, and the rest is pretty much the same.

Presentation is resolution esp the cover bird design, fonts or presentation. More necessary is the man or woman ye are communicating.

It’s the very first thing your potential employer will read, and 99% of the time it’s the last. Your chance to show that you know what they need, that you can match those needs, and that you can present yourself in a manner appropriate to their company. Only if that matches will they normally turn the page and start reading your CV

Thanks for your post. I’ve been thinking about writing a very comparable post over the last couple of weeks, I’ll probably keep it short and sweet and link to this instead if thats cool. Thanks.

We’re glad you found our article informative, and you’re welcome to link to our post.

A cover letter and a query letter are quite different. For poetry and short stories, most markets don’t have you query, just send the material, sometimes with a cover letter.

Enclosed is my 2500 word

Thanks for providing the news for cover and query letters. I really found this awesome. Thanks alot 🙂

Really appreciated tips about writing a cover before reading this basic I was too many mistakes thanks for sharing this helpful content.

Thanks for providing the news for cover and query letters. I really found this awesome.

I was looking for an essay writer who can write my cover letter. I want to submit my cover letter to the firm for the job. But through you post I think I can write it myself because you have clearified it very deeply .

Well thanks a lot I have been looking for these kind of blogs because I washaving difficulty in writing my cover letter.

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Is a Cover Letter Necessary in 2024?

Published: April 03, 2024

Writing a cover letter can be daunting.

woman searches if a cover letter is necessary

I’ll never forget my college career coach, who made writing a cover letter look easy. Even with her tips, I’ve always found it incredibly difficult to talk about myself and hype up my accomplishments.

While it acts as a letter of introduction, I’ve wondered if a cover letter is necessary in 2024. To find out, I spoke with two recruiters and gained insights on how to write the best cover letter for any job application.

How important is a cover letter?

Is a cover letter necessary, when to skip a cover letter, when to include a cover letter, tips for writing a cover letter, what if the cover letter is optional.

Cover letters are short letters of introduction that you include with job applications.

Typically, they are your chance to go into deeper details about your accomplishments that you might not have highlighted or had room to mention on your resume.

Tiffany Hall, a professional resume writer and founder of Resume911 , says cover letters are an important part of the job application process.

Hall says, “Cover letters can be very important. It’s supposed to sell why you, of all applicants, should get the job. The issue is that applicants use them to regurgitate what’s on their resume, and that’s not what it’s for. It should speak to what isn’t easily explained with your resume.”

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For example, if your resume says you’re skilled at building web pages, your cover letter is a great place to name-drop companies that you’ve worked for to create their websites.

Matthew Muehleisen, a corporate recruiter , thinks a cover letter is also a great place to show you’ve done your homework and researched a company.

Muehleisen says, “It can be what sets you apart from other candidates and applicants and is a good opportunity to show that you’ve done research on the position and company to further showcase your interest in the role.”

Knowing the importance of a cover letter still begs the question: Is a cover letter necessary in 2024?

is a cover letter necessary, definition of a cover letter

Image Source

While a cover letter can help demonstrate your knowledge of the company you’re applying to and highlight more of your achievements, both Hall and Muehleisen agree that a cover letter isn’t entirely necessary.

Muehleisen says, “Unless it’s a requirement of the application, I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to include a cover letter. There are some roles (usually in content creation and marketing) that will ask for a cover letter as a form of a writing sample. In these instances, make sure your letter is polished and focused.”

If Hall had her way, she would eliminate the cover letter entirely, focus more on the resume, and ask for a link to an applicant’s LinkedIn profile.

According to Hall, “Most cover letters either repeat the resume or they speak to why the applicant isn’t a good fit. Neither is the purpose of a cover letter.”

Nevertheless, 74% of hiring managers still prefer applications to include a cover letter. So, it is definitely worth considering including one — even if the application says it’s optional.

If you’re looking for a new role, writing a cover letter can be time-consuming — especially if you take the time to personalize every letter you send to a hiring manager.

Although a cover letter does serve a legitimate purpose, and 83% of hiring managers read it, there are a few situations where you shouldn’t include a cover letter. Let’s take a look at those scenarios.

If You Only Have a Template of a Cover Letter

I get it. Writing an effective cover letter takes a significant amount of time.

But consider not sending one if you only have time to plug your information into a cover letter template without personalizing it before hitting submit on an application.

Don’t get me wrong. A cover letter template is a great starting point to write your cover letter. Templates often remind you to include pertinent information like the hiring manager’s title, name, and your contact information.

However, if you don’t take the time to edit the body of the cover letter and personalize it with research and your relevant experience, you risk sending the same letter as another candidate.

And considering that 48% of hiring managers spend anywhere from 30 seconds to two full minutes reading each cover letter, the chances are high that your hiring manager can spot a form letter a mile away.

Don’t send it if you don’t have the time to personalize a cover letter.

If Your Cover Letter Is Full of Critique

A cover letter is meant to explain why you’re the best candidate for the open position. However, a cover letter is not a place for you to share your ideas of how the company can improve.

Sure, every company likely has areas of improvement, and the job you’re applying for might be the role that gets a say in that, but a list of improvements might read as a critique.

You don’t want to potentially offend a hiring manager before you even get an interview. A bad cover letter can hurt a strong candidate, according to 33% of hiring managers .

Before you submit your cover letter, read through it several times to make sure it’s not a critique. If it does sound like a critique, throw it out.

If It’s Not Required

There are other instances where you shouldn’t send a cover letter. For example, if the application’s instructions specifically state that you do not need to submit a cover letter for consideration for the job.

In fact, sending a cover letter anyway can signal to the hiring manager that you don’t follow instructions. Not following instructions is also a great way to land your application in the trash bin.

The bottom line is this: If the application specifically states not to send a cover letter, don’t send it.

Of hiring managers, 74% prefer to see job applications with a cover letter apart from the resume. Knowing this, if you have the time to include a cover letter with your job application, don’t skip it.

Here are three instances when you should send a cover letter with your application.

Send a cover letter if you’re very interested in the role.

Think of your cover letter as your time to shine. Use it as a place to highlight your experiences and the qualifications that make you a great fit for the position.

Hall says, “If you can speak to why you’re a good candidate without copying your resume in paragraph form, include a cover letter.”

In other words, don’t use bullet points in your cover letter to describe your previous employment history.

Instead, talk about what you learned on the job and how your skills will help you excel in the role you’re applying for.

Send a cover letter when there’s a gap in your resume or you’re transitioning industries.

If you’re looking to transition to another industry, you should definitely include a cover letter with your application.

Speaking from personal experience, if I had only submitted a resume to my school district when I applied to be a Spanish teacher, the hiring manager would have just seen my experience in Public Health and would not have known about my skills and success in tutoring students in Spanish.

Muehleisen puts it this way, “If you’re looking to transition to a new industry or if there is a position and company you’re really excited about pursuing as an opportunity, these are the best instances to include a cover letter so that you can possibly give yourself an advantage.”

A cover letter can also help explain any gaps in your resume — especially if the gap in your employment history is beneficial to the role you’re applying for.

For example, maybe you volunteered in South America, and the role you’re applying for is for a position in Global Operations.

It never hurts to include positive, pertinent information in your cover letter.

Send a cover letter when it’s required.

The most obvious time to include a cover letter with your application is when it is required. Just like not including a cover letter when it’s not required, it shows you can follow directions.

Include a cover letter when the application asks you to submit one, which shows you can follow directions.

Plus, if the application asks for a cover letter, you can bet the hiring manager will look for it. If no cover letter is included, well, you’re sabotaging your chances of getting an interview.

Only 13% of hiring managers will consider giving a candidate an interview if they don’t attach a required cover letter to an application.

Writing a cover letter is not as painful as it sounds. There are great templates you can use as a starting point for your cover letter.

The trick with a template, though, is to make sure you always personalize the letter to your own experiences and qualifications.

Here are five expert tips to write a winning cover letter.

1. Tailor your cover letter to the job description.

When writing a cover letter, especially if you use a cover letter template, you should tailor the letter to match the job description and meet the requirements of the application.

For example, if the application asks you to attach a short cover letter, keep it brief. Your best bet is one to two short paragraphs detailing why you’re a great fit for the position.

You’ll also want to reference keywords from the job description in your cover letter. Many recruiters use applicant tracking systems that scan application packets for the best fit.

Often, hiring managers review the applications that match the keywords first.

Now, that doesn’t mean to stuff your cover letter with keywords. Instead, use them in a natural way as you discuss your qualifications.

2. Be personable with your greeting.

You might have seen the advice telling you to use “To Whom It May Concern” instead of the hiring manager’s name. This is good advice, but only if you do not know the hiring manager.

Before resorting to a generic greeting to start your cover letter, take the time to look on the company’s website and LinkedIn to find out who makes hiring decisions.

If you have contacts in your network who are familiar with the company, ask them. Taking the time to research the hiring manager and the company shows you care about the details — a quality many hiring managers look for in a candidate!

If you’re still unsure after researching the company, consider using “Dear Sir or Madam” as your greeting.

3. Be yourself.

While a cover letter is a formal introduction of yourself to a potential employer, it doesn’t need to be lacking in personality. Hall suggests sprinkling your personality in your cover letter to spark connections with the hiring manager.

Hall says, “Be your best professional self. I’m a foodie and will include references to food on my LinkedIn, and I’ve done it in a cover letter. I’ve had managers reference them, and we had a chuckle. I am also very clear about aligning myself with companies whose mission and goals I respect and can contribute to. I make sure to speak to that in the cover letter.”

Take Hall’s advice. Showcasing your vibrant personality in your cover letter can help break the ice in your interview!

4. Proofread your cover letter.

Once you’ve written your cover letter and before you hit “send,” double-check that it is free from spelling and grammar errors and that the company you referenced is the company you are applying to.

Muehleisen says skipping proofreading your cover letter is a big mistake — and it could cost you the job!

Muehleisen says, “Make sure that you are proofreading prior to sending. If the cover letter feels like it is a simple cut/paste or if the job title and company name are incorrect, it may do more harm than good. So, be sure that what you’re sending is pertinent.”

5. Be cautious of AI.

AI tools, like ChatGPT or Claude, are great for helping draft content. You might be tempted to ask generative AI to write your cover letter for you. However, both Hall and Muehleisen say to proceed with caution when it comes to AI.

Hall says, “AI is coming along in amazing ways, so it may come as a surprise that my best tip didn’t include AI. I tell my clients when they’re stuck to look to their peers. You can search people by job title on LinkedIn. See how they describe themselves and pull from there. Or, hire a resume writer or career strategist to help you.”

Muehleisen agrees with her. He says, “I would hesitate to use a tool or service for a cover letter as the point should be to show your authenticity. If you are going to use AI for assistance, make sure to put your own words in as well.”

However, when you write your cover letter, whether using a template or generative AI, personalizing it is key to standing out from the competition.

If the job description says a cover letter is optional, should you send one, or can you get by without it?

That can be tricky, considering 72% of recruiters still expect a cover, even if it’s optional.

According to Muehleisen, sending a cover letter is not a bad idea. He says, “I’ve never heard of a cover letter hurting an applicant’s chances; just make sure the one you’re including is specific to the job description and posting.”

Check out these cover letter examples for more inspiration.

Experiment With Your Cover Letters

Writing a cover letter is a breeze once you get the hang of it. With today’s challenging job market, sending a cover letter with your application can make a difference in whether you get called for an interview.

I can’t make promises that your cover letter will dazzle hiring managers each time, but for the right position for you, it will.

Remember Hall and Muehleisen’s advice when you craft your cover letter. Personalization is key to success!

Don't forget to share this post!

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Poetry & Poets

Explore the beauty of poetry – discover the poet within

What Is A Cover Letter For A Poetry Submission

Writing Style

A cover letter for a poetry submission is your opportunity to market yourself to a publisher. A successful cover letter for poetry submissions should be concise, include relevant information, and be sure to grab the attention of the reader. That’s why it’s important to make sure it includes the right elements. When writing a cover letter for poetry, it’s best to use a professional writing style. Start with a polite and friendly greeting, such as “Dear [Name]” followed by a sentence thanking the reader for taking the time to consider your work. Explain the reason for your submission and make sure it’s tailored to the publisher’s particular interests and needs. Be sure to include a brief bio that tells the reader who you are and where you come from. Include educational and professional accomplishments, awards, and any relevant publications. Mention any specialized knowledge or work experience you may have relating to poetry. Be sure to keep this section short and to the point, so the reader doesn’t become overwhelmed.

When writing a cover letter for poetry submission, make sure to focus on the content of your work. Explain in detail what the poetry is about and the main themes or topics it covers. Explain what the reader can expect to find in the poems and why readers should give them a chance. Also, don’t forget to include a link to an online sample of your work if you have one available. This will give the reader the chance to get a sense of your style and get a better idea of what to expect. Finally, be sure to end the letter on a positive note. Include a line that thanks the reader again for their time, and express your appreciation for the chance to submit your work.

Manuscript Format

When submitting poetry, it’s important to use the right format. Generally, publishers prefer to receive manuscripts that are typed using a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial. The font size should be 12-point and double-spaced. The cover page should include the title of the poem, your name, and contact information. If you have already published your work, include the titles and publishers where it appeared. If you are submitting multiple poems, include a brief description of each one and list them in the order you prefer.

Before you submit your work, it’s important to make sure it’s free of typos, spelling errors, and grammar mistakes. Read and reread your work carefully and ask someone else to read it and provide feedback. A second set of eyes can often spot mistakes and give you a better idea of how readers may perceive your work. If you are unsure whether or not your poetry is ready for submission, consider taking advantage of professional editing services. These services provide a thorough review of your work and help you catch any small mistakes you may have missed.

Marketing Strategy

Before you submit your work, create a personalized marketing strategy. Take the time to research potential publishers, read interviews with practitioners in the field, and review the current market. When you find a publisher that seems like a good fit, read their submission guidelines carefully. Make sure to craft a custom query letter tailored to the publication and highlight your unique writing style and experience. Doing this will help publishers identify you as a unique writer and increase your chances of getting accepted.

Professionalism

When submitting poetry, it is important to be professional and courteous. Always follow the submission guidelines and don’t forget to include a copy of your work. Be sure to thank the editor for reviewing your work and give them a reasonable timeline for when you expect to hear back. Don’t forget to include contact information in case they have any questions.

Be sure to follow up with editors if you don’t hear back after submitting your work. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a positive response, as it’s part of the process. If a publisher is interested in your work, they will typically get back to you and let you know. It’s also a good idea to keep a record of the publications you have submitted to. This will help you track your progress and identify any potential patterns. Once you identify a publisher who is interested in your work, you can use that to your advantage when submitting to other publications.

Networking is an essential part of the poetry submission process. It can be beneficial to attend literary events and workshops. This will provide you with the chance to meet other writers and publishers, and develop connections with other members of the literary community. You may also want to consider joining a professional organization. Joining a different organizations related to poetry and writing can provide you with access to networking opportunities, literary reviews, and other resources that can help you hone your craft and get your work published.

Dannah Hannah is an established poet and author who loves to write about the beauty and power of poetry. She has published several collections of her own works, as well as articles and reviews on poets she admires. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a specialization in poetics, from the University of Toronto. Hannah was also a panelist for the 2017 Futurepoem book Poetry + Social Justice, which aimed to bring attention to activism through poetry. She lives in Toronto, Canada, where she continues to write and explore the depths of poetry and its influence on our lives.

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How to Write a Poetry Submission Cover Letter

What is a Cover Letter for Submitting a Poem?

Why Do They Need It?

What a Good Cover Letter Should Have

A Courteous Tone

Right Context

What Most Submissions Want In a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

Poetry Publication

Poetry Retreats, Residencies, and Fellowships:

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

2. Address the Organizers/Publishers by name

3. Link to your past work

4. Stay On Topic

5. Skip Unnecessary Pleasantries

6. Provide Contact Information

Poetry Cover Letter Example

Write A Great Cover Letter, Submit Delicious Poetry

Recommended Reading...

How to Write a Cover Letter for A Poetry Submission

Provide your contact information

Write the greeting and body

Write the closing

Provide exactly what they want

Tips to consider for literary magazines

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WHY You’re Writing

WHAT You’re Submitting

Further Reading:

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

What is a Cover Letter for Submitting a Poem?

What to Include in a Cover Letter for a Poetry Submission

Writing a Cover Letter for Poetry Submission

A Basic Template for a Poetry Cover Letter

Sample Cover Letter for Poetry Submission

Tips on Writing a Cover Letter for Poetry Submission

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Submission Series: How It’s Done.

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How to Write a Poetry Cover Letter

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How to write a covering letter

Good luck with your submissions! You can find ideas of places to send your work on our list of Poetry Opportunities .

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