Submissions

Writing a magazine cover letter

A magazine cover letter is nothing like a query letter. It is a brief, professional envelope around your submission. The editor does not want your pitch. They want your name, the title of the work, the word count, a short bio, and an efficient sign-off. Shorter is better. Shorter is almost always better.

What a cover letter is for

Literary magazines don't buy books; they publish individual pieces. The piece itself is what's evaluated. The cover letter is administrative — it tells the editor what you're submitting, who you are in three or four sentences, and nothing else. Editors do not read cover letters looking for reasons to publish a piece. They read them for relevance and sanity-check information, then read the piece.

This is why the standard cover letter is so short. There is nothing a long cover letter can do that the piece itself can't do better.

The standard structure

Greeting. "Dear Editors," or "Dear [Editor Name]" if the masthead names a specific editor for your genre.
The work. One sentence: "Please consider [TITLE], a [length: e.g. 3,500-word] short story, for publication in [Magazine]."
Simultaneous submission note, if applicable. One sentence: "This is a simultaneous submission; I'll notify you immediately if it is accepted elsewhere."
Bio. Two to four sentences. Relevant publications, relevant context, stop.
Sign-off. "Thank you for your consideration. / Best, / [Your name]"

That's it. A typical competent cover letter runs under 100 words. Some editors have publicly said they prefer cover letters even shorter — just the work metadata and a bio — and many accept no cover letter at all through Submittable's pasting interface.

A working example

Dear Editors,

Please consider "The Last Light," a 3,500-word short story, for publication in [Magazine]. This is a simultaneous submission; I'll let you know immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.

My short fiction has appeared in [named magazine], [named magazine], and [named magazine]. I live in Portland and teach high-school English.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best,
Alex Morgan

What to put in the bio

Two to four sentences. Prioritize in this order:

Prior publications, if any. Name two or three magazines, in approximate order of relevance or prominence. "My work has appeared in X, Y, and Z" is the standard phrasing. If you have many credits, pick the three that fit the tone of the magazine you're submitting to.
Awards or honors, if genuinely notable. Pushcart nominations, Best American selections, recognized fellowships. Skip listings from journals that nominate every contributor.
Context relevant to the piece. "I am a neurologist, which informed this story" — fine if the story is about medicine. Not necessary if it isn't.
Location and a grounding line. "I live in Minneapolis" is acceptable. So is "I live in Minneapolis and work as a hospice chaplain." Not required.

If you have never been published, a one-sentence honest bio is fine. "This is my first submission, and I live in [city]." Editors publish new writers constantly; an empty bio is not a disqualification.

What not to put in the bio

Your MFA program, unless it's relevant context. Acceptable to mention; not required. Many editors have noted that MFA-heavy bios can feel formulaic.
Your entire publication history. Three is better than ten. Editors do not want a CV.
Hobbies that don't connect to your writing. Cycling, baking, and dog ownership are lovely; they don't belong in a cover letter.
A brief description of the piece. The piece describes itself. Do not summarize. Do not explain what it's "about" thematically.
A plea. "I've been trying to place this piece for a long time" signals desperation and tells the editor nothing about the piece.

Genre-specific notes

Poetry. Most magazines want multiple poems per submission (often three to five). The cover letter lists the poem titles. Poetry bios tend to be slightly longer than fiction bios — a reading series, a chapbook, relevant fellowships.
Flash fiction. Some magazines want the piece pasted into the email body; the cover letter is then just a line above the piece. Others accept a standard submission. Read the guidelines.
Essays and nonfiction. Same template, with bio oriented toward the topic if relevant. "I have been writing about [topic] for ten years, including in [outlet]" is valuable if you're submitting an essay on that topic.
Reprints. If a piece has been published before, say so explicitly in the cover letter. Most literary magazines do not consider reprints unless they have a reprint window. Submitting a reprint as an original is a way to get blacklisted.

Submittable and similar portals

Most literary magazines now use Submittable or a similar portal. The form there usually has a cover letter field. Paste the same short letter there, or — since many portals already ask for title and contact information separately — an even shorter version: just the bio and the simultaneous-submission note.

Never skip guidelines in favor of a preferred workflow. If the guidelines say "paste the story in the cover letter field," that's what they mean. If they say "upload as .doc only," they mean that. Small non-compliance is the kind of thing a slush reader uses to trim a reading queue.