Note this is a draft automatically-generated transcript. An edited version will follow.

[00:00:01.130] – Rachel Thompson
Welcome, Luminous Writers, to the Write, Publish, and Shine podcast. I am your host, author and literary magazine editor, Rachel Thompson. This podcast explores how to write and share your brilliant writing with the world. In each episode, we delve into specifics on how to polish and prepare your writing for publication and the journey from emerging writer to published author. Hi there, and welcome back to the podcast. It’s a new season, and this month, what you can expect is me sharing more advice for people who want to publish in literary magazines as I gear up towards the launch of my Lip Mag Love course at the end of the month. It’s opening for registration on September 29. I also wanted to say, hi, welcome. If this is the very first episode you’ve listened to of the podcast, I’m just really thrilled to have you here. I hope you also check out previous podcast episodes where I interview Lip Mag editors to get more insights on how to submit to journals. If you’ve been listening for a while, welcome back. Thank you for continuing to support and listen to the podcast. Let’s get into it. Hello, Luminous Writers.

[00:01:15.940] – Rachel Thompson
I’m thrilled to be that voice in your ear today who’s going to dive into one of the most crucial elements of the publishing journey, crafting compelling cover letters. Okay, it was actually hard for me to say that without smiling because Because in truth, it’s not that crucial or not nearly as crucial as focusing on your writing craft, but it is probably the most urgent pressing question I get from certain writers as they try to get a handle on submissions. There are wrong ways to do cover letters. In this episode, I am hoping to help you get a sense of calm and ease when it comes to this aspect of submissions, so you can instead focus on your writing. You know me, your host, Rachel Thompson. I’ll remind you that I’ve spent the past 14 years on Room magazine’s Editorial Collective, where I’ve had the incredible privilege of working with a diverse range of writers and their brilliant submissions. In my time with Room, I’ve seen it all, every type of story and poem, every level of polish and rawness. It’s been countless moments of sifting through the luminous words of writers dedicated to their craft and who want to connect with our brilliant readers.

[00:02:32.130] – Rachel Thompson
This experience has given me deep insights into what makes a piece stand out and what can make or break a submission. Today, I’m excited to share some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years focused specifically on practical advice for making your cover letters as compelling as your writing. We’ll cover everything from understanding what editors are looking for to crafting that all-important first impression. If you’re able to grab a pen, open up your notes app. If you’re not able to right now, know that there are links in the show notes to both an article based on this episode and a specific download on how to write a cover letter. It’s the anatomy of a cover letter for you. You’ll be able to grab both of those. Those links are in the show notes. I want you to picture this. It’s 10:30 PM, and I’m nestled in a cozy chair with a cup of caffeine-free tea, savoring a rare moment of quiet between my children’s bedtime stories and my own impending 11:00 PM lights out. As I sift through the digital slush pile for Room magazine, where I’ve served as a reader and occasional lead editor for 14 years, I’m on the lookout for that elusive gem that will keep me engaged past my bedtime.

[00:03:44.190] – Rachel Thompson
I share this to illustrate that as writer submitting your work, you’re competing not only with other talented wordsmiths, but also with each editor’s limited time and energy. How can you make your submission stand out? It begins with your writing. Put 99 10% of your focus there. But then before you’re ready to hit submit, you need to work on your cover letter and bio, your first impression, your hello to a sleepy editor who’s juggling submissions, a day job, family and/or their education and their own creative pursuits. Now, for some of you, particularly writers in much younger demos than mine, and there are many now, you might think, why bother? Gen X editors grew up in a time when cover letters were a standard expected part of the submission process, and for them, cover letters represent professionalism and a well-rounded submission. But newer generations have grown up with digital communication and might view a cover letter as less critical or even outdated, especially if they’re used to more informal or streamlined submission processes. Genx editors experience the transition, like myself, from print to digital submissions. My first meetings with Rome, we had literal packages that we shared with each other.

[00:05:00.650] – Rachel Thompson
When I became the poetry editor, which was my first role there, I was given a stack of poems to read in a physical copy that someone gathered up, printed, and brought to a meeting, if you can believe it. And cover letters, of course, were essential in providing context that was missing from email or online forms. In contrast, younger readers are accustomed to digital platforms where brevity and efficiency are prioritized, leading to a different view of what’s necessary in a submission. I guess I I want to remind you that there are a lot of Genics editors out there, and a cover letter reflects a writer’s respect for the submission process and an understanding of the publication’s needs. It’s true, though, that it may also mark you as being of a certain generation if you’re submitting a cover letter. But if you’re here listening, I suspect that you’re already a little bit concerned about cover letters or you’re wondering how to craft them or what you should be saying in them. You may be of my age cohort who thinks that cover letters are important. If you’re not and you need a little bit of convincing, I’m just going to talk about why cover letters for submissions might seem like an extra step.

[00:06:10.650] – Rachel Thompson
But I think they can still play a crucial role in the literary publishing process, no matter the generation of the editor that you’re submitting to. They don’t have to be long at all, so it’s not that big of a step either. But here’s why I think they are important. Our first are first impressions. Your cover letter is often the first thing an editor sees. It’s your chance to make a strong initial impression and set the stage for your work. A well-crafted cover letter can pique an editor’s interest and encourage them to read your submission with an open mind. I think it just shows the seriousness of your attention to craft, the fact that you really intended to submit to me, to that specific place. This is not just a generic submission that you’re sending out to hundreds of places at once, which happens a lot. The second reason is context and relevance. A cover letter provides context for your submission. It can explain how your piece fits the theme of a publication, though it can’t explain too much, and I will get into the details about that in this episode. It can also explain why you’re submitting to that particular journal and how it connects to the publication style.

[00:07:21.590] – Rachel Thompson
This helps editors understand the relevance of your work and see how it aligns with their needs. Then the third is professionalism, so submitting a cover demonstrates professionalism and respect for the submission process. It shows that you’re serious about your work and have taken the time to adhere to submission guidelines. This attention to detail can reflect positively on you as a writer, and you always want to be reflected upon positively when you’re submitting your work, and certainly not negatively. Personal connection. The cover letter is an opportunity to establish a personal connection with an editor. It can convey your enthusiasm for the publication and provide Get insight into your creative process. This can help humanize your submission and make it stand out in a crowded inbox. Clarification is another reason. If there are specific details or context that might not be immediately clear from your submission, although most of them should be, and again, more on that in a bit, your cover letter can provide a little clarification. For example, you might want to explain any unconventional formatting or mention if the piece is part of a larger project. Then six on this list of reasons why you should consider writing a cover letter, even in the first place, is professional courtesy.

[00:08:39.760] – Rachel Thompson
So including a cover letter is often a matter of professional courtesy for editors, I guess, again, particularly editors of a certain generation. Many lit mag editors expect cover letters as part of the submission process. Some of them have those as a required field. Even in the online submission platforms. There’s a required field. Put a cover letter here. Not including one might be seen as a lack of adherence to submission guidelines. Now, as I mentioned, that’s not necessary for all places. It’s actually not necessary for room. If you were to submit a cover letter to Room magazine, you would have to actually do it in the body of your submission package because we don’t even have a field for that currently. Showing the generational divide, I guess, between myself and the current majority of the collective. But I think it’s still important to include in the package itself. I just think, again, it’s a chance to introduce yourself, provide that context for your work, and to demonstrate your professionalism A lot of the submissions I receive just start at the very first line. I was just reading submissions this morning, and I noticed they have the title on one line, and then it all feels squeezed into the page, and I’d like to be able to breathe and receive your submission.

[00:10:01.160] – Rachel Thompson
That might be a personal preference, but I’m sharing that preference with you. Maybe sending a cover letter because you’re like, The majority of the collective clearly doesn’t care about that. But there are certainly many other places that still require them. I do think it’s an essential part of the submission process that can impact how your work is perceived by editors. The first thing I want to say, if you’re convinced that you want to write a cover letter or that you need to write a cover letter, and again, I certainly I encourage it, is that covered letters have two audiences. Those are first readers and editors. I mentioned I was reading some submissions today. I was reading those as a first reader. I’m not on the roster to edit an upcoming issue for Room. How I receive your work will depend on what role I’m fulfilling at this time. As Room as an editorial collective, this is a special thing where we fulfill both the roles. All of our editors are also first readers for the journal. That That is not the case everywhere. That is not the case in very many places, I suspect. When you submit to a literary magazine, your cover letter and bio perform a delicate dance for these two distinct audiences.

[00:11:11.210] – Rachel Thompson
The roles of first readers and editors in the publication process are distinct but complementary, each contributing to the refinement and final selection of written work. Here’s a breakdown of the differences. As a first reader, your role is to do the initial evaluation, and we just are the It allows people to receive and review the manuscript to decide, Okay, do these in general align with our publications, theme, guidelines, and quality standards? Are they just well-written in a general way? Do we generally like the writing? The first readers really become the gatekeepers. They are the literary gatekeepers of a journal, filtering out submissions that do not meet basic criteria or fail to capture interest. That’s specifically in my review form that I’m given to fill out for each submission is that question. Some of the work we can still forward it, but there is a category that says, I’m forwarding this to you, but it didn’t really hold my interest for long. Then higher up on the rating would be, Wow, I’m so enthusiastic and can’t stop thinking about this piece. I don’t think it’s phrased that way exactly, but that’s when I would give it a higher rating.

[00:12:20.360] – Rachel Thompson
That’s why. It’s because it’s like something stuck in my mind about it that I’m still mulling over. The qualifications for first readers are Usually that they’re volunteers or junior staff. A lot of people working in the field of lit mag editing at all levels are volunteers, in fact. But a lot of first readers certainly are going to be volunteers, interns with passion for literature and some familiarity with the publications focus. They’ll have less experience, so they might not have a sense of editorial experience. Again, room’s an exception to that, but are usually well-versed in the publication style and standards. They’ll have some training about what to look for, and they’re doing a broad overview, as I said in their reading. They’re looking at a high volume of submissions, making preliminary judgments, and they’re probably not involved in any detailed editing or revisions, although As a first reader for Room, we could make some recommendations to the editor and say, Oh, I’m forwarding this, but I think the ending needs some work. We get so many submissions that that would be really exceptional. We have to just think this piece is amazing, but the ending didn’t work for me.

[00:13:32.420] – Rachel Thompson
Usually, those ones just get a gentle decline or a positive decline, meaning that we reject with encouragement. That was the first role of first readers. These are the people you’re writing cover letters to remember. The second role is editors. Their role and function is a detailed review. Editors take on a more detailed, nuanced review of manuscripts. Now, there may be department editors who then actually have to kick it even further up the ladder, let’s say, to an overall editor who decides on the final selections, but I’m not going to get into that nuance here. I’m just going to talk about editors as being that second tier of reading who make the final selections. They assess not only the fit of the piece, but its quality, coherence, and impact, and they’re responsible for refining and improving manuscripts. They decide, Okay, do I want to do the work of editing this piece and getting it to the level that I think it should be at? In order to publish it, or do I want it to make these changes or hit these particular story beats or whatever their bent is. They might have specific ways that they like to work with writers on their pieces for more substantive editing, working on content, structure, and Style.

[00:14:46.240] – Rachel Thompson
They do copy editing, correcting grammar, punctuation, and formatting, and they make the final decisions on what pieces will be published and oversee the revision process to ensure that the work meets the publication standards. These are the experienced professionals. Editors typically have more experience and expertise in their field. They may have professional training in editing and deep understanding of literary quality and publishing standards. I would say Roon here is a little bit different as well because we have a mentorship model for editing. People work their way off the editorial ladder, and that’s why we’re rotating all the time, because our priority is to help new editors learn the ropes and become a lead editor for an issue. People, again, weed in and out of that reader role and that lead editor role. But editors in general, possess more knowledge of the publication’s mission, audience, and stylistic preferences. They engage in comprehensive work with selected submissions. Including detailed feedback, revisions, sometimes working directly with editors to enhance their pieces. They’re involved in the final stages of publication process, including preparing manuscripts for publication, ensuring consistency, and managing the editorial workflow. I share all this, again, remember, because I’m just describing these two audiences for your cover letter.

[00:16:07.330] – Rachel Thompson
The essence is first readers, they’re providing that initial screening for submissions, and then editors engaging in a more thorough and detailed review process, and they’re working directly with the writer in the end. That part is important. When we take the first readers, the literal gatekeepers, they’re passionate They’re not about literature but may lack the experience of seasoned editors. So this is what you need to know about this audience and how you’re writing to them. The first thing that they’re looking for, if they do look at the cover letter, if there is a cover letter, they’re eager They don’t want to impress senior editors often. They don’t want to make a mistake and send for the wrong pieces, or they don’t want to overlook something that was essential that really should have made it into the magazine. So a well-crafted cover letter with a few solid publication credits can make them take notice. There are places that they’re aware of and think, Oh, well, that place published them. I’m going to take a second look at this. If you don’t have previous publications, don’t worry, you don’t need to make anything up or add those. I’m going to talk about why it’s important to own that you don’t have previous publication credits in your cover letter when it comes to that second audience of editors.

[00:17:24.860] – Rachel Thompson
The second thing that’s important in your cover letter when it comes to the first readers is It’s the second look factor. If a first reader is on the fence about your piece, a compelling bio, for example, might just earn you a second read. It’s not about name dropping, it’s about showing that you’re serious about your craft. Even without a lengthy publication history demonstrating a thoughtful approach to your writing can make a big difference. The impressive credentials. Sometimes a first reader may look to your cover letter to gage the seriousness of your submission, especially if you’re doing something new or that’s challenging to read. They might wonder, is this piece avant-garde or is it from someone who just doesn’t understand the rules of their genre? All things being equal in the world, maybe that doesn’t matter, but there is something to knowing if a writer is really deeply serious about their craft, and there are some hints you can give to that in the cover letter. When a first reader spots notable publications or awards in your letter, this might reassure them about your work’s quality. But again, only include publications if you have them, and more on why it’s important to say that you’ve never been published in the lit mag, coming up.

[00:18:40.700] – Rachel Thompson
The second audience for your cover letter are the editors, the decision makers. As an editor who’s been in the trenches myself, let me tell you what we’re really looking for. Again, I’ll say that I really do switch hats with this depending on which role I’m fulfilling. I have been known to look Look at something and go, I don’t really read a lot in this genre. Is this person for real? Then go and see, Oh, yeah, they’ve published in a few different places. There’s something to this work that maybe I’m not quite getting, but I’m going to send it to the editor to decide. When I’m an editor, though, I definitely am looking for things like fit and vision. We’re not just looking for good writing, we’re looking for writing that aligns with our magazine’s ethos. I want you to show us you’ve done your homework, mention a recent piece we’ve published that resonated with you or how your work speaks to our mission. Room magazine focuses on feminist points of view, and if your piece explores themes of gender and identity, I would love to see you highlighting that alignment in your letter. It shows you’re aware of and connected to our editorial vision.

[00:19:47.090] – Rachel Thompson
Editors, the decision-makers are looking also for professionalism with a personal touch. Yes, we want to know you can meet deadlines and take edits gracefully, and you can tip your hat towards that a little bit in the letter, or certainly just by showing the professionalism that you have towards your writing in the letter. But we also want to see a glimpse of the person behind the submission, a touch of personality in your cover letter really goes a long way. Just keeping it brief and relevant. We’re interested in how you’ll fit into our editorial community, whether you’ll be a pleasure to work with, if you’ve had any interesting experiences related to your writing or have a unique perspective. You can always share this in a way briefly that It adds depth to your submission without overshadowing the content of your piece. Then Community Connection. Many literary magazines, and certainly Roon, are passionate about amplifying diverse voices. If your work contributes to important conversations or comes from an underrepresented perspective, I would not be shy about mentioning that. For instance, if your piece addresses issues related to marginalized communities or offers a new perspective on a common theme, I think it’s important to make note of that without explaining your piece at all.

[00:21:03.280] – Rachel Thompson
More on that’s coming up. But it helps us understand the broader impact of your work and its relevance to our readers. The editorial relationship is also a reason that we read the cover letter for, as I mentioned. Editors are also assessing whether you’ll be easy to work with. We consider how you come across in your cover letter. Are you flexible and open to feedback? Are you professional and organized? Again, you don’t need to go out and say that expressly, and I am I’m not going to say less is more when it comes to the cover letter, but you definitely don’t want to show that you are inflexible or unprofessional. This aspect is crucial because working with writers involves collaboration and revision. If you’ve demonstrated a willingness to engage constructively with feedback and have managed previous editing processes smoothly, those are things that you can obliquely mention, maybe not directly mention, but just the pleasure that you had working with different editors might be something to say. This can to get you apart as a writer who’s not only talented but also easy to collaborate with. Then I said that it is important to state if it is your very first publication that you’re hoping for with this submission in a complete contradiction of the first reader perspective, which may have readers searching for your publication history for credibility, editors are often thrilled to be the first place to publish exciting new writers of any age.

[00:22:27.570] – Rachel Thompson
I’ve spoken to so many writers who I really just can’t believe this. It seems like every time I have a session of my Lip Mag Love course, I have to convince people, No, this is really true. I know it’s scary to feel like you’re starting again, especially if you are an older, emerging writer and starting fresh in terms of creative writing. But I’ve spoken to so many editors who are so thrilled and proud to have been the first place that published a writer whose work they just loved. One of the beautiful things about writing is we can be emerging writers at any age, too. I think it’s vital even to suck up whatever embarrassment maybe that you feel like, Oh, this would only be my first publication, and all these other people are submitting from these other great places. Because If you make it past the first round of submissions, and I think you’re not going to tip the scales in any way if you’re sharing a list of publications that are exaggerated, and certainly not if you’re sharing a list of publications that are not true publications, so you want to be honest in your letter.

[00:23:34.130] – Rachel Thompson
If you managed to get past the first reading based on the merit of your writing, they liked your writing, there was something in it compelling that they thought the editor would like, then know that the editor is going to warm up to your lack of publication credits, very likely, because they want to be the first person. There’s a sense of, Oh, I discovered this writer. I gave this writer their first chance, and I’m so excited to be able to share their writing with the world. I just can’t argue enough that it’s important to say this would be your first publication. Those are the dual audiences of your cover letter. I think I’ve shared probably way more than enough about those two different roles at the literary magazines. Within the editor role, there may be other roles as well, depending on the size of the publication. Those are the two crucial ones to think about and think about what they’re looking for in the letter. Now I’m going to break down Crafting your cover letter. I’ve created a really basic chart breaking down how to craft your standout cover letter, and the link to that is in the show notes.

[00:24:40.330] – Rachel Thompson
But I’m going to walk through each element of an effective cover letter and What to include. The first element is the greeting. What to include? Address the editor by name, if possible, or address the fact that there are several editors, if possible, to show that you know something about the publication. The reason it What matters is it shows respect and personalization. It makes your letter feel more directed and thoughtful, and it shows that you actually know where you’re submitting your writing because we get a lot of submissions where we think this person has no idea who we are or what we’re doing here, and they’re just sending their writing wherever they can without even just a little bit of thought. If you’re able to address the editor by name. At Room, as I mentioned, we rotate editors. It may be that you know, I’m submitting to this specific issue, and this is the editor for that issue. In fact, we give you that information right now. Even though we don’t have a field for cover letters, we definitely have that information on the current submission page, the submittable page for Room. You could address specifically to that editor.

[00:25:48.450] – Rachel Thompson
I would think that at Room, that also feels great for these new editors when it’s their first time editing to see their name as being the one, Oh, this person took the time to say hi to me. That’s the greeting. Then the next element is introduction. Briefly, introduce yourself and your submission. You can mention the title, genre, and word count. This just provides essential information at a glance and helps the editor quickly understand what you’re submitting. It is brief. You briefly introduce yourself. You might want to mention something geographic about yourself. If that’s important, you might want to mention one small detail about yourself that is incredibly relevant to your writing, maybe about the communities that you’re coming from, but it really should be incredibly brief. The next element is personal connection. You could mention a recent piece from the magazine that resonated with you or how your work aligns with the magazine’s mission Demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and show how your submission fits with the magazine’s ethos. This is like that extra step to show that you are aware of where you’re submitting your work and why. Do it in a way that feels genuine.

[00:26:59.140] – Rachel Thompson
If it’s true that, Oh, the reason I’m submitting to this place is because I loved this piece. You can mention that. You do not have to show that you have the literary acuity to be able to analyze the piece and why it’s so important or anything else. You can just say, I particularly enjoyed this piece in that issue. Then the next element is a summary of your work, so a brief overview of your piece. You do not need to get too much into detail details for it. You could include some key themes or ideas, but really, you want to let the writing itself do that work. Do not describe the piece or go into, say, This is a piece about what would happen on a day where the unexpected happens. You don’t need to spoil it in any way because we are totally committed to reading your writing. I’m paraphrasing something an editor told me many years ago. He said, I’m committed to reading the work. You don’t need to convince me. That’s my job. I’m reading the work. The next element are publication credits. You would list those relevant publications or awards and keep those to only relevant creative writing publications and take an honest look at your credentials.

[00:28:21.450] – Rachel Thompson
I would say that having worked with a lot of former journalists who become writers or people who have other writing-adjacent type careers I myself was the editor of a national publication on women’s health before I became a literary writer as well and started publishing and submitting to Lippmags. But I didn’t mention that in my cover letter because It’s just not relevant. It’s awesome if you have done something great in writing and publishing before, but it’s not relevant to literary publishing. I’m sorry if that comes across as blunt or hard, because I think it has in the past when I worked with writers who have those other adjacent writing careers, it even feels like a detraction from your writing because it’s just such a different craft. Now, in the case, if you look at me and, Oh, I was working on this health publication, if I was writing a piece that was specifically about health, I might mention that then too. Some of this is based on this experience. But otherwise, if there isn’t that real direct connection, I was on the political beat for years and this story came out of that experience, sure. It’s not 100% sure that you would do that, actually, but you could include that.

[00:29:40.660] – Rachel Thompson
You could provide a little context of your experience and give it boost if you have notable credits that are literary credits. If you’re new, don’t publish credits and just emphasize enthusiasm and how you’ve been reading. Maybe I’ve been reading this lit mag for years and would love for this to be my first publication. The next element is personal touch. Include a brief, relevant personal detail. Add a human element that makes your submission a little bit more memorable. You want to avoid unnecessary humor, though, unless you’re confident in it. Again, this is really brief and relevant. I think if it’s a piece about motherhood, you could mention that you are a parent. But you also don’t need to. I mean, the writing can speak for itself, too. But I think if you had a brief, relevant personal detail that you wanted to include that you feel to warm up the letter a bit, then do that. Now, I have two more things. You can see I’ve really broken this down on a very micro scale into all the minutiae of the cover letter, which really is, again, a really brief communication. But the semifinal piece is your closing where you thank the editor for their time and consideration.

[00:30:55.260] – Rachel Thompson
We’re grateful to you for your time and consideration in submitting to us. I I think it really helps the editor who is up late after putting the kids to bed, reading some submissions, and you want to show appreciation and professionalism and just reiterate your hope that your work will be well received. Then finally, you sign off. You use a professional sign off and include your contact information. It ensures the editor can reach you if needed. Again, it shows professionalism. In terms of ensuring that the editor can reach you if needed, sometimes people fill in the forms on these automatic submission systems, and then they set it and forget it. It’s like, Oh, I’m just going to skip over that screen and get right to my submission. Okay, what do they need? A cover letter or a bio? What are they looking for? You just forget what’s happened on the previous screens. I’m going to tell you a tragic story about this. For the last issue I edited with Room, one writer whose work I selected hadn’t updated their email address on their submittable account, and suddenly, they hadn’t included a cover letter with contact information.

[00:32:04.940] – Rachel Thompson
If they did, if they wrote a specific cover letter for that issue, they would have probably put their more updated information. We never reached this writer in time. We also sent them a postcard by Snale Mill and said, Please check your email. We’re trying to get through to you. Their inbox was full, actually, so all the messages we sent were being bounced, and we couldn’t find them on social media. We tried all the different places to reach this writer. They found out too late that we wanted to their work, and by then, I’d had to choose a replacement. We have a very specific production schedule, especially Room is a print journal, so we have to get things to the printer at a specific time. There was no flexibility by the time we heard from that writer. Again, signing off and including your contact information, let this be a cautionary tale for why that is really critical. Maybe you want to be doing that fresh for each submission because you have that extra chance to double-check if I got all the right information here. All right, so that’s my really detailed, nitty-gritty anatomy of all the elements of an effective cover letter.

[00:33:10.540] – Rachel Thompson
Again, the table for that is linked through the show notes, so you can find that there. I have also created a downloadable PDF that just goes through each part of the cover letter and has actually a before and after example of cover letters that you can use. A lot of detail for, again, this thing that maybe needs 1% of your attention 99% should be on your writing. But I think it’s good just to work this out once, and now you’ve got it down pat, how to write a cover letter. I’m going to go through some common mistakes and suggest that you do not be this person in the cover letter. These are some of the things that I’ve seen over the years and heard about. First, you don’t want to be the overshare. You want to avoid providing excessive background information or details about your manuscript. Keep the focus on the essential elements and avoid lengthy explanations. We will read your writing. We’re committed to this. There’s no need to sell us on reading it here. An example of excessive detail might be, this story was inspired by my recent trip to Europe where I encountered various cultural nuances that influenced my narrative.

[00:34:18.590] – Rachel Thompson
You can choose Facts instead. Enclosed is my story, a European summer, which is 3,200 words long, period. Just think about how refreshing it is to hear That second version. I guess I was mucking in my tone for the first version, but I do think the second version is just like, yes. As an editor, I think, Oh, that’s all I need to know. Is the title, it’s a story, and is this many words long? The second, don’t be. You don’t want to be an explainer. So don’t use the cover letter to explain your manuscript’s themes or plot in detail. The editor will read your manuscript for that information. Again, there’s no need to sell it to us. If you have to explain it, it really points to a weakness in the writing. If you’re writing a cover letter and you think, Oh, I need to explain this point in the story, I think then you need to go back to the story and put that in the story. If some context or explanation is required, then the story isn’t standing alone well enough to be published in the lit mag. Maybe it is an excerpt and it needed some context, but then in that case, it’s not an acceptable excerpt for a literary magazine that publishes Short pieces.

[00:35:31.670] – Rachel Thompson
An example of over-explanation might be, My story explores themes of loss and redemption through the journey of a young woman who… So again, instead, we’re looking for, Attached as my story, the forgotten garden, Which is 5,000 words long. Then the other person you don’t want to be is the name dropper. You want to avoid excessive name dropping or boasting about previous publications? You can present your achievements concisely and relevantly. If you’ve worked with notable literary figures Others or colleagues, mention these connections, but do so subtly and purposefully. Remember, it’s impressive that you know these people, but let the connection speak for themselves. An example of excessive name dropping might be, I have worked with many renowned authors, and my work has been featured in several high-profile magazines. Instead, just let those things speak for themselves. My work has been published in The New Yorker and the Kenyan Review. It’s been published in Room previously. Also, you don’t really what’s renowned or high profile. I mean, I guess those are not super subjective terms, but what’s impressive to the editor might not be what you think is impressive. Just stating those as facts without coloring that, embellishing that in terms of the language that you use to describe the experience of being published or noted by those places.

[00:36:51.300] – Rachel Thompson
That includes working with specific writing teachers. You might not say, I’ve worked with the brilliant… I mean, you might say brilliant, but I don’t think you need to say, I’ve worked with everybody’s favorite poet, because maybe it’s not everybody’s favorite, but you can just name the names of the people that you’ve worked with, especially if you want to do that, if you think I, the editor or another editor that you’re submitting If you might know that person, then that’s cool for them to go, Oh, hey, we have that person in common. If that’s true and there is a real relationship there, then definitely include that. But you don’t need to give any commentary on the people or the places where you do have those relationships. Here is an example that follows my template and avoids cover letter pitfalls. I’m going to read it out loud. Of course, as I mentioned already, the show notes have examples and even a downloadable file linked that will help you craft a cover letter. It’s, Dear Editor’s Name, I hope this finds you well. I’m writing to submit my genre aura, piece, title, word count, for consideration in magazine name.

[00:38:06.550] – Rachel Thompson
All of these are square brackets, if that wasn’t clear. I was particularly moved by the name of specific piece in your recent issue and enjoyed, describe the theme, the style, whatever it was you enjoyed about the piece. My work has appeared in relevant publications. Three, four or so, you can actually pair down your list and target it for places you think have an affinity or there’s some kinship between one journal and the other. If you have a longer list and you’re tearing it down, I would be selective about that list. I received any significant awards. When I’m not writing, I, brief, relevant personal detail. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. Warm regards. Your name. And that’s it. Now, a lot of places will ask you for a bio, and maybe that is something you will include in the cover letter. I am going I break down the bio as your literary business card in this episode, too. As you finish up your cover letter, you might be including that bio, and it’s a good practice to include this even if they don’t ask for one yet. If they do ask For one, be sure to follow their guidelines, particularly on length, because we do also get a lot of bios that are way longer than the length we have, and it comes across as a little selfish or certainly, careless and unprofessional when When that happens.

[00:39:30.920] – Rachel Thompson
We have to cut it. Also, you don’t want other people to be cutting your bio. You want to be able to put the essentials that you want to have within their word count. The first thing that I’ll note about your bio is that the audience for this is different again. The audience for it is not that first reader and is probably not even that editor. While it’s included as part of your submission package, it is not written specifically for those audiences. Your bio is a piece of persuasive writing to promote yourself, and it’s more akin to advertising copy. Crafting an effective bio involves strategic thinking about your goals and your audience. I don’t think that your bio should be simply a summary of your achievements. This It’s a biography that can be a strategic tool that can open doors and create opportunities. By tailoring it to your specific goals, you can ensure it effectively supports your professional endeavors and makes a compelling case for your work. Remember, your bio is a dynamic document, so regular updates are essential to reflect your latest achievements and shifts in your career goals. With a well-crafted bio, you’re not just introducing yourself, you’re positioning your sofa success and inviting engagement with your work and story.

[00:40:48.010] – Rachel Thompson
Really, like you do for the cover letter, take the time to craft your bio with intention and let it be a powerful advocate for your professional writing journey. First, tailoring your your bio to your goal. If your goal is to secure a literary agent, for example, your bio should reflect that. Here’s what you would include: manuscript information. You’d mention that you have a manuscript ready and provide details if relevant. For example, her debut novel The Midnight Garden is currently seeking representation. You would include contact information, make it easy for agents to reach you. A professional website with a contact form would be ideal. An example bio for an agent query would be, Sarah Smith’s short stories have appeared in publication names. Here again, I would limit it to three or four. She’s currently seeking representation for her novel, title of the novel, which explores brief description of the novel’s theme, genre, You can reach her via her website at website URL. And that’s it. I think you could add a few more publications depending on the word count that you have. But really, again, less is more, and you want to think about your audience here, too.

[00:41:59.400] – Rachel Thompson
If your audience is an agent, then you want to think about publication names that would grab the attention of that agent. Certainly, you would mention awards here, let’s say. That’s a little bit on how you would write your bio. If your goal is to find an agent, If your goal was to promote a book that’s already published, then you want to definitely emphasize your publication details or a book that’s forthcoming and you want to get pre-orders. You would include a brief, engaging summary of your book to intrig potential readers. For example, her latest book, Whispers Whispers in the Wind combines mystery and romance and a gripping tale of love and betrayal. Don’t use that copy. That is not a great copy, but that’s an example of how you would phrase it anyway. An example bio for book promotion is Emily Johnson is the author of Whispers in the Wind, a gripping tale of love and betrayal set against the backdrop of a picturesque coastal town. When not writing, Emily enjoys hiking and exploring local history. Those things I specifically mention because maybe that is relevant to the story itself. Herself. You can follow her on social media, the bio goes on at Emily Johnson Writes, for updates and behind-the-scenes content.

[00:43:07.750] – Rachel Thompson
Those are all things that are going to support promoting that publication. Another goal for a bio might be establishing expertise. If you’re positioning yourself as an expert in a specific field, you could highlight credentials, focus on qualifications and experiences that make you an authority in your field. For example, with over a decade of experience in environmental science, she published numerous articles and speaks regularly at industry conferences. An example of bio for expertise would be, Dr. Laura is a leading environmental scientist with over 10 years of experience in climate research. She recently spoke at the International Conference on Climate Change. I’m making up that conference. That would be for establishing expertise. But you may and are likely listening to this podcast episode about writing a cover letter for submitting to Lintmags, you may be just starting out and just wanting to be part of a conversation with other writers, to connect with readers, to develop a readership. And so that bio would be different. Here’s how, if you’re a writer just starting out and you want to begin connecting with readers, readers. You would focus on writing interests, current projects, and any relevant background that supports your work.

[00:44:21.680] – Rachel Thompson
Here’s my example for that. Alex Rivera is currently working on a collection of short stories that blend themes of love, identity, and the surreal. When not writing, Alex enjoys reading contemporary fiction and conversations about creativity on social media. Follow them at Alex Rivera writes for updates and insights into their creative process. My tips for crafting your bio are to be concise, keep it brief and to the point, aim for a few sentences that capture your essential qualifications or accomplishments. They give you a word count ceiling, but actually, I find when I’m reading bios, and I read a lot of them, and I’ve edited a lot of them, I will jump to the ones that have less as more the shorter, punchier bios. So think about that in terms of maybe I don’t need to use every word in my word count. Some of us are optimizers. I know I can be one of them, too. But think about what are the essential things that the people I’m speaking to with my bio need to know. Second tip is to highlight achievements. So focus on your notable achievements or experiences that are relevant to your goals and audience.

[00:45:28.740] – Rachel Thompson
Avoid unnecessary The details are overloading with personal information. Tailor to your audience. Adapt your bio to fit the context of where it will be published or shared. Different goals require different focuses. And then the professional tone. You want to maintain a professional tone, but don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. This is where you can be a little bit more cute or clever than the cover letter, and it does help create a memorable and relatable impression. But I’m going to give you a caveat based upon my own My second life experience. I think if people aren’t telling you all the time that you’re funny, that you probably don’t want to try to be funny in your bio. I know the temptation is there, and you read a lot of clever or cute bios and think, Oh, that’s so clever. I wish I could be clever like that, too. I think it’s taken me a lot of years—I’m Gen-X, as I said—to realize that I’m much more earnest than I am funny. I make jokes that my family seems to find humorous, but really Maybe that’s about it. I lean into that, the authenticity of who I am in my bio versus trying to meet a certain tone or a sense of humor that I’ve seen in other bios.

[00:46:44.760] – Rachel Thompson
Again, your bio is more than just a summary of your accomplishments. It’s a strategic tool that can open doors and create opportunities. By tailoring your bio to your specific goals and audience, you can effectively showcase your unique value as a writer or expert in your field, or just create those connections that you want to create. Remember, your bio is a living document. As you grow in your career, don’t forget to update it regularly to reflect your latest achievements and aspirations with a well-craft bio, you’re not just introducing yourself, you’re inviting others to engage with your work and your story as a writer. Whether you’re seeking an agent, promoting your latest book, or establishing yourself as an expert, your bio can be the key that unlocks new possibilities in your writing journal. Not to put too much pressure on such a small little thing, but it is important enough to take the time to craft it carefully and let it be the powerful advocate for your work that it’s meant to be. Now, should you be working on this obsessively and putting aside your writing? No. But this is, again, like the cover letter, something you want to get a handle on, put some concentrated work towards it, and then have a boiler plate that you use and then you adjust again, depending on shifts in your audience or the shift, new publications, which I hope you get, and congratulations if you do, and new places that you want to submit to.

[00:48:12.780] – Rachel Thompson
All right, I think it’s time to wrap this up. It has been a while of me talking about something that, again, I’ve said, is really just a very small fraction of what you should be spending time on when it comes to your writing life, but that it does need that moment of time to really figure it out. So cover letters are crucial for literary magazines, serving as a professional introduction to your work. We want to keep your letters concise and focused, avoiding oversharing, over explaining, or excessive name dropping. We want to include essential information such as the title, word, count, and genre of your submission. You want to tailor your bio to your goals, whether seeking an agent, promoting a book, establishing expertise, or connecting with your readers. You want to regularly Update your bio to reflect your latest achievements and career aspirations. Keep your cover letter concise and engaging. Ensure your bio aligns with your submission goals, and you’ll be doing fantastically. By doing so, you’ll really increase your chances of having your words read by your unique audience, i. E. Getting that acceptance from a lit mag. But more than that, I think the cover letter and bio are ways to impede your chances.

[00:49:27.080] – Rachel Thompson
It’s not like that’s going to be the thing that make sure. You’re not going to win over the editor exactly through the cover letter specifically or through that great bio, but you are going to prevent us from preventing you from being publish from thinking, Oh, this person might be a little difficult to work with or I didn’t really want to have the story explained to me. I’m going to read it. It’s more like a preventative measure in terms of not creating a speed bump, let’s say, to your work. I have resources related to this episode. You can check out my new Lip Mag Focused Substack, which is lipmaglove. Substack. Com. In fact, if you’re listening to this as the episode comes out next week on September 17th, I’m going to do a cover letter clinic, and you will be able to find that if you subscribe to the lipmaglove. Substack. Com feed, you will get the message about that and the opportunities to in the clinic. Then in the show notes for this episode, I’ve linked both an article and a PDF guide that I’ve created related to the cover letter. All of this has been about this one tiny little fragment of what’s important when it comes to submitting to Lip Mags.

[00:50:46.710] – Rachel Thompson
But I think now that we’ve done it, hopefully now then we can move on to the craft stuff. But all of this here will, I think, set you up with what you need to write the cover letter that is compelling and helps you publish your words. So good luck. The Write, Publish, and Shine podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Thompson. Sound editing for this episode was by Adam Linder. You can learn more about the work I do to help writers write, publish, and shine at rachelthompson. Co. When you’re there, you can sign up for my writerly love letters. I send these every week with seasonal and mental health breaks, but it’s pretty consistently every week, and it has been for several years now, and it’s filled with support for your writing practice. If this episode, I would encourage you to write a very concise and specific cover letter and think about audience when it comes to both the cover letter and your bio, I’d love to hear all about it. You can always email me at hello@rachelthompson. Co. You can find me on the new Lip Mag Love Substack, lipmaglove. Substack. Com. I’m on Instagram @rachelthompsonauthor, but I’m trying to be very rarely on there.

[00:51:54.690] – Rachel Thompson
I’m not on there a lot. So hello@rachelthompson. Co is still the best way to reach me. You can tell other luminous writers about the episode by sending them to the podcast at rachelthompson. Co/podcast or searching for Write, Publish, and Shine wherever they get their podcasts. Where do they get their podcasts? I say that every time, and it seems like such a silly turn of phrase, but that’s how you say it, wherever they get their podcasts. So thank you for listening. I encourage you to write a cover letter that is compelling but also simple and doesn’t fall into some of the common mistakes. And thank you again for listening. I want to thank the inhabitants of the land that I’m on. I’m recording this in this South Sinai, Egypt, on lands historically and presently inhabited by the El Mousina Bedouin, near Palestinian lands occupied and currently continuously, I can’t believe I’m still saying this, 11 months later, bombed by Israel in clear contravention of international law and orders by the International Court of Justice.