How to Write a Covering Letter for a Short Story Submission

A covering letter won't get a weak story published, but it can lose a strong one — buried under apologies, an unwanted synopsis, or a bio longer than the piece itself. Editors read submissions in batches, often late at night, and most decide within a paragraph or two. Your letter's job is to make that easy: here is the story, here is why it fits, here is who wrote it. Then get out of the way.

That sounds simple, and it is. The difficulty is resisting the urge to explain, justify, or perform. A covering letter is not an audition for your personality; it is a polite handover. The editor already has the story. Your letter simply tells them what they are holding and why they should keep reading.

What the letter is actually for

A covering letter does three things: it identifies what you're sending, it shows you've read the magazine and thought about where your work belongs in it, and it gives the editor a name to remember. Nothing more is required.

It is not a pitch. The story is already written, so there's no need to sell the plot, explain the ending, or argue that the theme is universal. Letters that summarise the story in detail read like a nervous substitute for the work itself.

Think of it as the label on a parcel, not the contents. The label should be accurate, legible, and brief. If the parcel is interesting, the editor will open it. If the label is covered in stickers and handwritten apologies, the parcel is more likely to be set aside.

A structure that works

Most covering letters need fewer than 200 words. This order does the job.

1. The greeting. Use the editor's name if you can find it in the guidelines or the masthead, and spell it correctly. If you can't find one, "Dear Editors," is fine. "To whom it may concern" reads like a circular.
2. The facts, first line. Title, form, word count: "I'd like to submit 'The Last Ferry', a 2,300-word short story."
3. Two sentences about the story. Not a synopsis. Say what kind of story it is — "a quiet ghost story set on the Cumbrian coast", "a comic piece about a failing amateur choir". One comparison is plenty; three looks desperate.
4. Credits, if you have any, in a single line. If you don't, leave them out. No editor has ever rejected a story because the letter didn't mention a creative writing workshop.
5. A short bio. Two or three sentences at most. Include anything that establishes you as a real person with a writing life: previous publications, relevant work, a prize, or simply where you live and what you do. Avoid listing every job you've ever had.
6. Sign-off. Name, email, website if you keep one. Make it easy to reply.

Set out like that, a letter looks like this:

Dear Editors,

Please consider "The Last Ferry", a 2,300-word short story, for publication in Magazine. It follows a harbourmaster who keeps the wrong boat afloat, and it sits somewhere between the domestic and the strange.

My work has appeared in Other Magazine and Small Press Review. I live in Northumberland and work as a marine surveyor, which is where the harbourmaster came from.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Morgan

[email protected]

alexmorganwrites.com

That letter is under 100 words. It gives the editor everything they need and nothing they don't. The bio is short but human. The story description is specific without giving away the plot. The sign-off is clean.

What to leave out

Most weak covering letters are not badly written; they are over-written. They try to do too much because the writer is anxious. Here are the things that most often get in the way.

• Apologies. "I'm sorry to bother you", "I know you're busy", "This is probably not what you're looking for" — all of these make the editor do emotional labour before they've read a word. Be polite, not apologetic.
• Synopses. If the editor wants a synopsis, the guidelines will say so. Otherwise, don't summarise the plot. A one-line description is enough.
• Long explanations of theme. "This story explores the nature of grief and the fragility of memory" tells the editor nothing they won't discover by reading. It also sounds like a school essay.
• Comparisons to famous writers. "It's like Kafka meets Tina Fey" might be true, but it rarely helps. One modest comparison is fine; a list of influences is not.
• Oversharing. The editor does not need to know about your divorce, your illness, or your decision to quit your job. They need to know about the story.
• Demands. "Please respond within two weeks", "I only submit to paying markets", "Do not edit my work" — these belong in a contract, not a covering letter.
• Attachments you weren't asked for. If the guidelines say paste the story in the body, don't attach a PDF. If they say attach a .docx, don't paste it. Follow the rules.

The principle behind all of these is the same: every extra sentence is another thing the editor has to process. Your job is to reduce friction, not add to it.

When you have no credits

Many writers worry that an empty bio will count against them. It won't. Editors understand that every published writer once had no credits. What matters is the story.

If you have no publication history, you can simply say what you do and where you live, or mention that this is your first submission to the magazine. You don't need to explain that you've been writing for years, that your mother loves your work, or that you're working on a novel. A short, neutral bio is perfectly acceptable.

For example:

I live in Leeds, where I work as a secondary school teacher. "The Last Ferry" is my first submission to Magazine.

That is enough. It is honest, brief, and gives the editor a sense of who you are without asking for sympathy or special treatment.

Adapting to the guidelines

Every magazine has its own culture. Some want a formal letter; some want two lines and a link to a portfolio. Some ask for a bio in third person; some ask for a content note. Read the submission guidelines carefully and follow them exactly. If the guidelines say "include a 50-word bio", write a 50-word bio. If they say "no covering letter necessary", don't send one.

This is not bureaucracy. It is a test of whether you can be trusted to work with an editor. A writer who ignores the guidelines is a writer who will probably ignore edits. A writer who follows them, even when they seem arbitrary, signals professionalism.

If the guidelines are unclear, keep your letter simple. A short, well-organised note will rarely go wrong. If you're unsure about the editor's name, "Dear Editors" is safe. If you're unsure about the word count, check it. If you're unsure about the genre, describe the story in plain terms and let the editor decide.

A final checklist before you send

Before you hit submit, run through this list.

1. Have you used the editor's name correctly, or chosen a sensible alternative?
2. Does the first line include the title, form, and word count?
3. Is your description of the story no more than two sentences?
4. Have you included credits only if you have them, in a single line?
5. Is your bio two or three sentences at most?
6. Have you followed every instruction in the guidelines?
7. Is your contact information correct and easy to find?
8. Have you proofread the letter aloud?

A covering letter is a small piece of writing, but it is still writing. It deserves the same care as the story it accompanies. Get it right, and the editor's attention moves immediately to the work. Get it wrong, and the work may never get a fair reading.

That is the whole art of it: say what you're sending, why it fits, and who you are. Then get out of the way.

Photo: AnnieSpratt / Pixabay