What do you say in a cover letter to an editor? For God's sake, be brief. If you have any previous writing credits go ahead and list them. If not, briefly introduce yourself and tell them truthfully that it's your first time out, or you're a little new to the game. A little touch of humor works wonders (breaks the ice). I once told an editor:
"I'm sorry, I have
n't made a sale yet--Charmin tissue has more print than I do." Her reply: "Charmin tissue has more job prestige than I do." We became friends after that and I sold her three submissions later. Lesson: try to be honest and original. There's no need to pander (suck up) to an editor. We're all human, and editors find it refreshing to find humanity in a letter, when in fact, they deal with mediocrity and boredom all day. Don't apologize for anything, but No Bragging.
Planet Janitor: The Moon is not Enough (Engage Science Fiction) (Digital Short) [Kindle Edition]
Chris Stevenson (Author)
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The Crew of Planet Janitor are contracted to survey the damage to a lunar mining facility caused by a meteor shower. When a second job proposition proves too sweet to turn down, Captain Zachary Crowe must enter the devastated base. But will the reward be enough to outweigh the consequences of taking on such a risky mission.
Product Details
- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 465 KB
- Publisher: Engage SF (February 7, 2012)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00772MYLC
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
- Lending: Enabled
Excellent post! Thanks for giving us a fine example of an honest cover letter. I appreciate that.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you, Chris!
The best to you, R. Frost. You can be a little innovative with query/cover letters, allowing you to stand out from the pack.
ReplyDeletechris
Nice new blog. And good to know what one should write, if one ever will get that far. I mean to that cover letter.
ReplyDeleteMK, hoping that you DO get that far and find success. Learn all you can humbly and put it to use when you're ready to bust out of the gate.
ReplyDeletechris