We have a longer guide on how to write a poetry cover letter, with the reasoning behind what to include and what to leave out. This is the shorter, more practical companion to that guide. Five templates, for five common situations, that you can adjust and send today. Treat the bracketed sections as the only parts that need real thought. Everything else is meant to disappear into the background, which is exactly what a good cover letter should do.
The Standard Magazine Submission
This is the default template for submitting a small batch of poems to a literary magazine where you have no prior connection to the editors.
Dear [Editor's name, or Editors if you cannot find one], Please consider the enclosed poems, ["Title One," "Title Two," and "Title Three"], for publication in [Magazine Name]. [One or two sentences of bio: recent or notable publications, or a plain factual sentence about yourself if you have none yet.] Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, [Your name]
Note: name the poems by title in the letter itself. Editors read dozens of these a week, and naming the work saves them a step.
The First Time Submitter
If you have no publication credits yet, do not apologize for it and do not invent padding to fill the space. A short, confident letter with no bio paragraph at all is completely normal.
Dear [Editor's name, or Editors], I am submitting [number] poems, ["Title One," "Title Two"], for your consideration. Thank you for reading. Sincerely, [Your name]
Note: there is no bio paragraph in this version, and none is needed. A confident, brief letter reads better than one straining to justify itself.
The Book Manuscript Submission
Submitting a full length manuscript to a press calls for slightly more context than a magazine submission, since the editor is committing to far more of their time.
Dear [Editor's name], I am submitting my [full length collection / chapbook], [Manuscript Title], for consideration at [Press Name]. [One sentence describing what the book is about or how it is organized, without summarizing every poem.] [One or two sentences of relevant bio: MFA program, notable publications, or prior books, if any.] Individual poems from the manuscript have appeared, or are forthcoming, in [Journal Names, or omit this sentence if not applicable]. Thank you for considering [Manuscript Title]. Sincerely, [Your name]
Note: one sentence about the book's shape or subject is enough. Resist the urge to summarize the whole manuscript here. That is what the manuscript itself is for.
The Contest Entry
Most contests, including our own LemonLight Prize, use an entry form rather than a traditional cover letter, but many still leave a small field for a note. Keep it shorter than any of the templates above.
Thank you for considering ["Poem Title" or Manuscript Title] for the [Prize Name]. [Optional: one sentence of bio, only if the form has room for it.]
Note: if the entry form has a strict word or character limit, cut the bio sentence entirely before you cut anything about the work itself.
The Simultaneous Submission Note
If the poems in your submission are also under consideration elsewhere and the magazine or press accepts simultaneous submissions, say so plainly. Add this as one line inside whichever template above you are using, not as a separate letter.
These poems are being submitted simultaneously elsewhere. I will notify you immediately if any are accepted for publication.
Note: always check a publication's guidelines first. A small number of journals and presses do not accept simultaneous submissions, and this line should never be added without confirming that they do.
None of these templates are meant to be clever. A cover letter's job is to get out of the way of the work, and a letter that sounds like it took ninety seconds to write is usually doing that job correctly. If you want the fuller reasoning behind these choices, including what to do if you have no bio at all, see our complete guide to writing a poetry cover letter, or our broader realistic guide to submitting poems.
