  For Authors
This week: Dear Editor ~ Read My Words!! Edited by: Kate - Writing & Reading  
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A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.
Richard Bach
Once writing has become your major vice
and greatest pleasure,
only death can stop it.
Ernest Hemingway
Welcome to Writing.Com For Authors. I'm honored to be your guest host for this week's exploration.
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Greetings, fellow authors of prose and verse, fictional and factual  You've engaged the art of your writing, crafted it 'till you know it's a good read. You've revised and edited and vetted and removed the passive telling stuff. You've checked spelling and grammar. Your red pencil is worn to the nub. You're ready to send it off to the magazine, agent, editor. You've read the guidelines, not twice, but three times, and your work is ready. But so are thousands of other writers doing likewise.
Then how do you enlighten the editor, get him or her to read that first perfect line/sentence.
Include with your manuscript, be it a single poem, a collection, a synopsis, or a full article or story, a cover letter as polished as your work. Unless you are submitting online with a defined format, a cover letter introduces you as writer and professional. Recently, I've noted that even on line, most editors request an introduction, be it a blurb or bio introducing the work and you, the author. Read and follow the guidelines to get past the 'delete' key.
Your cover letter introduces you to the editor and provides a sample of your writing style. It's a courtesy, an introduction to you as writer. Like any business letter, include your name, address and email or web address. Include the title of your work and what it is - a poem, a story, an article.
 Address the editor. Many publications provide the names of editors, but if they do not, or you are unable to find them on the website, avoid the generic impersonals, like "Dear Sir/Madam" or "To Whom it may concern", or a casual, "Greetings," instead, open with -
"Dear Editor:"
It's simple, direct, and gender neutral. Even if it is not the correct job title of the person who first reads your manuscript, the reader of your work is performing an editorial function.
Next, offer a brief introduction to your submission, just a sentence or two, or perhaps your opening story hook if it conveys the sense of your story. This also gives the editor a sample of your writing style and will make him/her want to read on.
Then, offer a brief introduction to your writing. Don't tell the editor your friends love to read your stories or have encouraged you to submit. Do show that you edit your company newsletter, or have won online awards for story/poem, etc. (think of your Writing.Com challenge entries). Include here also any professional qualifications that are relevant to the theme or plot of your work. For example, if you work as a nurse in a hospital and are submitting a medical mystery, this would be relevant background information for the editor; if you're an IT technician, or a factory worker, and submitting sci-fi, that's relevant. Keep this brief, just a paragraph in the same professional tone. You want the editor to read your story, not your life story.
State that you are submitting an original unpublished work that is not being considered elsewhere (unless the guidelines indicate simultaneous submissions are welcomed - a rarity) - and thank the editor for the opportunity.
Close formally (Sincerely, or Sincerely yours, is polite and professional) and sign your letter. Under your typed name (beneath your signature), it's acceptable to include a web or blog link as part of the signature block for the editor to visit and see more samples of your work.
All this took up less than a page - a courteous introduction to your work and your writing style. Now, the editor turns over your letter and begins reading your story. From the in-box to the desk, your story will now speak for itself to an engaged reader/editor.
Best of luck with the results!
Write On
Kate
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Check out this sample cover letter, which incorporates what we've explored - short and sweet and to the point - introducing the writer and her work
I invite you to be one of the 'editors' and 'open' some good reads submitted for consideration and comment by members of our Community. You know how good it feels to get a personal response to a submission (be it acceptance or comments otherwise). Proves the editor read your work
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Now, did all this good reading get your muse creative kick-started, take up the challenge, and craft a story or poem of your own
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
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Thank you for welcoming me to your virtual home and joining in this exploration. I hope you have fun reading the work of fellow authors like an editor, while you continue to ~
Write On
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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For Authors: February 26, 2013 Issue [#5540]
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