Pitch Letters: The Basics

If you're a writer who writes for yourself, with no aspirations to publish, that's wonderful. I hope you're finding lots of inspiration here at Floodmark. If you're a writer who's been inspired to write something you do want to publish, this is for you.


If you have ever submitted anything for publication before, and/or if you are planning to submit anything for publication, the odds are that you have written a cover letter and/or pitch letter. Cover letters can seem like a throwaway, something you have to add to a submission because a submissions manager demands it.


Not quite. Since a lot of editors, especially with smaller magazines, are underpaid (or not paid at all) and overworked, a cover letter can do some important work in making an editor feel positively towards your piece. (A caveat: no bad work has ever been published simply because of a good cover letter. On the other hand, good work has been published in spite of bad cover letters). So, here are some tips for writing a good cover letter/pitch letter:

1. Address it to a specific editor, even if you're sending it through a submission manager, or to a general submissions email address. Most magazines have a masthead and/or a list of editorial staff somewhere on their website, so, although it might take some digging, you can find the poetry (or fiction, or nonfiction, or reviews) editor somewhere.
2. Keep it as short as possible. No one wants to read a 3,000-word persuasive essay on why you think your piece should be published in this magazine. You need to include what you're writing, why you think it would be a good fit for that specific magazine, and a bit about yourself. That is all. No more.
3. Be specific about why you think your piece works with that specific magazine. I've heard more than one editor say that it's best to mention a specific piece from the magazine that you read and liked. If you don't have time to find one, at least mention the general aesthetic of the magazine. Most publications have an About page somewhere on their websites. (A side note: don't submit somewhere just because of the prestige associated with a certain name. If you don't like their work, they probably won't like yours, and you will both have wasted your time).
4. Lead with what's most relevant in your bio. Obviously, having your work already published is wonderful. But, if you don't have seventy-five pieces published already, don't worry. If you have, or are working towards, a degree in creative writing, mention that. If you have interests relevant to the magazine and what you're submitting, mention them. If you have a blog or write for a website, mention that. Let the editor know who you are and why you're writing.
5. And speaking of leading, lead your pitch with what's going to attract an editor to your work. If that's you and your impressive credentials, great! But oftentimes, it's going to be what you're writing about.
6. Always important, but especially if you're pitching somewhere other than a literary magazine: follow submission guidelines. Most often, submission guidelines just tell you how to format your manuscript. But sometimes, certain publications will tell you to paste the text of your piece in an email, or only send a pitch first, or send a pitch and attach a Word document containing your piece. Follow these guidelines. To the letter.

But enough strictures from me. Here are a couple of sample pitch letters, so that you can get an idea of how all these recommendations go together (Another caveat: these are pitch letters the way I would write them. Your style might be entirely different).

For an essay, to a literary magazine:

Dear ____________,

I'm writing to see if you'd be interested in my essay on the art of the cover letter. Since the number of people who call themselves writers is growing, there are more and more cover letters flying around the internet today. I poke some fun at the subgenres of the cover letter–the manifesto, the plea, the cry for help and the submission blast. Given the snarkiness of pieces like _________, I think this piece would fit well in __________ Magazine.

I'm currently working towards my MFA in Nonfiction at Columbia College Chicago. I've published nonfiction in ________ Magazine, and have also written for BUST Magazine.

Warm regards,
Rukmini Girish

For criticism/interviews:

Dear ___________,

Jane Smith has been reading and writing cover letters for decades. In her new book, The Art of the Cover Letter, Smith shares the insight she has gained as the author of several published essays, and as an editor at ________, _________ and ___________. I think the aspiring writers who read ___________ Magazine would benefit from Smith's advice and knowledge of the publishing industry.

So, I'm writing to see if you'd be interested in publishing an interview I conducted with her in anticipation of the book's release next month. I'm working towards my MFA in Nonfiction at Columbia College Chicago. My nonfiction has appeared in _________ Magazine, and I recently published a Q&A in BUST Magazine.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Warm regards,
Rukmini Girish

Read more of Rukmini's work on Floodmark.