How to Write a Cover Letter to a Publisher

The requirements for business correspondence between an author and a publisher are particularly stringent. And how could it be otherwise, if a person who works with text simply must be able to write business letters brilliantly? If you decide to try your hand as an author, you will have to start with the main thing – to interest the publisher in your working skills to hire you or to sign a contract for publishing your texts. It doesn’t matter if you want to publish a multi-volume novel right off the bat, or if your interest is to work as an essayist for one of the publisher’s magazines, you first need to win over the publisher. This is where the skill of writing cover letters comes in handy.

1. What is a Cover Letter to a Publisher, and Why Do You Need It?

A cover letter is actually a summary of facts about your professional suitability. It contains information about your intentions, for example, that you want to offer your services as a columnist or essayist. The cover letter also includes a paragraph about your accomplishments and skills that make you a good candidate. And, at the end of the letter, a polite address to the publisher will be the result of your cover letter. The structure seems simple, but oftentimes even the most talented writers get confused about how to write a cover letter and how to make it appealing to a publisher.

2. Some Tips on How to Make an Outstanding Cover Letter to a Publisher

Let’s start with the basics. What should your cover letter consist of so that the publisher will definitely read it from the first word to the last? 

• The basic information about your novel or articles you want to write for a publisher. Make a short summary of the topics and ideas that you touch or want to touch on. Don’t write big, but concentrate so the publisher wants to know more.
• Write what audience you are targeting. This is important because the publisher of technical literature is unlikely to suit the author of women’s magazines. 
• If you offer not your services, but a finished novel, it is important to indicate the total amount of text (number of words), as well as a couple of references. It is best if the books published by the same publishing house act as references for your work. This will give the publisher the idea that your novel fits into the concept of the publisher as a whole. 
• A short bio is a must. You must show the publisher who you are and what you do. Make it challenging, show your skills in a short sketch about yourself. 
• At the end of the letter, include your contact information so that the publisher can contact you. Express your gratitude for his attention and hope for further cooperation. 

Following these can help college students to tackle stressful situations where they have to prepare a cover letter in a hurry.

Remember that a cover letter should be short, precise, and interesting at the same time. Besides, be sure that you, as the author, are fully responsible for the content of such a letter. Yet its form can be easily used from ready-made templates. Today, there are convenient services for writing a CV online, and their templates also have cover letter samples that you can easily take as a basis.