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Fiction & the Real World - Publication
Unit Completion Date: End of Week 13
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If you know the editor's name at the magazine, address the submission to the editor. If you don't know the editor's name, address the submission to "Fiction Editor." In either case, the story is likely to wind up in the slush pile, which is usually culled by graduate students before it reaches the editors. A cover letter can be a crucial element in surviving this first cut. Your cover letter should be focused on convincing the reader that you are a serious and dedicated writer.
List previous publications if you have them, though don't include more than four or five. "My work has most recently appeared in..." is a good way to introduce you publications, even if they are the only ones you have. Don't be shy about saying that you've never been published; magazines like to "discover" new talent. List places where you have studied fiction writing, and instructors only if they are well known. Brief biographical information is fine, especially if it contains intriguing notes of some kind.
Do not discuss the story itself, make excuses for weaknesses, explain plot, etc. Let the work speak for itself. I have a standard cover letter that I use for writing submissions, and have had success using it:
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Dear Editor:
Please consider the enclosed piece for publication in The Virginia Quarterly Review. My fiction has appeared most recently in the Amherst Review and Descant, and my poetry has been most recently published in Passages North, Gulf Stream, and The Hawai'i Review.
I earned my MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in 1997, and have worked as a contract archaeologist, literary publicist, a small educational press marketing director, and Associate Director of Emerson College's Division of Continuing Education, where I also taught creative and expository writing. I am currently Senior Strategist for the innovative OpenCourseWare project at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
I have included an SASE for your reply. There is no need to return the manuscript, but I would appreciate a copy of your magazine's submissions guidelines. Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
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I'd like for each of you to draft a cover letter for yourselves as your assignment for this section. Post these to the class craftbook in the Publication section.
Exercise 1 (Req.)- Submit Response
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