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Inkandescent Kids Story of the Day

How to Write a Cover Letter

A note from Ellen Smith, Inkandescent Kids Editor: publishing your work is exciting! If you haven’t had the opportunity to publish before, figuring out how to submit your work can be difficult. At Inkandescent Kids magazine, we want to help young writers and artists see the process from start to finish. Let’s break down one of the most important parts of submitting work for publication: writing a cover letter.

What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is a short, professional letter that explains who you are, what your work is about, and why you want this opportunity. Any time you apply for a position or submit your work to be published, expect to write a cover letter! Even though many publications accept submissions through a web form, there is usually a text box to include a letter. This is a way for you to introduce yourself to the editor before they see your submission!

Cover letters are short, specific, and professional.

Short

Most guidelines will tell you that a cover letter is one page long. That can be confusing. A lot of cover letters are sent through email or in a text box on a submission form—so how do you know what “one page” looks like?

Here’s a good rule of thumb: one page is about 250 words. If all the text in your cover letter is less than 250 words, it’s not too long!

For new artists and writers, try to make your cover letter at least 100 words. Since you probably don’t have a resume or portfolio of other published work, your cover letter is the best way for the editor to see what you’re interested in, what you’ve already done, and what you’re excited to learn!

Specific

Include specific information about your submission or the opportunity you’re asking for. Instead of “here is my poem about puppies,” tell the editor the title and a little about your poem: “My poem “Finding Fido” is attached. I wrote this on the day my brothers and I met our new poodle!”

If you’re writing a cover letter to go with an application, share details about the specific opportunity you’re after. For example, Inkandescent Kids offers several mentorships. If you’re applying to the Student Editor mentorship experience, say that you’re excited to work with a team. If you’re applying for the Art mentorship experience, talk about what you hope to learn about creating a magazine cover. These details show the editor why you are interested.

Professional

For kids, writing in a professional tone is like speaking to a teacher or a friend’s parent. You don’t need to sound like an adult yourself, just be polite, friendly, and respectful!

How to Write a Cover Letter: Step by Step

Think of your cover letter as having a beginning, middle, and end. We’re going to call these the greeting, body, and closing.

Greeting

Try to address your cover letter to a specific person that will be reading submissions. When you’re submitting writing, art, or photography, that’s probably going to be an editor.

We tried to make this part easy: the editor of Inkandescent Kids is Ellen Smith (that’s me!) I don’t have a degree like Doctor or a position like Professor, so the professional way to address me would be “Dear Ms. Smith.”

If you’re submitting to a publication and can’t find the name of their editor, it’s also okay to start your letter with “Dear Editor.”

Body

This is where you explain what you are submitting and why you think it is a good fit for this publication. Here are some ideas to get you started:

“I am submitting…

“I am applying for….”

“I have shared my work before at…”

“My piece is about…”

“I thought this would be good for Inkandescent Kids magazine because…”

“I want to work with a mentor so I can learn…”

Closing

Now that you’ve explained what you are submitting and why, it’s time to end your letter by saying goodbye and signing your name. This can be a sentence saying “I hope to hear from you soon,” or “Thank you for the opportunity.” You can also write just one word, like “Sincerely,” or “Best.”

Don’t forget to write your name at the bottom!

Congratulations! You have written a cover letter! Just like you would with any other writing, check it over for spelling and ask a family member or teacher to read it with you. Then hit send!

Remember, if an editor is asking for a cover letter, that means they will be excited to hear from you! My very favorite thing about being a magazine editor is hearing your ideas and seeing your submissions. The founder of Inkandescent Kids magazine, Hope Katz Gibbs, started this magazine because she knows how important it is for kids to share their ideas and dreams.

Examples of Cover Letters By Kids

For many kids, writing a cover letter is a new skill. Sometimes seeing an example can help us see how the parts of a cover letter all come together! Here are two examples:

Example 1:

Dear Ms. Smith,

I am submitting my article, “Free Books For Everyone,” to the January/ February issue of Inkandescent Kids magazine. My article is 500 words long. I wrote about how my friends and I made our own library for our neighborhood. I thought it would be good for the January/ February issue because the theme is “friendship,” and the library is something my friends and I did together. I would like to see my story printed in your magazine.

Thank you for reading my article. I hope to get a reply from you soon. Please email me at my dad’s email address: example@example.com.

Sincerely,

Evie

Example 2:

Dear Ms. Smith,

I am excited to apply for the Inkandescent Kids art mentorship experience. I have always loved art and I want to be a graphic designer when I grow up! I have had my work displayed at the Redacted Art Center in my city. My watercolor painting, Zebras on Parade, was one of three pieces chosen from my school! It was cool to see my artwork displayed, but I’m really curious about designing cover art and illustrating books. I would love to create the cover for your next magazine issue!

I see the art mentor is Mr. Gibbs, who is an artist himself. If I am chosen for the art mentorship, I hope I will learn about making art that feels like me but also meets the needs of a client.

Thank you for the opportunity. I hope to hear from you soon!

Jax