Submitting can be scary.

So many rules to follow! So many standards and guidelines to meet!

So here’s a sample—an example of what a solid cover letter might look like.

Your submission doesn’t have to look or read exactly like this (but if it does, that’s okay!)

To: editor@ripefiction.com

Subject: SUBMISSION - “WALDEN-E”

Dear Kartika, Caroliena, and Jess,

Please consider this 500-word short story, “WALDEN-E”, for publication.

This work was inspired by “A delivery robot creates a poetic moment in the woods of England” (https://www.npr.org/2022/05/20/1100290734/delivery-robot-woods-northampton-england-united-kingdom).

I was moved by concept of a lone robot wandering into an environment otherwise removed from technology—like a mechanical Henry David Thoreau.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe (she/they)

Jane Doe is a fictional writer of fictional things from Spectre, Greater Texas. They are currently a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Magic at the University of Salamanca. Her work has been published in the Chronopolis Review and the New Ankh-Morporker, among other fictional journals. Find her on Friendster and Bebo @janedoesnt.

ATTACHMENT: WALDEN-E.docx