SAMPLE COVER LETTER:
(Use standard business letter format, no fancy scripts or colors. Plain white 20lb paper, just like for an ms.)
Maryann Schneider
Street Address
Town, State Zip
May 24, 2002
Kate Yerkes (Be sure to check the current CWIM for up to date information!)
Manuscript Coordinator
Highlights For Children
803 Church St. Honesdale PA 18431-1895
Ms. Yerkes-
My name is Maryann Schneider, and I would like to submit for your consideration an 830 word story for beginning readers titled MacKenzie’s Egg. (Critical information such as title, age range and word count go in the first paragraph.)
“Joey, look at the egg I found!” called MacKenzie. She ran over to Joey, who was kneeling beside the porch steps, peering through the lattice. Joey snorted. “That’s a dumb old rock.” He laughed.
(Second paragraph is your hook- in this case I let the first few sentances from the story speak for itself)
Is MacKenzie’s treasure really an egg? What this story hatches out may surprise your readers. I hope that you will find MacKenzie’s Egg suitable for inclusion in Highlights.
My articles have appeared in Kids Corner News and Once Upon A Time magazine, and I have a short story pending publication in Cricket. I am a member of SCBWI, the Children’s Writer list, and a manager at the Children’s Book Writers Cafe. (End with a brief list of your publishing credits, if any, and relevant memberships, awards and associations. * Note: Only list credits relevant. If you have adult articles published, don't list them for a children's submission.)
Sincerely,
(Your signature goes here, so drop down a couple spaces before typing your name.)
SAMPLE QUERY LETTER
Maryann Schneider
Street Address
Town, State Zip
July 6, 2000
Beth Troop (Check CWIM for current information!)
Manuscript CoordinatorHighlights for Children
803 Church St.
Honesdale, PA 18431
Dear Ms. Troop-
Environmental protection and recycling are big issues for today’s kids. The idea of reusing, reducing and recycling is fairly new to our society, but nature has been producing recyclers of her own for many thousands of years. (A detail, such as 'the first formal recycling program in the US was created in 1892, but nature has been recycling for thousands of years" would have strengthened this query) Scavengers clean the debris left behind by other predators, and some animals even use recycled homes. (The first paragraph is your hook. Use it to tell the editor what your article is about- in this case, scavengers, specifically, hermit crabs, and how you're slanting the article. This article's slant is recycling in nature.)
My article, Housekeeper Crabs, introduces kids to nature’s ultimate recycling team, the hermit crab pack. As darkness envelopes the beach, the pack moves across the sand, the world’s most efficient cleaning crew. (Introduce your article by name, and include detail, you have only a few sentances to capture the editor's interest.)
This piece, at 550 words, (Don't forget that important word count information!) comes in well below the 900 word limit for older readers’ nonfiction mentioned in Highlights’ entry in the Writer’s Digest 2000 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market. (Show that you've done your research. Of course, you would be using the current edition of CWIM) If you'd like to consider Housekeeper Crabs, the manuscript is ready to send.
I have published an article and two poems in Once Upon A Time, and am a full member of SCBWI. (Brief list of clips, if any, and memberships)
Thank you so much for your time. (Brownie points for courtesy. Politeness is always professional.) You’ll find a SASE enclosed for your convenience.
Sincerely,
(Your signature goes here, so drop down a couple lines before typing your name.)
SAMPLE STATUS LETTER
The following status query letter was designed by Christine Kohler. It is intended for personal use only. If you want to post it on your website, or otherwise publish it in any form, please contact Christine at: mrkohler1@msn.com.
Your contact info
Date
Magazine or Publisher
Editor's name, title
Street
City, State Zip or Province & postal code
Dear [Ms./Mr. editor’s full name],
I am inquiring as to the status of my [story/article/novel/NF proposal] "Title," which I sent [month, day, year].
____ The manuscript has not been received.
____ The manuscript has been received but not read.
____ The manuscript is under consideration.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
Enc: SASE
Character Sketch
