Editor Interviews

Totally irrelevant to us. In fact, we skip over the "here is why I'm cool" section in the emails people send because we don't want it to influence our reading of the story.

We appreciate a cover letter and publication credits if you have them, to help contextualize the work.

Nothing please!

Since we read all of the poetry submissions concealed, cover letters are, for the most part, irrelevant. Publication credits, though interesting, are not visible to the associate or senior editors during the Poetry submission approval process and therefore do not affect our decisions.

We always look at the work first and then take a peek at the answers on the form. However, we never check previous publications - they have zero relevance regarding our decision to publish or not.
When it comes to artwork, we like a sentence or two about the inspiration behind the art. It helps us place the work within the magazine, to link it to the written pieces.

Prior pubs in respected journals doesn't hurt.
Pointing out specific pieces/writers that we've published that you enjoy doesn't hurt.
Saying nothing at all certainly doesn't hurt.
How many pets you have or your non-writing career history? That doesn't help.

Previous publications, education, location, anything unique.

Good question. Cover letters give me a little glimpse of the person behind the story. I'm not looking for a list of credits or a bio. I want to see the human behind the work. Sometimes a simple, "Thanks for reading my work," tells me more than a long publication history. One thing I don't love is a synopsis in the cover letter. I'd rather discover the story for myself. Like someone once said: "Just say hi. I like it when people say hi."

Only that they are real humans, adults (except for our Wee Hooghly project, which is for creatives under 18), and are not disrespectful.

Not much. We do not bother about credits, just the work.

Cover letters are nice, and publication credits in bios are fine. However, the work speaks for itself. If the writing doesn't wow me, then no publication credit or letter will change my mind.

We're comfortable with just a simple bio. We love emerging voices and have often been the first print byline for many writers and artists.

We only ask for a third-person bio. Mentioning previous publications help. We don't want any personal details like which school the submitter goes to, because we don't want to publish sensitive information.

Very little upon first submission, unless requested. If an author shares too much about themselves—particularly personal details that have no relevance to the work they’re submitting—it may not have the impact the submitter is hoping for. The focus should be on your writing.

Cover letters are not required, but we do take a look if the author provides one. If there is a very compelling narrative coming from the contributor's work and their background, we might be more interested in publishing their work. Previous publication credits matter very little to us. We consider ourselves a newcomer, too, and we love to promote upcoming writers/artists and build a working relationship with them.

I prefer to have some sense of the writer's publishing history and literary perspective. It helps us if we can link our pages with a writer's socials, so their involvement in this regard is good. Some pieces have a very personal connection, or are important to the writer (perhaps being their first attempt at a poem or story, or being written for a deceased family member/acquaintance) for reasons that make sense to explain. We want to get a sense of who the writer is, if possible. That said, we have published writers anonymously, or under a pseudonym/persona, and enjoy the possibilities of this ethos. We have also served as the first home for a number of writers just beginning the process, and this is another matter we take pride in.

While we ask for a short bio and pronouns with submissions (and book blurbs if applicable), this is really just to make the asset-collection process easier on our end for accepted work. Every once in a while we'll look to the bio in case it helps us understand a submitted piece better; for example, we once received a story that felt very tonally off until we saw in the author's bio that they're primarily a humor writer, and once we read the story in the lens that it was satirical / supposed to be funny, it improved our reading of the story. But ultimately, the identity and any past publication experience does not matter to us. Blood Tree makes its values and stances very clear across our website and platforms, so I feel like anyone who wasn't simpatico just wouldn't be submitting to us anyway.

We take an relaxed approach at GossamerWight. So:
* we encourage casual cover letters (by which we mean emails).
* previous publication credits are of interest to us and are good promotional material for our submitters when they also...
* provide us with their third-person bio, because we include bios in anthology releases.
* the inspiration for their submitted piece(s) is something we also like to know, which may well be included in an anthology release.
* we need to know whether what they are sending us is a similtaneous submission.

Again, send something short with a bio. I want to know your publication history, but it probably won't affect my opinion of the story. I love publishing first timers.

Well, I hope they're happy and well. I assume they're cool. But I don't care about cover letters or publication credits. I don't denigrate them, they just don't sway the process. People with no publication credits or few are welcome and encouraged.
Meaning please add them if you'd like to. All I care about is you're not AI. Other than that, you be you. You're fine with me.

We love cover letters, but don't read them until a story's end (the story tells us everything about the author's storytelling excellence). I often explore the platforms and stories of authors we're considering publishing.

Our submission form has places where our submitters can tell us about themselves. We don't do a full background check, but we like knowing how far our submission calls go to ensure that we are getting a diverse submission pool. A cover letter isn't necessary, but some submitters include them and we are happy to read them. But again, totally not necessary. Some submitters use a pen name for anonymity, we get it, and are cool with how much or how little you want to share with us. Just please make sure your listed email is correct and current.

Yes. A bio and short resume is very helpful. That way we can get an idea of who we will be working with. Most of our contributors go on to do multiple projects with us. So it is nice to get to know the contributor early on (their background, training, etc.).

We usually don't look at the letter until after we've read a piece. It helps us determine if someone needs extra help with editing, which we often provide.

We ask for a brief bio because we'll print it if we print the submission. We read the bio AFTER we decide to accept the work. And these days, sadly, the bio helps us check to see that the author is not an AI creation.

We judge entries anonymously, but we ask for the following on our submission form:
o Your name (pen names are okay)
o Your email address (so we can contact you if you win!)
o Your country (so we can celebrate our diverse community)
o Your age (optional but always inspiring)

We don't care about cover letters! We usually read these last, after we've already read the submission itself. Simple is great ("Hi editors! Here's my story, thanks!" works perfectly fine) and, while you're welcome to list a few prior publication credits, that doesn't affect our decision-making whatsoever. We're always really excited to publish debut authors!

We do not read cover letters or bios during editorial review. Publication credits do not influence our decisions; we want the work to speak for itself. We may ask a few permissions questions related to publication, archiving, marketing, and promotion, but these are administrative, not evaluative. If we accept your work, we’ll contact you directly for a short bio, social links, website, and a high-resolution JPEG image for the contributor box.

Our philosophy for cover letters and bios is to be courteous and keep it simple. We do ask for them so that we are prepared to publish the writing if we accept it, but we read the writing on its own first.

When we review submissions, we do not consider previous publication credits. However, a strong cover letter discussing the nature and topic of the submission can be the difference in acceptance or rejection.

YES, we care about cover letters, but we want them to be personal. We don't care about "credits." We want to know a lot about our Artists. And we want their Art to be about themselves, because that's what makes it authentic, especially in the current age we're living in. All interesting art is about the artist, from Ingmar Bergman to Emily Dickinson to Vincent Van Gogh to Pablo Picasso and many, many more.

Nothing unless we requested a submission. Decisions on unsolicited work are made blind; we request bio info only after an acceptance has been made.

We prefer short, concise cover letters with few details. Give us the essentials and what we need to understand your work, if applicable. Do tell us if it's a simultaneous submission. We read blind so we don't see publications or credentials until the final phase however, it is a turn off to read bios that throw in everything including the kitchen sink. If you can't say it in 50-75 words, edit your bio.

We need to receive an up to one-hundred word author bio, written in the third-person, which includes publication credits.

We do not read cover letters until after we have chosen the winner. Our judging is entirely blind and goes through many rounds. We are frequently surprised and/or delighted by the biographies of the writers we select.

We definitely want to know if a writer has published previously or has expertise relevant to the manuscript they are submitting. Beyond that, I really want to know what the novel a writer is querying matters to that writer.

The work always comes before the author; if the work connects with us, we will read through the cover letter after we decide to accept, to learn more about the authors. -AJ Lugo Cortes, Managing Editor

We do ask for a cover letter and third-person bio, but only the managing team is privy to those until acceptance or rejection has been decided. Publication credits don’t matter so much, as we publish both established and emerging writers. -Lauren Tivey, Faculty Advisor

It's important for us to know the author's country of residence so that we can make sure to publish writers from all over the world. Providing a short bio and foreword helps us better connect with the writer and their thought-process behind their work. Writers are encouraged to include previous publication credits in their bios, if they have them. However, previous publication is not a requirement -- far from it -- we love to discover new authors, and, when making editorial decisions, prefer to let the works speak for themselves.

I'd like to know the basics about someone; "I'm from northern Colorado, where I live with my spouse, three kids, and two dogs" kind of stuff. But as far as publications go... yes, it's nice to hear that you've been published in a small lit magazine that we've probably never heard of. If you're in somewhere big, like Asimov's or Writers of the Future, def put that down. But we work with a lot of debut authors. It's not going to rule you out if you don't have pub credits.

We do not require the submission of a cover letter, nor any publication background.

Don’t overthink a cover letter; we’re just two little guys. We just ask you to send us an email with your submission document attached, say hi, and tell us whatever else you want us to know before we dive into your work, if anything. Feel free to throw in your bio, though what’s contained in it doesn’t influence our decision either way.

Writers can keep cover letters brief. They are free to include a short bio, but there is no need to provide a full list of previous publication credits. Previous publications do not impact the chances of acceptance--we read submissions independent of this information. If a piece is accepted, we always request an updated bio, so writers are never stuck with what they included in their initial cover letter.

We require a covering letter stating it's not AI generated nor a simultaneous submission.
Lists of previous publications, degrees, age or awards have no impact on us. We look for writing that meets our journal's needs.

We prefer a simple cover letter with a third-person bio. There is no need to explain the story or list previous publications. Often we don't read the cover letter/bio until we have already declined the story. Our submissions editors read anonymously, so they never see the cover letter. If we are considering a piece for publication, there are two editors who research the writer before we accept the work.

We review all of our submissions anonymously. While we do ask for a bio in advance in case we choose to publish the piece, we don’t read over it until we’ve decided whether or not to feature the piece in our issue.

We want just enough information to place the work in context, not a full biography. A brief cover note is useful, but it should be simple and factual: title, genre, word count, whether the submission is simultaneous, and a short third-person bio. Long personal statements or extensive publication lists don’t improve a submission; the work itself matters far more than credits.

Our judging process is blind, so you don’t need to include a cover letter or author bio.
Having said that, we LOVE to get to know our authors, and we strongly encourage entrants to engage with us on social media if they want to join the conversation. Many of our entrants have become our friends this way, and we love to follow their writing journeys outside of our competition.

We want to know something about the person who is sending us their work, not just their credentials. We care more about quality writing and art than where they've been published before or where they have exhibited their work. While this information is nice to know, it does not affect our review process to determine which works are approved for publication.

We care less about cover letters and more about the artist. We choose artists not cover letters.

Cover letters help, but please, be spare.

I only look at bios and publication credits in retrospect if we want to publish the story. I want our stories to speak for themselves, and I like finding talented new and emerging authors. We do ask for a bio as part of the submission process though, more as convenience to our team. I don't really worry that much about who a cover letter is addressed to, but I do appreciate a brief, friendly cover letter. We're people too, and it's nice when there's a recognition of that.

We only use a cover letter to get a sense of your bio, but overall, we don't spend a lot of time with it.

A cover letter is a helpful introduction. Previous credits can be noted, but they won't make or break your submission. A cover letter is an easy way to tell us that you're familiar with Cold Caller, understand our submission guidelines, and make a good first impression.

We don't take cover letters and we're focused on the work, not publication credits. However, we love seeing credits listed in bios. They're accomplishments the author should be proud of and we're proud right along with them.

We ask contributors for a brief (under 100 words) 3rd-person bio note.

Our submissions form asks for a brief bio, but broadly speaking, it doesn't really matter if people have a lot of publications or not. The short story is funny like that - it's impossible to predict which ones will sell, and a big platform, lots of publications, or a writing degree doesn't shift things one way or another. That said, the submissions process is not 100% a meritocracy, sometimes I'll move forward with a lesser polished piece because I think it's important to publish that particular story, or that particular writer.

Cover letters should not be long. The work is what matters. We require SHORT author bios. No longer than 75 words, and a long list of previous publications cannot accommodate that.

We don't need a super long biography or cover letter; we want a concise bio that lists whatever personal information you deem to share, any achievements, and where you want the readers to find you online. If you have a short bio, that's fine, as long as you're aware that it can make it difficult for readers to search you up again.

I do care about cover letters! A lot, in fact. I don't just want to be reading an out of context poem, I want to be reading your brain and your thinking process with it.

I advise editors not to read the cover letter until they have already read and liked the work. So long as you are not rude in your cover letter, it is fine. Tell us anything you want us to know, but don't worry too much about it.

Clearly, if a cover letter is filled with grammatical errors that is going to set off alarm bells, and possibly the shorter the better. Ideally, I just want to see the piece you’ve written and decide. It’s interesting to see where a writer might have been published before but previous publication credits do not matter to me. I love discovering undiscovered writers, be they eighteen or eighty.

I don't need a full cover letter, but I appreciate it if authors include any accolades they may have. I'd love to know if and how they're involved in the local writing community as well.

We're not a blind-submissions publication. It's nice to see authors be honest about their experience and previous credits. And not having any publication experience isn't necessarily a bad thing, either.

A short cover note can be helpful that includes a summary of the submission, a brief biography, and a digital photo.

It’s nice to know a bit about the person submitting, but it’s not the deciding factor. If we accept your work, we’ll ask for a bio if you haven’t submitted one. Previous publications don’t matter. We’re primarily concerned with the quality of the work.

We like to know if the author has been published before...especially if they have won, or been nominated for, key awards in our genre...or if they have some background in what he or she is writing about, like being a cop, prosecutor, medical examiner, journalist etc. .

The work is the first thing, and most of our readers read the work first. If we are drawn to a piece, we read the cover letter to confirm the submitter does have connections to the Midwest. (By the way, we define that loosely, broadly.) After we've made our selections, it pleases us (though it's okay if this doesn't happen) when we have a variety of authors from different Midwestern states, from different rural, urban, suburban pockets, and from different walks of life and ranges of experiences and identities. The Midwest itself is an inclusive, multi-faceted, and ever growing and changing space.

I don't need to know anything about the person submitting other than how to get in touch with them. I don't care if it's the first thing you ever wrote or the 1000th time you've submitted the piece to try to publish it. We'll ask questions (sometimes we can't tell fiction from non-fiction and need to clarify what the intention is) if needed.

I’m open to whatever an author wants to share. Cover letters don’t help or hurt a submission, but they do offer context. Some writers are humorous, some are raw, others lead with accolades. For me, it’s simply an opportunity to get to know the writer beyond the work—and I enjoy that.

We don't need a cover letter. We only want a bio and social media handles because we may need reminding whether we know the writer (we never publish people just because we know them but we may send a friendlier response). Although we are ecstatic when we give emerging writers their first publication, it may also make a difference knowing whether the author has a sizeable social media following to help attract more readers to our journal.

We read cover letters. We want to know who you are, the title of your submission, and how you found us. Publication credits are welcome if you want to include them, but they don’t carry weight in the decision.

I will let the story speak for itself, though I'm happy to learn more about the writer.

For us, the work itself is paramount. We only ask for a name on the submission form; if the work is accepted, then we'll request a bio. We don't want to be unfairly swayed during the reading process by a person's publication history or demographics. Many new and emerging writers won't necessarily have an impressive portfolio of award nominations or book contracts, and this shouldn't become a self-imposed obstacle to submitting.

We do like cover letters. We'd ideally like to know a bit about the author submitting, a bit about the book they're sending us, and why they thing BLP is the right press for their project.

I love knowing about the person submitting to me. However, a long list of publication credits really are not that important. I'd rather have contributors list maybe 3-4 publication credits then tell me something unusual or fun about themselves. I like quirky. I like something that makes me smile.

I don't care about cover letters. I only read them after the decline or accept button has been pressed. They are useful for the author bio at the end of the story but I know too many people in the flash world for that level of stress before a decision is made. I don't have any rules about who can submit or how often - though I do ask for you to wait until you've heard about the first piece before submitting again (and only one piece per submission).

Nope and nope! Pubbing people for the first time is one of my absolute favorite things to do, it brings me so much joy as an editor.

We always like to know the person's previous writing experience.

After reading the literary works, we care about cover letters. In the final analysis, we seek compelling literary works; however, as a cooperative (volunteer) literary press, we are also seeking writers who want to be involved in our literary community, and/or who have demonstrated some involvement in a literary community. We are dedicated to a diverse, inclusive literary community (again, look at our recent winners!)
Previous publishing credits should be included, but are not required at all. If the work is a collection of poetry or short works (I.e. if the poems or short works have been previously published), please let us know when and where.

I’m happy to get a short bio and credits if you have them, I am actively trying to encourage new writing though so will consider your work on its own merits.

An ideal bio lets us know where you're from, any previous publication credits, and maybe a fun fact (I do love to see how many pets people have). We read blind, so bios and cover letters are generally the last bit I will read on a submission.

We read cover letters. We tend not to be too stirred by writing that has been green lit by others, but it's nice to know that someone is 'in the business' either as an emerging, mid-career, or legacy author. Cover letters can be a place for your brief personal rhetoric to live so that it doesn't have to live inside your manuscript. If we've corresponded before, it can help to remind us of that. If you're sending a manuscript after reading one of our books, that can sometimes be a way to help us find our way into your writing.

We don't ask for a cover letter at all. We don't care if you've never published before, if you started writing yesterday. We only care about the work. We don't even request the bio until after acceptance.

Very little honestly. I only look at the creative work. Someone's bio, where else they've published, whether they're just starting out or in the game for decades--none of that matters. We've been someone's first publication, and we've published writers with long careers. Everyone has a place here. I just want to see writing that moves or delights me.

I don’t care about cover letters. Previous publications mean nothing to me.

The most compelling aspects of a cover letter are usually if the author has experience (professional or just life experience) that informs the story. If that's the case, please do include it.
Previous publishing credentials matter least. The story has to stand by itself.

Yes, brief cv is good, including publication history. Previous publication is not necessary to be considered.

We recently changed out guidelines to require a cover letter. In that cover letter, we ask about the impetus for the work. Going back to that letter after reading the work, it's good to see if our thoughts about the work align with what the author intended. Did we do our job as readers and did they do their job as the writer?
It's always nice to have a bio, and we do like to know about the author's publication history. However, we publish debut poets fairly often, so a list of accolades doesn't sway us towards or away from publishing a certain manuscript.

I like to hear about submitters' identities if they are comfortable sharing that information. I am committed to publishing underrepresented voices. I am less interested in publication credits. The cover letter should always say which prompt the piece is responding to.

Usually we read the submission first, so cover letters aren't make or break for us. It's nice to learn more about the writer when their work catches our eye, though, including previous publications. We love discovering emerging writers, so a lack of publication history isn't an issue for us.

We do not read for credentials. We only reference bios or publication history if we are preparing to publish your work. While we do not read blind, we do not allow outside information to shape our editorial judgment. A debut writer has the same chance as someone with a long list of credits. What matters is the emotional resonance, structure, and craft of the piece itself.

Cover letters are not required. Previous credits are not important.

I want to know the author's connection to central Appalachia.

Initially we don't need to know anything. We do ask for a cover letter, but we only read those once we're ready to accept a piece. Previous publications do not matter; we're thrilled to publish new authors for the first time.

I'd prefer to see a brief cover letter including a third-person bio, with publications and personal information limited to what fits naturally in the bio.
I seldom take cover letters into account when evaluating submissions, but if I'm on the fence about a given story, an attractive publishing history might be a nudge in the author's favor.

Publication history is nice but unnecessary. I just want to be astonished. If you want to discuss your work in an academic or philosophical way, I'd appreciate the insight... but even this is unnecessary. All I care about is your work.

We like a short bio that focuses on the author's personality and life. Previous credits are fun, but a long list from someone who has been published everywhere and won all the prizes is tedious.

It's a small world. We like, but do not request, cover letters, and we publish short bios. I think our readers like hearing about where you live, and where you've been published before. The former helps us build connection and community. The latter helps promote those publications as well as our own.

We request a short, third-person bio.
Writers, artists, and other creatives with disabilities—disabled writers, artists, and creatives—are welcome to submit work on any topic or theme.
For topics and themes unrelated to disability, Wordgathering editors will ask writers, artists, and other creatives to confirm that they have a disability and/or identify as D/deaf, D/disabled, Crip, Mad, Chronically Ill, Spoonie, Sick, or Neurodivergent (including Autistic) in one or more ways.
Nondisabled writers, artists, and other creatives must submit work that relates in some way to disability.

I like cover letters and reading about previous submissions, etc. I find it interesting and a lot of the time impressive, though it doesn't matter much in my decision to accept or reject the story. I read everything that is sent to me regardless of a cover letter or not. I like it when people know I'm the editor and address me accordingly.

We love a short bio, but we don't care about cover letters. Bios are welcome to include past publication credits and awards, but we also love short and funny bios, weird bios, simple bios-- the world is your oyster there. We choose the work we publish because of the work, not the submitter!

It's always nice to be greeted, but it's not a prerequisite. Having an idea of who is submitting to us is great, too, but not a deal-breaker. A listing of a few previous publications, if applicable, is welcomed, but please don't send us your entire resume -- a cover letter/bio that is longer than the submission is a real turn off. Feel free to include a short, third-person bio. But if you don't, we'll ask for one upon acceptance. We are not looking for you to explain your submission to us. We like to figure things out for ourselves.

We love if you remind us if we’ve published you before! I do read the cover letters, and listing your previous, high-quality publications does make a difference (even subconsciously) to how I read your piece.

We read blind, so cover letters don't matter! Just be straightforward, nothing fancy.

I don't read covers until stories and poems make it into the final round. Previous publications have no bearing whatsoever.

Our ideal cover letter tells us the following: simultaneous submission status, whether a piece is previously published, and the county/region someone is from in Maryland. Publication credits do not matter. Send stuff our way if you're based in Maryland, whether you're just starting out or if you've published multiple books!

We like cover letters, but they can look however you want them to!

We don't care about cover letters or previous publication credits. We care only that:
The work is good.
The submitter is eligible:
May and July submissions: Zambian writers located anywhere in the world.
January submissions: Zambian writers located anywhere in the world and African writers based on the continent.

I prefer a short bio, approximately 100 words, of the author or artist with each submission. I also like to see a brief paragraph, approximately 200 words, of the creator's accolades with each submission. The submission forms on my site have the information outlined that I prefer to receive.

Cover letters and lists of previous publications are welcome but not required. Do let us know in your cover letter if your submission was solicited by anyone on our staff.

When reading submissions, the credits or history of the writer do not matter: only the quality of the work is important.
The cover letter is wonderful for providing context after the voting and for quicker production for publication, though. It’s great to see the backgrounds of writers and to measure the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of our journal’s appeal and outreach.

I honestly don't care about cover letters, but I'm not going to get bent out of shape if you send one. More often than not though, I don't read your previous achievements. I like to let the story stand on its own. Sometimes you get a guy who is published in so many things, but their story has nothing to it. Sometimes I get a real short story with a lot of heart written by a nobody and it sings. Or visa versa. Point is, I like going in blind, but I'm not going to stop you promoting your work. You should be damn proud of yourself for the things you've done!

A short cover letter is always appreciated, mostly so we get an idea of who you are. Previous publication credits don't matter, per se, but it is nice to know where a submitter is on their publishing journey. If a submitter is under 18, we would like to know their age (we publish this information with their work), and we take their age into consideration when reviewing their work. It is also nice to know where a person is from (state/country) because we receive submissions from all over the world and we find it very interesting!

Only the story matters.

I don't mind either way if others share more about themselves. It is rarely a factor used when selecting a submission for publication, though it is interesting to have some background information. I don't care for cover letters per se, but I do appreciate learning more about other publications when authors share their publication credits.

I don't care for cover letters, and I don't require writers to submit their bios when submitting their work. Though I do enjoy reading them and learning more about the writers' lives, or careers, or identities. Seeing someone's credits is lovely, as I get to learn more about other publications, but if one does send their bios, personally, I don't think these accolades are nearly as impressive as the person behind them. I would rather learn about the person than their achievements. Though in the submission process, I don't ask for bios as I would rather the work stand out, and I am often pleasantly surprised with who wrote it after I accept their work and ask for their bios.

Cover letters are important to me because they give us an idea of who the author is, what the framework of the project is, and it also helps us know if the author understands our mission.

We do not care about cover letters. A short bio that includes the submitter’s name and whatever information they’d like included with their work is fine. We don’t care for bios that include thousands of places you’ve been published, or that are books themselves. Let your work speak for itself.

The most important time to put extra information on one's cover letter is when writing about a sensitive, culturally/geographically-specific topic –– I'd like to see why you are qualified to write about it, especially if I myself am not familiar with the content or (sub)culture. If you're writing about being a two-spirit creative on Turtle Island, for example, you yourself being 2S and having lived here is immediately relevant to your piece, and I would like to see it mentioned.
In terms of publication credits, I'm always curious as to where manywor(l)ds submitters are publishing, or if this is your first publication! That said, a pub list is by no means required. A bio of some kind, however, is required; I trust you to choose the things that are most important to you.

The quality of the work is all.
Having said that, a line about their other writing is always interesting.
Not interested in any information about 'identity' - we judge on quality, not quotas.

We do ask that cover letters mention what about the story makes it incensepunk. This helps us see your vision for the story and how it aligns with our interests. Previous publications are not considered.

We publish both new and established writers but it is always great when a writer gives us some background regarding their submission.

We do request a short bio from our submitters. We don't care if you don't have a ream of publications credits, but we want to know about little about you, serious or whimsical. If you have eleven cats and love them all, tell us! Don't blow us off by writing, "I prefer to let my work speak for itself." Also, if you have some connection to us, or if you were sent an encouraging rejection notice and are submitting something new by request, do mention that in your note.

We pride ourselves on reading the work solely on its own merits and are not fans of standpoint epistemology in literary journals. You are welcome even to submit anonymously or by pseudonym. That said, a bio will not work against you.

We want to know you're a real human person submitting a piece written by a real human person. We want to know the genre and word count of your piece to know what to expect, but no more than that because we don't want the reading process spoiled by a reductive summary. Anything else is gravy. Impressive publication credits might make us look twice, but we'll always judge a piece on its own merit. Just mentioning "I've been published a hundred times" isn't going to do much for us.

We want to know who the submitter is, what drives them to write, what they are passionate about, why they want to work with us and why they think we might all be a good fit for each other.
A list of previous publications isn't necessary, but we do like to see their highlights and they don't necessarily have to be the most prestigious awards and publications. It can be something that relates to crime and thrillers, or to another of our authors. We don't need to see a long list of everything the writer has written, just anything relevant to the submission.

Our first readers do not get access to cover letters, however, the editorial team would like to know any relevant social media links, and where we can read more of their work if the author has been previously published (definitely not a requirement, we love to find new authors). If the submission explores the perspective of a character from a marginalized group, we appreciate knowing if the story reflects the author's experience as someone who is also part of that group (#ownvoices).

We appreciate a brief email letter that does the following:
1. Addresses the editor
2. Briefly states what is being submitted
3. Includes a short bio
4. Has an attachment of a word document with the submission
5. Signs off politely

Cover letters are most important during the first round of reading when we are looking for work from our priority submission group. For the foreseeable future, that is people living in or displace by war zones (first) and the global climate crises front lines, particularly climate related disaster zones. We want to know how you are doing and if - and how - this experience influences your work. It doesn't have to, but we like to know.
After that, we tend to read the cover letters after we read the stories or poems to get an idea of who the writer is, if the writer is willing to tell us. It's really fine if they don't, we know you are busy people and a cover letter is an art form in itself. Writers really, truly can just say, "Please consider my (number of words) story. Thank you."

We love to know the people submitting to our publication. We like to know who the person behind it is, what they write, what made them submit, and what made them write those specific pieces that they’re submitting. It makes the submissions more meaningful and personal.

I could care less about how published someone is. The publication process is intimate; sharing your writing and being willing to revise with someone requires a high degree of trust. Cover letters give me a sense of the writer as a person. Do I want to work closely with this person for a year? I would prefer to work with an exciting but inexperienced writer on a wonderful book, than a well-known, often-published author whose ego overshadows their talent.

We ask that the author send a brief bio when submitting work; however, it plays no role in the acceptance process. We read the work first, and if we accept it, then we already have the author bio to run with the work. Cover letters should be brief, even a sentence or two is fine. Previous publication credits also do not factor into our decision to publish works as we are devoted to publishing both emerging and established authors and poets.

We like to know what else the writer has published, If the text is borderline, a previous publishing history may help.

We ask for a short bio. This should include other publications, a little bit of personal information and if they wish up to three links. One quirky fact is always welcome.

We ask for a bio and we're pleased if people thank us for considering their work. Yes we like to know about previous publications. If the submission is borderline, that they have been published previously or won competitions might persuade us to take a risk on what they're submitting here. For this call it's also important to know what experience they have of children: they should mention that they are a parent, a grandparent, a scout-leader, a teacher etc.

We have a cover letter field on our submissions form, but it is for your benefit, not ours. Use it to tell us about important context to your story - is it Own Voices or informed by a particular theme or event? We do not want to know about your publication credits, and the cover letter field is only visible to the editorial team, not the slushpile readers.

We do enjoy cover letters and want to know if the writer has been published or not.

Nothing matters to us. You can have loads of publication credits, or zero. We just want work that evokes emotion.

Don't care at all.

We read the cover letters, but they don’t play a role in determining their submission status. We don’t favor writers/artists with multiple publication credits over individuals who are just starting to publish, and vice versa.

No cover letters. If we like it we will zoom and see if our rapport is good.
Previous publication credits are a plus

We always read the work first, without looking at the cover letter.
If we like the work, then it doesn't matter who you are. If the piece isn't a good fit, it also doesn't matter who you are.
We don't care how many stories the author has published before, or where they have been published. We don't care how many awards the author has won, where they teach, where they did their MFA, how many pets they have or what their day job is.
Having said that, it is always nice to get a quick hello, an acknowledgment that the editor is taking the time to read your work and an author bio can be interesting - if for no other reason than to see names of other venues we haven't heard of before - but is not necessary.
We do like to see a healthy balance of humility and confidence.
We do take a special pride in publishing writers who have never been published before, and if this is you definitely let us know.

Credentials matter. Why are you the best person to write this book?

Nothing at all. We only look at the piece itself, since we do not believe that its value is measured by where this person has studied, worked, or published.

The guidelines specify everything we need to know about the author/artist at the outset, including a request for a 50-word biography that will be used if the submission is chosen for publication.

We love to know more about writers who send us their work. However, the writing gets first priority. Previous publication credits don't matter to us as long as we love your submission.

Your academic credentials, previous publications or workshops don't earn/ding you points in our consideration of whether to publish or not.
However, we take a positionality statement and a bio, so that if you're doing a work that critiques or collages something problematic, we know the position you're coming at that from.
We want to give your work a fair shake, so if there's something you think we should know about you that helps us understand the work, we make room for you to share that.

A short third-person bio is sufficient. And you can address your email to me, since I'm the only reader.

Just a sentence is fine, but if you want to share more, that’s up to you!

The list of previous publications is great for author bios... but no, we don't really care whether you've been published in 500 journals or have never published before. We look at the work for what it is, not in light of who's written it.

I love reading why you write and a little bit about your background. I don't care if you've been published before, but I do care that your work shows thoughtful story craft and attention to detail.

We are building community and would prefer more information than less about submitters. Achievements, awards, previous publications, social media pages and other credits are wanted and welcome. These allow us to better highlight the submitter's work, especially when we end up publishing it or if they win our Expos.

We ask that each submission includes a short cover letter, bio, and social media handles. This is to get a sense of the author and their work, and to save time later in the process as each piece we publish is accompanied by the name and bio of the author. Social handles/website links are also included if the author requests these.

When we accept work, we’re accepting both author and work. It’s an act of good faith that we will endeavour to work together to ensure we do the best we can for the author. We expect that the author enters in the same spirit.

Most editors go straight to the work then come back to the cover letter if they think the work has potential. Others read through the cover letter first which then informs how they read the work. If we know the author has been published in a litany of respected outlets, from the cover letter or otherwise, we may have certain expectations, but each piece has to stand on its own rather than solely on reputation.

We are thrilled when established authors choose to share their work with us and have many recognisable authors on our books. Equally important to us, however, is that we bring new talent through. It’s just as exciting to hear that an author was first published in Panorama. There’s no need for pretence in the cover letters. Be straightforward, clear about your intent and we’ll make sure that your work is given consideration.

I can't speak for my assistant editors, but for the first pass of our ~1500 submissions each cycle, I don't even glance at anything besides the work. I'm always on the lookout for familiar names, so that I can at least send a nice note to a former contributor, but otherwise go straight for the submission itself. Previous publications are irrelevant to us outside of our contributors' bio page, but we do love publishing a debut, so please tell us if you haven't published before. In the event that we do like the piece, it will be especially gratifying to know that.

A cover letter is helpful, but the work is the most important factor. We're interested in previous publication credits, but we're equally interested in reading the work of a writer who's brand new to sending out their work. In the end, please don't stress out about the cover letter or worry that you're addressing the "wrong" editor. We just want to read what you've written!

A friendly cover letter addressed to the editors by name is a great way to start.

I don't require cover letters, but most writers are used to sending some sort of introduction, and that's fine. I encourage writers to include previous publication credits and any awards/accolades they've received in their bios, but they bear no weight on my decisions or on my impressions of the writer.

Gosh I love to know the people behind the books. Most of the writers I work with have my number. We forge real relationships. I want to know if you prefer pie to cake, you know. I want to know why you wrote this book....what was the motivation. Publication credits do not matter as much as someone's drive to tell their story.

We enjoy a short cover letter. It should include a short (50-100 word) third person bio that lists a few of your publications. Please avoid sending long lists of previous publications.

Whoops, guess I just answered this with the last question. Again, we just want to know who you are – today. A concise cover letter addressed to the editors, with the name of your piece, the word count, its publication history (if any), and your short bio is all we need. I think the perfect submission gives us an idea of you, but does not force a carefully crafted image of you into our minds before we read. Personally, I like to imagine the person who could've written my new favorite short story, after I've finished reading it.

We do not read cover letters until we accept a piece.

We don’t need to know every detail about the person submitting, but it’s always nice to understand a bit about the person behind the work. A brief introduction or note about your creative journey or what inspired the piece can give us valuable context, especially if it helps us connect with the work on a deeper level.
As for cover letters, while they’re not mandatory, they can definitely help us get a sense of who you are as a writer or artist. We’re more interested in your voice and your story than a long list of previous publications. However, if you have past work that you’re proud of, feel free to share it’s always great to see where you’ve been, but it’s your current work that we care about the most

The enclosed bio should be sufficient.

Lists of previous publication credits aren't important; only the current submission is relevant.

Please feel free to tell us anything about you that you feel will enhance our understanding of your work. Cover notes are optional and previous publication credits don't matter in the slightest – if you've never published before we'd be honoured to read your submission and perhaps provide a first-ever home for your work.

Lists of previous writing credits don’t matter. I like to see work from both newbies and veterans in this business. A cover letter is a nice touch, though.

No, we do not care about cover letters. Previous publication credits are nice but it comes down to the quality of the work submitted, so prior experience is not a considering factor in publication.

We don't care about publication credits. All we need is a name and a valid email address. I typically read submissions blind, so I am unaware of their credentials until later.

Minimal description, where previously published always of interest.

We do read the pitches and the cover letters, but the most important part of your submission is the manuscript.
We'd love to know the relevant things about you.

We neither value nor disvalue cover letters. We care solely about the work itself—not who wrote it. If a work is accepted, we ask for a bio.

The work tells us all we really need to know, but a few tidbits about the author are always interesting! A bio doesn't influence whether or not we accept the submission, though. Keep it concise!

During the initial phase of our review, we are mainly concerned with the work itself. If the book reaches the second phase, our editorial board review, we are very interested in knowing about previous publications, author bio, marketing plans, etc.

Nothing. No bio. No name attached to the document. No cover letter. No credits. I only want to judge the work submitted.

Keep it as short and sweet as possible. We focus on the submission, not your resume.

We don't require cover letters, but it's always nice to read a little about the person behind the writing or art. One thing we'd rather not see is a summary of your piece in the cover letter--we prefer to form our own opinion while reading.

Our poetry selectors care little for name, experience, or previous accolades. They relish great poetry. They prefer to let poems stand on their own merit and select poems, not poets. Our prose selectors, however, like to get to know a bit about the artist behind the work - they prefer to get to know the person, not just their resume. For them, the story teller is as important as the story. In either case, brief personal intros are helpful in submitters emails.
In general, we like giving a platform for the previously unpublished or under-published. For our magazine publishing, though, we also strive to make sure the submitters' credentials, links, and media are included and accurate so our readers can connect and to credit the publications of previously published works.

Cover Letters should be simple if even included. A simple 'Thanks for considering my submission' means a lot to us as we want to focus our energy on your submission!

I do like a cover letter. It should not contain a synopsis of the story. We read all stories that fit our word count and are submitted following our guidelines. As such a synopsis only serves to spoil the story for us.
Publication credits have never been a good sign for us of whether or not a story, or someone's writing, will be good for us. I have noticed a trend, though: authors that list things like "Over 200 stories published" are NEVER a good fit for us. We have never once had someone send us an e-mail listing a really large number of stories published. In many ways doing so is counterintuitive: if you have published 200, 500, whatever stories... why don't I know your name? Are these quality/reputable publications? We publish our two magazines to help support writers and to read and share great stories. It feels like someone with 500 credits isn't really who we are trying to help out and it definitely comes across as bragging and not very humble. So my advice is that if you are going to list credits, list your top 3-5 most impressive ones or most recent ones and leave it at that.

I prefer a cover letter to say my name or the magazine's name or even a cursory attempt at our entity (we get a lot of cover letters addressed to other magazines, contests, editors) and something like "Thank you for your time considering my 1000-word short story." And that's it. I do like when writers include something they like about the magazine or how they found us.
I am interested in your bio, but don’t worry if you don’t have an MFA or 70 publications – these qualifications do not do any work that your writing won’t. Sometimes we get bios that are very long and very involved. Your brief background and your last few publications are what gives us the overview we need.
We absolutely do not want a summary of your work. If I cannot glean the writer’s intention from the work itself, then the writer either isn’t finished with that work or thinks we’re too dim to grasp it, neither of which are good feet to start a literary relationship. Go ahead and tell us why you’re inspired to write what you write (you love hippos!) but please don’t recap or package the work for us (an enchanted hippo rides to the rescue of a dashing princess!). It makes us feel bad.

Education, writing history, personal history.

We do not care about cover letters at this point; we care about someone submitting a short bio along with their work so we can get a glimpse into their life and work.

Cover letters, personal information, previous publication credits, and the like couldn't be more meaningless. We only care about the words. Great art can come from anyone, but not everyone.

I think this was mostly covered in the previous answer.
Publication credits sometimes matter, sometimes don't. Mostly those indicate that an author is capable of meeting deadlines and/or actively soliciting work which is usually a positive sign so I'd say include some if you have them. But if you don't that's also okay. Everyone begins somewhere.

Datura doesn't publish biographies anymore.
Just a line is necessary under the work published on Beakful or Urtica.
I may need more when the issue - in that case Datura - covers only one poet/writer. This has not happened for years now.
Obviously, this doesn't apply to the press. A short biography, essentials only, is always added at the beginning of the book.

While we do not need or expect cover letters, an introductory body in the submission email is highly appreciated. My recommendation is to introduce yourself, where you're from and your literary background. You do not need to have previous publications to be published by us, but if you have them, please provide a short list. Most importantly: introduce your submission in the email, provide the word count, and describe it in a sentence. Describe it so we understand how you see your submission fitting in with our magazine.

It really doesn't matter to me if the writer is established or new. I do like if people tell me their name!

We enjoy cover letters, but only ask for a short bio and headshot. A list of publication credits isn't necessary.

Cover letters can be helpful! But are definitely not necessary. Previous pub credits are a plus.

Not really. We like a few words about what the author has written to date.

The most important points about their writing. Hence the 75 word bio.

A cover letter is always nice since we receive email submissions, but a bio is totally optional. Even then, we usually don't look at bios until after we've made a determination on a piece. Whatever the case, we aren't going to publish anything based on an author's or an artist's bio. If it's not a right fit for us, it's not a right fit.

If you've been previously published, it's nice to know. It's also nice to know, generally, where you are located, or if you are a student. We don't need a lengthy, formal bio, but we like to have some idea of who we are working, or potentially working, with. We will Google you.

We want to know as much as the submitter feels comfortable disclosing. We do like to put emphasis on our submitters when publishing their work and will welcome and encourage submitters sharing more about their inspiration, their work and themselves, as well as their social media presence. We, likewise, respect our submitters desires regarding their identities, appearance of their persona in our publication and desires for anonymity.
We love cover letters where the submitters talk about their work and inspiration behind it.
We welcome previous publication credits, because we like our submitters proud of creating, showing their creations and talking about them.

I like to get some sense of who the writer is. The cover letter has almost nothing to do with whether a submission gets accepted or not, but it is the first impression — if it’s poorly written or full of typos, you have me going into your submission in a negative frame of mind.
Having short stories placed in respectable literary magazines is always taken as a good sign, but we are happy to publish someone with no publication credits if the work is good.

Cover letters can offer the editors insight that helps us see the context of work. Long lists of publications don’t sway us, though knowing someone has been published before never hurts. But we’re also interested in writers who have never been published before. Telling us what compelled them to write or why or when they got started might be more intriguing than a long list of previous publications.

We don't need much information about the author -- I don't care what pets you have or how many kids or that you lived in Texas before moving to Arizona. If you have publication credits, it's worth mentioning, since it means other editors have judged your work worthy of publication before, which makes it more likely that I'll feel the same way. (A lack of credits doesn't mean your work isn't publication-worthy, but the existence of credits, especially from impressive publishers, might suggest it is.) If other authors whose work I know and admire have had positive things to say about your writing, that can be good to know -- they might have said those things as a personal favor or out of kindheartedness, but they might legitimately have thought your work was outstanding, so it can't hurt to share if they said that. If you have personal expertise that's relevant to the subject matter of your book, that can sometimes be interesting to know -- "I wrote a novel about a jewel heist and I've spent 20 years working in Interpol to foil exactly this sort of heist" or "...and I'm the world's leading expert on gems and minerals" or whatever. But mostly a book needs to speak for itself, so no need to spend too much time crafting a biography for the cover letter.

No bios needed. By all means say hey. Definitely mention if you read/dig Punk Monk. Definitely mention if we've published you before. (We've been around since 2012 and may not remember you!)
Prove you're human.
That's about it.

We do not care if this is your first or two hundred and first work. Its actually better if it's your first because we want new writers who need help getting established. So long as we get to say we were the first to publish your story submitted to us for bragging rights. We like to have enough for an authorial blurb plus any relevant links to your site or other works if published.

We don’t require or look for a cover letter, but we appreciate it when an author tells us their connection with West Michigan (if they have one). We also encourage our submitters to use the cover letter as a way to let us know if they're open to receiving feedback on their submission - specifically, if they're open to suggested edits and/or rewrites.

Nothing. And I don't want to know anything else. Unless their name is Stephen King or Clive Barker, I don't care how many stories they've published, how many degrees they have, where they teach writing, or any other egocentric trope they feel they just MUST tell me about.

cover letters can help us determine to what degree the writer or artist resonates with our mission
previous publication credits are not as important

Cover letters aren't necessary but are appreciated! If you have been published before, brag about it, congratulations!

We don't care about previous submissions. Short cover letters are preferable. Bios should be two or three sentences, max. In fact, someone should do seminary or lecture at a writer's conference about how to write bios for magazines.

I always ask for a brief bio, maybe something about where they grew up, and how they became interested in writing. I'd like to know the highlights of other publications that published his work, and also his website. At the end of each issue, I publish the bios, including the website, which should garner some good publicity for the author.

While I've emphasized submissions etiquette in my previous answers, it actually only applies to those who choose to write a cover letter. Annulet doesn't require them. I don't really need to know lifestyle facts, like pets' names, beyond where you perhaps went to school. Publication credits are useful to me not for prestige-chasing, as the big ones don't necessarily impress or persuade me, but instead to see what other journals or presses you've read and thought your work would fit with. It tells me more about various writing scenes than it does about your specific work, more often than not :)

Extensive cover letters aren't necessary, but a bio note with previous publications is helpful because other literary journals benefit from the "shout-out."

Although we do include cover letters as a mandatory field in our submission guidelines, they will never make or break a submission. Same goes for lists of publications--all we focus on during our submission process is the creative work itself.

Yes, we care about cover letters but previous credits not so much. We'd love to be the first place the writer has published!

This part is totally up to you, what do you want to share with us? **Note -- we love hearing which country you are writing from, as we are always amazed at how far Fireworks has spread.

Brief cover letters are helpful later in the process. The first read-through is always anonymous, but after that it is helpful to have a little background.

If someone sends a submission with no cover letter--and by that I mean no email message at all accompanying his or her story--I'm predisposed to think said person is sloppy and not very serious about writing. These preconceptions are usually borne out by the work. On the other hand, I don't spend much time reading cover letters, and if one is interesting enough to catch my attention, it's often not for the right reasons. My advice, therefore, is to keep the "letter," which should really just be a note in the text of the email, short and to the point. Explaining what the piece is about or providing a synopsis is probably a waste of time--unless you want to convince me there's no reason to actually read the piece in question!

We ask for a short bio and a list of publications, but we also like a website link where we can learn more about the submitter.

Definitely send a cover letter that includes previous publication credits. That said, this does not affect my consideration of your submission.

A little introduction and background info on the writer is nice. We always ask where a piece was written so that’s already a good bit of information. Previous publications aren’t the most important thing, but mentioning one or two journals you’ve been published in can help give us a better picture. If you’ve got a lot of previous publications though don’t list all the hundred journals, just pick three or four that you’re proud of.

We don't find cover letters to be necessary. But if you do feel like sending one, please mention a few places that have accepted your work in the past. Where you went to school or how many times you've been published means nothing to us.

We read all cover letters. We want to know a little bit about the authors we publish. And, from time to time, we publish cover letters if they are interesting enough and approach art. Authors should list publications, but we are not swayed by credentials. Just the work.

We are very interested in the people who submit to us, so we always read the cover letters we receive with great attention. We try to offer specific opportunities matching artists' needs and profiles and help them get ahead. We are preparing to launch some of our own special prizes, competitions, and deals for artists in the near future, so stay tuned for that!

We don't need to know too much about the person submitting. A short cover letter including a list of the work submitted and a *brief* bio is welcome, but not required. We read everything that comes across the transom; we don't screen based on previous publication credits.

We definitely like to know something about the person who is submitting to us and we ask for a bio of up to 75 words. This should focus on current and forthcoming lit mag credits, books of fiction or poetry already published, and any other writing-related work. Also of interest are their social media details and links to their website. Information about a person's day job, where they're from, where they live, other artistic pursuits, etc., is also welcome. Authors who are starting out will not be able to produce a long list of credits. That's okay, we all have to has to start somewhere. A cover letter in itself is not necessary. Some authors send only an attachment of the story and bio. This is fine as long as we get the essential information: eg. full name, title of story, word count. Some authors confirm that their submission has never been published and whether or not it's a simultaneous submission.

I want to know as little as possible. Only the writing matters, so I'd rather not be influenced by any details about the person submitting. For this reason, we don't ask for a cover letter. I aim to be impartial in the screening process, and for the final round of judging, all names and personal details are removed to ensure this high level of fairness. (Michelle Barker usually does the judging.)

Nope!

Honestly, we don't care how much you have been published. We only care if it's well crafted, fits our theme, if it has been published before, and where they are from so, we can include this with their piece.

You cannot petition the SORTES with prayer!: nor resume nor passionate screed shifts our needle to Yay or Nay. We read coverletters last, if then, after we've voted. We love to publish an incredibly diverse range of authors and artists, and we do believe experience is important, but we're equally joyed to meet the previously unpublished. We are not professionals; we are talented amateurs.

We want to learn about the writer behind the work.
Also, include a short summary/synopsis of the project.

No. We actually don't even see the cover letter until after we've made a decision on the work since we read things anonymously. We ask for a third-person bio on the submission form just to streamline the publication process for accepted works but that's honestly all you need to include in that section.

We need our contributors to attach a short biography or resume (30-50 words) and their photograph ( only if they are comfortable sharing it) along with their submission as we display the resume and photograph along with the featured work. We also need them to certify that their work is their own and has not been published elsewhere.

We don't require cover letters or need to know anything about the author's status or previous publications. We do expect authors to have a background in anthropology and/or ethnography.

A cover letter is always nice I do prefer some manners.
I'm not a machine so say hello first.
Please read the guidelines.
A bio and publication credits always matters to me you have to take this serious and if you don't take your submission serious why should I?
But just because you have a big list of credits does not mean your getting in again, it's about the work to me.
So please submit.

Enough to say something nice and relevant in Dreamstreets' "front piece," in the opening pages of each publication

We don't consider cover letters or artist bios at all alongside works.

We do care about cover letters, because we do like to see that you're actively engaged with the literary community and writing. However, publishing credits do not affect the decision-making process about a piece.

Cover letters are optional; they're interesting but in no way dispositive.

We care about cover letters! We've never rejected a piece of writing because of anything we've learned in a cover letter, but we have accepted pieces from authors that help expand the scope of our journal and the representation it contains.

Our submissions are generally read and considered without publication history in mind.

I enjoy reading the cover letters, but in most cases they aren't necessary.

Our passion is writing. Show that it's yours.

Credits from other journals tell me nothing about the quality of the piece, whether they are from the New Yorker or Ten Stapled Xeroxes. But a list of some kind does tell me that you are active in your writing. No one will be chosen or disqualified because of a list or lack thereof, however. Tell me something personal and interesting about your latest visit to a gallery, art in your home, or how art changed your writing.

Everything. Previous publications are interesting but ultimately bear no relevance to the final decisions our editors make.

Previous publications don't really matter to us. We love experience authors and new authors if there is a story to tell, and we enjoy it. While personal information isn't necessary, we do love knowing a bit about the author when we can! A well-put-together bio helps us get an idea of who you are and where your story might be coming from. It is by no means a dealbreaker, though we do enjoy having the bios and potentially social links up front!

We do not use bios or take into consideration references. We think our process is democratic. We do print the city , state (and country) of the writer in the publication. We find bios interesting but they do not influence us. It is good to let us know if you are a prisoner, but not details on reason why.

What, where, why

No. Don't care.

While cover letters are welcome, we attend to the work itself.

We don't require cover letters, but a short third-person bio is needed in the case of acceptance. Previous publication credits don't matter to us--we're an undergraduate journal, so first-time publications are common.

No. Make them short, sweet, and proofed.

We like them, but we don't need them. If we accept the piece, we'll ask for a bio.
Often we try to read the submissions blind.

We enjoy reading cover letters that give us a sense of the person, but a cover letter is not necessary. Previous publication credits are not determinative. We do like to list titles of books in our "Contributors Exchange."

No.

Cover letter with geographical location, previous publications if any, bio, curriculum

Cover letters describing the story are hit and miss. We read them all, but don't expect them and are not influenced by them. A good bio should include a list of previous publications, where the submitter is from (town, state, country etc... because we like to promote our international/borderless bona fides), if they have a 'day job' or 'night gig' or other ways of earning a living besides their art, and what they are working on currently/next.

I definitely appreciate cover letters. If nothing else, it shows me the writer actually took the time to think of something thoughtful to say, even if it’s just a generic “Dear editor…”

We care much less about cover letters than we do about the submission itself. A brief cover letter naming the piece with a bio listing previous publications is plenty. Previous publications do not matter to us—our associate editors judge solely on the basis of the quality of the story you've submitted (however, we will use your bio in the case that the piece is published).

We like casual cover letters and interesting bios, but we don't mind if there isn't a cover letter either.

Keep it short and sweet: provide the basics [Title, wordcount] (This helps me sort stories for reading and budget my time) If you have particular personal, cultural or professional expertise that you utilized in the story in some way, do mention it.
I don’t “weigh” submissions based on previous publications, but it’s nice to know if you have them. If you haven’t been published, don’t mention it and I won't miss it. Conversely, I don’t need the titles of all 200 of your previous publications. Just pick your best 3.

We do not read blind. We welcome information about our writers. That said, we do not need a ten page resume about all your accomplishments. Pertinent information - what you can tell us succinctly about your career or occupation and what you can tell us about who you are outside of that occupation. Publication credits, within reason, are good. But that isn't all of who you are. Are you a lawyer who teaches scuba-diving to seniors? Let us know. Are you a surgeon who competes in dressage? Tell us. Reveal the most interesting and the best about yourself both within the writing world and outside of it. We want to see a glimpse of the whole human being.

We want to know your previous publications. A few respectable journals will induce a closer read. And a 2-3 sentence literary bio.

Cover letters aren't necessary, although it's always helpful to know a little more about the writer's background.

We appreciate cover letters, including publication credits, but mostly we want to know a submitter's relationship to the Finger Lakes and how they found out about us.

Your author bio isn't hugely important, as the actual submissions are read blind.

We don't require cover letters and encourage readers to assess the writing first, even if a submitter includes one, for equity reasons. If there's something important about your background--you're writing about tar sands workers and you once worked in the tar sands, for example--we're glad to know that!

We do not want to know much about submitters. Previous publishing credits are only slightly important.

We read cover letters, but in terms of publication credits, Invisible City is equally inclined toward emerging and established writers. Our ultimate concern is the work itself. We want Invisible City to continue to grow in terms of diversity and inclusion, and we encourage writers to include any background statement in their cover letter that offers insight into their work.

We are interested in a biography of the writer, but cover letters are not necessary. Previous publications help us understand where you are in your journey as a writer, but if you don't have any, that's cool too. Building a relationship with a writer and growing along with them is important to us.

50 words max. I want to know what you find interesting about yourself. Could be awards and previous publications, could be your bizarre collection of garden gnomes. I'm here for it.

I do glance at them despite myself. Publication in journals I admire biases me toward the piece, but it's the piece itself that counts for 100 percent of the decision.

Cover letters are fine as long as they aren't too long. Previous publication credits matter little. We are interested in the quality of the work itself, not in the previous accomplishments of the writer/artist.

Cover letters are helpful, however, we do not read them until after we have reviewed the poetry/fiction. We are interested in publishing credentials because we like to know where to find more of a contributor's work. We do not need to know about your educational background. Neither of these (publishing history, education) influence our decision making process.

We have an entry form that does require your name (and pen name if a writer), address, phone and email. (we call our finalists on the phone)
On publication credits, yes, this is important. If you are a professional - making your living at illustrating, you cannot enter. This is for up-and-coming artists.
Writers cannot have a traditional publishing contract for one or more NOVELs (advance payment, royalties deal). (you are over qualified to enter if you do)
Self-publishing and vanity publishing (you pay them to publish you) do not count against you here. The only time self-publishing that would disqualify you is if you are supporting yourself with your self-publishing. Some people do, but the majority do not.
You cannot have more than three short stories published that earned you professional rates and that have over 5,000 sales.

We ask people to complete a Google Form upon submission. This includes a one-sentence bio, pronouns, and the name they wish to be credited with. We are happy to publish pieces that have previously been accepted into other publications, but we don't require a full cover-letter or CV.

Don't care a bit. When a cover letter comes in handy is after we have been impressed with the submission.

We would love to know directly from the author how their submission relates to our published genres. With four unique genres, sometimes it can be difficult to parse how a submission fits into our themes. For personal information, the standard third-person bio under 100 words is lovely.

We love hearing about the lives of our submitters; it makes sorting through submissions feel much more human. Of course, we don't want your entire life story described in pages and pages of detail, but a little bit of information about your life will never hurt your chances with us. As for what we ardently recommend you include, a short cover letter is sufficient. Include the name of the story, its genre, length, and a few previous publication credits if applicable.

I am not particularly interested in cover letters as I read submissions before I open their associated emails. The magazine requires a short biographical statement and a profile image so I expect these to be attached or included, but otherwise I am happy with a brief hello. I've rejected submissions from well-known established names then accepted work from writers with no publication credits. The submission should speak for itself.

I prefer not to know anything about the submitter. I, too, can be influenced by a writer's bio. I prefer to read the work, then ask for a bio if the submission is suitable for the podcast.

The work stands alone! I don't need to know anything about the person submitting, I just want to read the work.

We don't need to know anything about the writers because the jury read anonymously. So we don't ask for a bio or credits; it doesn't matter. LISP is open to all writers from around the world and at any level of their careers.

Names and bios are hidden from our genre editors until a piece is declined or accepted. The only time we care about credits is when we prepare layout for an issue--then we want a succinct, 50-word bio. That's all.

LEJ likes to see bios included with the submission that reflect the tone of the submission and extend the reader's experience of the piece.

I'm always curious about the people submitting, but I don't always read cover letters until I've read the actual submission. Previous publication credits don't matter in terms of selection - I've published people who had none. What matters most is the quality of the writing and how well it fits with the particular project and other selected pieces (if applicable). But again, I do have a curiosity and I will be suitably impressed if you've been published in a big name outlet. It won't affect my decision though.
That being said, if cover letters sound arrogant or rude, that will put me off.

We're not really interested in prestigious MFA programs and long lists of previous publications. Feel free to include all that, but we base our decisions entirely on the quality of the submission. Otherwise, all you need is a standard, professional cover letter.

Of course it's nice when you can see an author has a strong publication history, but it's the quality of the story you're reading in the present that really counts.

We want to know the author's name, pen name if any, mailing address, email address and telephone contact which we use if we have questions about the submission, to notify the author of acceptance or rejection and to assist the carrier in delivery of contributor copies. We ask for a short bio and a hi-res photo with submissions. That is the only information we require. If the writer is a member of a professional writer's organization and wants to list that, it is an indication that they understand the process and will interact with us professionally, but it's certainly not required. The same can be said for previous publishing credits.

Nothing much. We don't publish author bios.

Name, address and title of story are the only things that matter; previous publishing history is not necessary but I have no problem with it.

We like cover letters, but keep them short and sweet. It's helpful to address the editors if you can. A short list of publication credits is fine. We like to know who you are and where you're coming from.

The honest answer here is no, and we don't especially care about previous publication credits. We choose what we publish based on the quality of the writing, not the resume of the writer.

Cover letters are a way to be civil in an increasingly uncivil world. We care very much about the person submitting a piece and we want to know something of them. Say "hello"---be a human!

We don't need to know much about you. A 50-100 word biography is plenty.

We prefer not to know too much about the person submitting in order to avoid bias in our selection process.

The cover letter is not a factor in our decision-making process, but we do appreciate when the editors are addressed correctly (not as "Dear Sirs"---which has happened!), and when submitters follow the guidelines (i.e., including a 3-sentence bio). Previous publication credits may be included in the bio, of course, but we are delighted when we have the chance to publish a writer's first story or poem.

Laundry lists of credits are boring. My personal bias is to judge a piece only on its merits. Ax murderers and anti-social gnomes are equally encouraged to submit. Just make sure the cover letter specifies the title and your name.

We love cover letters. More information about an entrant gives them something beyond a name, and we feel a connection. To know the author is a 90 year old grandmother or a 16 year old schoolboy from Japan or Iceland adds an element of joy to our days. However, obviously, the readers and judges have no access to such information; each stoy is judged on its literary merits alone. Lists of previous credits does interest us of course, but serves only our curiosity.

A cover letter that include a brief bio is helpful to place the submission in context.

I do like cover letters. Tell me about your day. I've mentioned before though - your previous publication credits don't mean anything here. What matters here is the submission at hand, and is it coming to the right magazine. Most folks who have read this far already know there's another magazine they'll submit exactly the same material to that will accept it. And that's good!

I enjoy a well-written cover letter. It lets me know what kind of experience a person has. That's not to say that I won't publish new authors because ultimately it comes down to the writing and the story.

Mainly, in the cover letter, we don't have any particular guidelines because we personally feel cover letters are there to convey a message from the submitter to the publisher. Submitters can feel free to pour their hearts out about their submissions or about themselves. As a team full of writers and artists we do understand our submitter's feelings and therefore we do take out our time to read their cover letters with the utmost respect.
Moreover, we request our submitters to do send us their bio max. 150 words in the third person. Please feel free to list all your previous publications as well. Once again, keep in mind that we cannot exceed the word limit of 150 words for biographical statements. So we suggest only mentioning your most prestigious works.

I love a concise, interesting bio. (And please remember the CONCISE part.) I'm interested in who you are—and it doesn't matter if you've had a ton of publications, or none at all, as our competition winners and honorable mentions have included plenty of each. If you want to give me a list of your previous publications, I don't need them all—just a few of the ones you're proudest of. As for your biographical information . . . focus on the important and, I repeat, INTERESTING things you can say about yourself. I don't need to know the names of all your household pets, for instance. ;)

We ask for the basics: story title and word-count, your contact information, and a short (under 75 word) bio. We don't care about anything else. Whether it's your first story or your thousandth, the story itself is all that counts. Sometimes, people list tons of previous publications, awards, etc, and it's utterly irrelevant. It won't sway us one way or another. We just don't care about anything but the quality of the story.

I like a cover letter with personality, and it may make a difference in how much we are willing to work with you on rewrites. As far as publication credits, we are just as likely to accept someone previously unpublished as we are someone who has been in the New Yorker.

Name, email, address, 50-word bio, word count or art credits (depending on medium submitted), and how you heard about Reed Magazine. No need for cover letters.

Cavar: This was answered in previous questions, but briefly: we love, but do not require, cover letters; the best cover letters to us let us know the name and pronouns of the author, the title and word count of the piece, and whether or not the piece is a simultaneous submission. As for author bios, we welcome them, and encourage you to tell us where you've been published before. We especially welcome writers to self-identify as teen/emerging writers and/or previously-unpublished, as we love to publish people new to the community.
Please don't explain your story/poem(s) to us in your cover letter. We're already about to read them!

It's great to have a bit of background, but the writing usually speaks for itself. If we accept a story, we'll ask for more details, but it doesn't affect the process of our story reviews at all. We're as excited to produce someone's first masterpiece as we are to publish an established legend (maybe even moreso).

Yes, I would prefer to have a short cover letter rather than just the submission itself. Perhaps explain why you've chosen to send these pieces to us. Previous publications are not as important as the reason for submission to our journal specifically.

Cover letters can be useful. And publication credits can help - but ultimately we're interested in the current work.

Cover letters mean nothing unless you write a better one than the material you just submitted. Then we have a problem. I want a short bio submitted to save staff time. But I judge on writing alone. Don’t care about credits, colleges or community teach-in’s.

We do not ask for a cover letter. We only request that you fill out our submission form completely and correctly.
All of our submissions are judged blind, so we do not know the author's name, gender, nationality, etc. We don't know whether they're already a famous author or if this is their first submission. Everyone is given an equal chance to send us their best work and perhaps to win.

Previous publications don't hold a ton of sway with us. Yes, we'll be impressed if you won the Pushcart Prize, but your story still has to fit our guidelines. However, we're also genuinely excited to read work by previously unpublished authors. We've had the pleasure of being quite a number of authors' first publication credit.

We ask authors to send us a cover letter with a bio and any links to their social media. We don't necessarily care if you've been published before, although we do aim to publish the best up-and-coming authors in SFF today.

We want to know if they are up for being active on social media - especially writing a blog. Previous publication credits are less relevant than the ability to actively participate in promotion and collaborate with your fellow MX authors.

We care more about the piece. It's nice to know sometimes if a writer has been published elsewhere because we really like featuring new writers, but their history doesn't really matter. What's important is the present and whether the piece will still be making us feel and wonder and think in the future.

Cover letters are fine, especially if the author wants to explain something about their submission. If the piece is accepted, we will request an author bio of no more than 60 words.

Most moms communicate well, so there is nothing more we seek when someone is contacting us. We don't need a list of previous publications unless they would like it included in their bio if we publish their work.

Cover letters are fine, as is a short author biography. A summary of the submitted story is not necessary, indeed we would prefer to approach each piece as blind to its content as possible.

As much as we love to know about our contributors, entries are judged objectively by the editors who receive them.
Previous publications in magazines serve as an exciting prospect to us, but they do not affect our negotiation with the quality of the pieces.

We enjoy reading cover letters because they're a window into the world of flash fiction writing, and seeing publication credits is nice, but we don't judge the fiction on that basis.

We care about the writing, not the past credits. We've had winners that have never been published before as well as veterans. I don't share cover letters with the judges. Basically, I ignore them because we didn't ask for them. Make sense?

Who you are matters - we want to showcase a diversity of voices and narratives - but just as important is the quality of the writing and the work. Does it say something new? Does it say something that only the author can say and yet speaks to our shared humanity?

No. Every story is judged on its own merits, or lack thereof. We make a point of not looking at introductions until after we've decided on a story.

We read the submissions first and the work is paramount. However, we’re happy to learn a bit about the submitter, including some prior awards and publications (we don’t need all of them!). We appreciate brief cover letters and bios.

Each of our editors is different. Some read cover letters after the piece. Some read them first, mainly because our submission form asks about your dogs. Jenn has a dog whose breath is like an exploded rendering plant, and we enjoy reading canine bios that top that. Previous pub credits do not matter to us.

That is a funny question. Like most people we are nosy. A little note, maybe a sentence or two, with your submission is always nice.
We do not want bios or blurbs. They are dull, mostly irrelevant, and at 20 pages we don't have room for them.

While we appreciate learning more about submitters—including their publication history—in the end, we care most about the energy and quality of the writing. However, we do find cover letters to be helpful tools for creating a more inclusive and expansive catalogue, which our journal is committed to now more than ever.

We love reading about our potential contributors! We don't require a cover letter but it's always lovely to get one.
Previous publications aren't important to us at all, we read the submission before we read the email and we judge based on the piece itself, not the prior publications.

Cover letters aren't that important to Furrow.

While a cover letter is nice, we do not require one. We do ask for a short bio, and a short list of previous publications does inspire confidence that the writer is professional in his/her/their approach, and that the piece will likely meet submission guidelines. That said, we have published plenty of first time authors and artists and enjoy working with talented, emerging writers and artists too.

For me personally, no. I don't read cover letters until after I've read the submission, and even then usually only after I've decided I like the work. Some of the editors in our collectives like to read bios and publications first, though.

we appreciate brief cover letters, as we appreciate any kind of polite communication and personal approach.
when we accept or reject the submission, though, we look at the writing, not the credits.

All submissions are blind. We do however want a short biography which we can use in case of publication.

While knowing a bit about the writer helps us contextualize the writing, we appreciate writers that let the work mostly speak for itself. Accolades and previous publications are natural cover letter inclusions, but we don't pay them much attention. And we love, selfishly, being the first to publish a writer's work!

I only need to know the author's name. The story will speak for itself.

We want to know more than do many other literary journals. Simply speaking, we want to know the writer’s or poet’s relationship to mental illness: self, family member, or friend. We ask that our submitters share this with us and be willing to let us at least mention it in their biography. Some writers and poets have found this awkward but those who reach out to us knowing our mission do not shy from sharing this information. This is what we’re about.

Name, address, and email (and telephone - for preference, although not vital). That's all we need at the submission stage. If your work is selected for publication then we'll ask you for further information.

Nothing. It’s all about the words in front of us, not about previous accolades or publications.

A brief, 2-3 sentence bio always helps. Previous publication credits are useful, but we sometimes run pieces by people who are starting out who are passionate about a particular book or author.

In many ways, the cover letter is the least important part of the submission. If we like a piece, we would never reject it simply because of a sloppy cover letter or a dearth of publication credits. In fact, we’d be excited about publishing an excellent “unknown” writer. My advice for cover letters is that less is more: if you have some publications, please let us know about them, but you don’t need to do much more than that.

We’re more interested in quality than we are in where the writer or artist has published before, whether they have an MFA, etc. That being said, we have long been committed to diversity and inclusiveness, so biographies are important to us when making final decisions. We are strong supporters of gender parity and will continue to publish writing from underrepresented voices. Don’t be afraid to include this biographical information in your cover letter if you feel comfortable doing so.

We appreciate a short cover letter and bio. Previous publication credits are welcome too, though a complete list is unnecessary.

I mainly would like to know if the person who submitted to us has a history of problematic actions (for example: racism, sexual assault, homophobia, transphobia, etc.). There should be no place for bigots, abusers, and the like in the literature and arts communities, or any community for that matter, and we stand in complete solidarity with the #saferlitcommunity. As for how publication credits, it's nice but irrelevant. We are just as excited to be a writer's first, or second, or third publication to a new or emerging writer as we would be for like the 500th publication for a well-established writer. For Cover Letters, just read our submission guidelines, drop in with a little hello, your bio, and it's fine.

A list of previous publications matters because it demonstrates a professionalism. The writing could be anything from comic books to blogging to dry academia. It shows that the author can sit down day after day and write, accept critical feedback and make changes, and respond to the readers.
The cover letter is a good idea because it forces authors to reduce the story to 2 or 3 sentences, while also making it sound incredibly interesting.

While cover letters provide a window into the artist's life and work, we connect more fully with artists after work is selected. We gather biographical information and photographs, and feature artist interviews along with publication.

We will read your cover letter. Keep it simple. Include an email address.

Yes, cover letters are polite and they are like a handshake--or these days, like a COVID nod. Yes, previous publications help also.

As little, or as much, as you want to tell us. We’ll get to know you through your work and you participation in the forum.

We ask for just a bio—and that’s mostly in case of acceptance so we already have it on hand. Honestly, we don’t even look at who’s sending it until after we’ve read the story. The work is what counts—although we do like some experience, so that they know how to work with an editor and what that process entails.

Nah. Though I would love to know if this is your first publication!

Just a line or two to identify themselves (where the writer is from, profession if they want, etc.), and if we publish their work, we will definitely want a bio with publication credits.

When submitting, we ask for a short bio and social media links. This has no factor in your acceptance as our editors edit without this information. We only ask for publication purposes so we can share with others who you are and where to find you.

how much do we want to know? if they hijacked a twa jet, or worked in the peace corp, or were a war crimes investigator (as some of our contributors have been or done), that always gets a reader's attention.
in talking about previous publications, they are useful in that if we accept the pce, then the previous publications can be used for a bio. but it's much better to do a page break at the end of the piece, & then add a very brief bio & biblio. & don't forget: name, address, email... & if there is a translator, or translators: their name, address, email...

All you cover letter needs to state is the title of your story, its length and whether it has been previously published. If you require feedback, state so clearly.
I don’t need your bio or list of publications and prefer not to read any of those if supplied. I don’t choose submissions by your previous work, only by my experience of it as I read it.

All we want from the poet is the poem. Selection is made by seeing the poems only, not the gender, locale, or publishing history of the submitter. We do have a space on our submission forms for a short bio or cover letter and we enjoy reading them. We do not publish these in the magazine but we do feature some of them on our website.

We do not ask for cover letters or publication credits.

The best cover letter is short and sweet: four-five sentences about who the writer is as a writer, with some previous credits (if applicable). The work is what matters. If the writer has never been published before and we love their work, we are happy to be their first publication credit.

We just want to see the work that the author considers their best writing! We take geographical diversity into consideration and therefore request their home undergraduate institution, but the work itself takes precedence. Our journal is meant to be a platform for both exploration and excellence. We embrace experienced authors who include past publications or their inspiration/writing process in cover letters but equally look for those who have never been published, just started creative writing, or are looking for feedback on how to improve their writing.

We do print a short bio with the pieces we publish but don't make editorial decisions based on that and don't pay attention to previous credits. We like pieces that represent voices we haven't heard before and solicit pieces from throughout the world, not just Chicago.

Previous publication credits are not something we prioritize. We have published a range of authors, both emerging and established writers, but are not biased by the author's publications because we read the writer's work before reading their bios.

That information is on the website, and since it's a blind judging at the finals stage, cover letters and previous publication credits don't matter to us.

We'll ask for an author's bio if we want one.

Just a brief bio and a listing of publications -- which isn't to say we don't love emerging artists, too. Every published writer has a first!
We link to our featured authors' social media sites, so those addresses should be included in the bios of accepted submissions.

Succinct cover letters and a one-paragraph professional bio are fine. Attached CVs are fine, but not necessary.

We do accept cover letters, but they are optional. List of previous publication credits are ultimately not taken into consideration in our review process. We accept writers both new and experienced.

Not in the slightest. It's nice to see, if only because we may go read those pieces if we love the submission, just for fun. But neither the cover letters nor prior submissions impact our reading.

We appreciate a brief note of introduction, which will help us gauge whether you’re actually targeting our little publication or just sending the same submission to every email address you could find on the Internet. Publication credits are fine but mostly ignored — chances are good that most of the publications will be as obscure as ours, and we’ll never have heard of them.

We are open to as little or as much biographical information as authors care to provide. There's no guarantee we'll read/use all of it, however.

Previous publications are nice, but they don't bare anything as to whether the story your submitting can stand on its own. So, I like to see some credentials- if they've published in science fiction magazines, or been nominated for awards. Blogs and websites are helpful if the submitter has them, but please don't send me a cover letter with a list of 18 stories you've published, or self-published novels. I won't read it anyway.
If you write a story about biology and you are a biologist- tell me that.

I like a polite, straightforward cover letter with a short bio included in the body of the email. Occasionally, if I’m really torn about a piece, I’ll consider those past publications—maybe even check one or two out. But generally, it’s all about the submission that’s been sent to us.

Having said what I did about cover letters, the most important things to us are text-related: the genre and title of the piece you're submitting; whether it's been simultaneously submitted; if it has been previously published (we don't accept work that has been). Beyond that, we try to read as "blind" as possible--if a piece strikes us as particularly provocative, it can be useful to know the writer's stake in the matter but that usually gets sorted out during acceptance.

Most of us read submissions without reading the submitter’s bio first, but a brief bio is often helpful/interesting to us. Mostly, the work needs to stand out. Some of our pieces come from award-winning, established writers, and others from fresh, emerging writers as young as sixteen.

A normal "Author Bio" blurb is sufficient. We don't care if you wrote one of the books of the Bible. Your submitted story will be judged on its own merits.

We love to have a biog for the site and to learn more about the writer AFTER we have read their submission. We generally tend to read the work before looking at anything else. Even if we know your name, we try to focus on the writing alone. We have rejected work by writers we know because we have to make a connection with the writing first and foremost!

Not much--let the work speak for itself (however, make sure to indicate genre of submission please!)

We like cover letters, because we are genuinely interested in our poets! That said, they're not required. A long list of previous publication credits and awards isn't going to help you and, to be honest, I often skip those. Include just a few of the publications or achievements that you feel best represent who you are as a writer. Let us know if you're a previous contributor, and don't be afraid to tell us if you've never been published before.

A quick introduction is sufficient, no need to get elaborate unless you want to. We enjoy knowing where our writers are geographically based (location is still everything, isn't it?), as well as what motivated them to start writing in the first place.

We don't worry much about cover letter. If the submitted work doesn't singularly captivate us, there's nothing more a cover letter can do to impress; and if we love the work, we'll get to know you after acceptance, in the publication process.

I need a short 100 word bio. Cover letters are not important, nor are previous publication details unless they affect the rights pertaining to the story being submitted.

I'd like to know in detail of course because we want to develop a relationship with the submitter but we do not care about cover letters. What matters is the depth of the story. Previous publication credits is welcomed but not needed.

I, personally, do like to read cover letters. I like to keep track of who is sending to us, where they are at in their careers, and what they know about our journal. However, my staff cares very little. They are all undergrads, so they're pretty nonplussed about other publications. But as young ambitious writers, they're also interested in being a venue that's keen on discovering new talent.

We care about cover letters, but they don't make any difference in judgment of your art. Please include them! We like to know more about our contributors! But your work has to stand on its own.

We do care about cover letters, because we are trying to showcase emerging artists and writers as well as those from underrepresented communities. But we want to publish these contributors side-by-side with more established writers and artists, so we are also interested in publication and exhibit credits.

Although it contributes little to our decision of whether to accept or decline a submission, for us the cover letter is important. We ask that the cover letter from both writers and artists contain a short professional third-person biography (up tp 100 words) for publication with the submission in the event it is accepted. We also ask that submitters include in the cover letter any links to personal and commercial sites where their works are available in order that we might more effectively promote them. We ask our artists to include a description of the submitted artwork, including title, medium, size, and date of completion.

As a publication that judges blind, we don't immediately need to know anything about you. One of our goals was to create a magazine not driven by publication credits, but the quality of the work. We aren't interested in cover letters, but we do like a thoughtful, brief, bio to work with after we've accepted work.

I do not care if the system has bestowed publication on you. I'm also not interested in where you went to school. Information about you should help inform me about the lens through which I read your work. No politics is bad politics.

I think it's important to know about the author, yes. Even if they are a debut author. Everyone has their own story after all. Although a few hundred words will suffice!

Less is more. Mystery is good. Epic-length bios take up an enormous amount of room. The best bio contains a line about the author on a deeper level, four or five favorite previous publications, a note concerning existing books, and a link to the author's website.

Nothing. We don't care at all. We don't care about your identity, we don't care about your past publications, awards, successes. We just care about the story that you've sent us.

Previous publication credits matter when they are relevant to the work we publish at Bluestem (if your work was selected for Best of the Net or BASS won a Pushcart or an O. Henry or an award from a literary magazine, or if you publish in journals whose work we admire, of course we want you to tell us! Especially if you're female-identifying--please don't be afraid to brag.) On the other hand, we love to discover new writers who've never published before. We definitely want to brag on you if this is your first publication. These are all notes to include in the cover letter, and we do care about them--especially the latter. We don't care, however, for claims such as "X has published fiction in over 100 venues," or for synopses of the work you're submitting. This is all to say, yes, we do read cover letters, because they give us a fairly good sense of how familiar you are both with our journal and with publishing, as a whole.

Not really. In fact, when someone submits some crap about how they were in this and that and how glorious their writing career is, it just makes me scrutinize their submission more. I mean, you were in "Supercoolio Magazine", your story should be super awesome. Right, buddy? Give us the skinny on who you are, briefly tell us what you've done, but we don't need an extensive catalog of your great works.

Not much. A brief bio or publishing history is fine but not necessary.

Nothing at all.

We like a brief cover letter. No need to list previous credits. It's the submitted story that counts.

I don't read cover letters in most cases until after I select the writing. With 30 poems to choose from over 3000 poems submitted, the more time spent reading actual submissions rather than cover letters is all to the better.

Our editorial board does care about (concise) cover letters and third person bios, but they are by no means indicators of a person's technical skill or craft. Cover letters can be either mere transmission notices ("Please see attached...") or used for context, telling readers *a little* about the submission. Third person bios are whatever writers and artists want them to be. We want our contributors to represent themselves as they want to be seen and known, whether that means a one-line bio or something much longer.

We are equally interested in reading an emerging writer's or an established writer's book. But we are also interested in who writers are, what are their interests and their creative profiles. So we like cover letters but ultimately it is their books we are most interested in; we pick the prize winners solely on the merit of their writing.

A brief biographical note is generally adequate. List of previous publications would definitely help in further research into the author's literary styles, audience reception and the like.

Lists of previous publication credits are tedious.

I personally think cover letters should be extremely short. The description to the book should be akin to a logline for a screenplay. I would always include a couple of recent comparables. And then always include a brief bio below the signature.

Cover letters aren't a big deal to me, and previous publication credits absolutely don't matter. I'm interested in stories!

I don't read the cover letter usually until I'm either about to decline or accept the piece -- I try not to even look at the name of the author when I first read the story if I can help it because I don't want their address, perceived gender, or anything to influence any unconscious bias that I may have.
Previous publication credits do matter to us in the end deliberations after we've been whittling down our decisions, especially if the author has never been published by a literary journal yet. There is nothing I would love more than to have Witness debut an author's first publication. Additionally, we do love to know if the person is a past contributor or if they have received a past personal feedback decline from us -- it shouldn't matter, but usually if I'm about to decline a piece and then read that someone had a past personal feedback communication from me, I'll go back in and make sure I haven't misread the piece.
That said, cover letters need to be considered as a business communication. I see a weirdly high percentage of cover letters that are aggressive or challenging, or insult another publication. That's not a good look on anyone. Don't do that. Editors all talk about their weird cover letters when we go out drinking together, and take screenshots of the really bizarre ones.
The less said the better. Get in. Get out. Always thank the editor for reading and for their work on the magazine.

Yes. The credits do not matter, but they help get our attention.

We are there to judge the work not the writer. That being said, if you are a writer who is a strong and engaged literary citizen, we are even more excited about reading your work!

Personally. I don’t read the cover letters until after I have read the piece submitted. Then, I am curious about the work of the person - and not just the writing A thoughtful piece on a ruined beach by someone who is a climate change activist may pique my interest in particular. A very young writer’s fresh view of something usually taken for granted is also interesting. Generally cute bios do nothing for me. I am largely uninterested in whether the writer has kids or pets, unless, of course, they are writing about kids or pets.
I have to like the submission first, though.

We usually publish biographies of about 200 words, and artist's statements that are around 200 words. Some high school and college students submit their work to PLJ: in these cases the biographies cause a rejection of these works (unless the writing is extraordinary). In general, PLJ is for mature writers who have had at least one previous publication or have at least finished college, or are a few years into a career (plumbing is a good enough experience for PLJ). Some writers that fail to mention that they are submitting to PLJ in their cover leave me confused, as they can also be submitting to Anaphora or to CCR. The letter should basically be a sentence that says you're submitting to PLJ and your third-person paragraph bio.

We tend to read the cover letter after the piece. Publication credits are not very important, as we love to publish both new and established writers. The presence of a brief, personal, professional cover letter can lend insight into what the potential editorial process would be with a submitter, but in no way makes or breaks a decision.

I absolutely do not care about cover letters. I think they're a waste of everyones time. Any editor is lying to you if they say that previous publication credits don't matter to some degree, but they don't need to drawn out in some long cover letter. List 3 or 4 previous publications in a short, single paragraph.

We encourage the person submitting to Raising Mothers to let us know how they are marginalized. It is something to take pride in. Especially if there are intersectional ways this shows in the writer and their work. We prefer this come in the form of a cover letter. Previous publication credits are not mandatory, but if you have some you are proud of, by all means share them with us.

We DO like to see decent covering letters, but the most important parts are the story sum-up paragraph and the pertinent information paragraph (word count, genre, etc.). We don't really care about the author's publishing history. If the author has the voice we are looking for, and an engaging premise/concept what happened in the past means little.

As much as possible. Where they're from, educational background, writers who influenced them, where they've been published.

We don't read cover letters and previous publications credits don't matter to us. The only thing that matters is your story. If you can write a great story, we wan't to read it!

Previous publication credits do not matter to us. We're happy to celebrate your past accomplishments with you, but certainly don't require them. We believe in letting the work speak for itself. If you submit strong writing accompanied by a warm and positive cover letter, we'd be thrilled to add you to our pages, whether it's your first attempt at publication, or your hundredth!

We really don't care too much about cover letters in the first round of consideration. In the second round, we're slightly more interested in knowing who you are and what you do--mainly because we want to make sure to get established AND fresh talents into each issue. Overall, we're less impressed by exhaustive lists of publications than we are with a cover letter that offers us real context for the writer's work. Tell us where you fit in the larger literary landscape. And maybe save the jokes for another context.

I like to see a short bio, but publication credits are irrelevant to my process (unless they are the credits for the story I'm about to read). The shorter the cover letter, the better. Just "Here is my story, thanks!" is plenty, and even that's not really needed. I just want to read the story. :D

We love cover letters! We love publishing new writers, but do let us know if you have previous pub credits.

A brief bio on a cover letter is fine. A note if you were referred by someone we already published or know.

Everyone who submits should include a cover letter, but often, writers will send their entire publication history in that letter, something like fifty-plus previous publications. Here's the thing: we don't care about past credits. Keep it brief. Most of our staff reads blind anyhow. We only care that the work we're reviewing works for us.

We read submissions blind. While identity is important, we follow Baldwin's words, Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self: in which case, it is best that the garment be loose, a little like the robes of the desert, through which one's nakedness can always be felt, and, sometimes, discerned. This trust in one's nakedness is all that gives one the power to change one's robes. We look for pieces of exploration, not explanation.

All submissions by new writers to Fine Lines must attach a one paragraph auto-bio statement. We will follow up with them, if we need anything more.

All I want to know is their work and a return address. The writing is what matters.

I don't really care where people have been published. It feels pretentious to me, and doesn't make me pay greater attention to the work. Tell me something about your soul, give me a glimpse of who you are behind your words. Let me know you stand for something.

First and foremost, it is the power of the piece that matters. I'd of course be curious to know who the person is who submitted it as it makes the job more interesting, but it has to be the merits of the piece that count. That said, for anthologies it is good to have a diversity of backgrounds, but while an interesting factor, it shouldn't trump quality - so it is more an issue when there is a choice between two equally interesting pieces but where there are space constraints. So, I'd welcome a cover letter that says something about the person as one gets a feel for the community of writers out there, and pending the nature of the publication, it can provide useful additional information. On lists of previous publication credits, this helps give a sense of confidence and context, but I'd not wish to be too anchored to that; the quality of the submission should define the choice.

The only information we need in a cover letter is name, contact information, and undergraduate status. Lists of previous publication credits will do nothing to help or hinder chances of acceptance, though the submitter may include them if she wishes.

Oh tricky, tricky. Honestly, I scan them before I read the work most times. Its just the way submittable is set up, cover letter is right there. Although full disclosure I'm the only one who sees it, the readers don't have access it to until all publication decisions have been made. Anyway, it matters yes but only in the extremes. Kafka's great granddaughter submits a long lost piece of his flash fiction to NUNUM for its first publication, dude I don't even read it, instant acceptance. Done and done. Afterwards I read it and it sucks (like it would but you know for arguments sake), I don't care, I'll figure out a way to make it work. Flip all that around, most beautiful, quintessential nunum-esque piece of writing I've ever seen but turns out the writer blogs for a neo-nazi website when she's not out scamming seniors out of their retirement savings through some hustle grift thing. Well, sorry hands are tied here, can't be involved with that shit. Same goes for art, what the artist is looking at with their work matters, their skill, their execution those things matter but just like it does with the writers, who they are matters when things are run all the way out to the edges.

Previous publications and credentials don't sway us, but a brief cover letter is not a bad thing. We're mainly interested in the work itself.

We like to know about the poet, where they have published, previous publications, and something about them not related to poetry.. That way, it's a warmer experience to read the poems. If the poet is personally known by anyone on our 5 poet editorial board, that poet will not be their first reader. With this said, we go by the quality of the poems only. If a poet doesn't include a cover letter, we're still happy to read the ms. Although we are curious about previous publications, we have published first books for poets with no previous publications. The main thing -- we want to be amazed and delighted by what you write.

We don't need a list of every publication you've had, but we definitely want to know if you've never published before! (We seek new voices.) Apart from bios, the most helpful (though not essential) element of a cover letter is a brief (1-2 sentence) synopsis of the piece. More than a tease, it lets us see whether the author has a concise sense of what the piece is really about.

I typically read covers after I’ve read the submission. Credits might help tip the scale into “work with the writer” territory, but we’re into publishing new writers, so it doesn’t really matter. I don’t, however, care who you’ve had as a mentor in the past. I definitely don't need to hear your own assessments of your work, although I appreciate how hard it is to get that description nailed down.

A brief cover letter is helpful, but prior publication credits do not factor in our editorial decisions.

Cover letters are important. They add a personal touch to the submission and remind us that there are people behind the writing. It never hurts to mention previous publications, but it isn't necessary.

This isn't as important to us, though we always love to hear from people we have met face to face at a conference or festival. In the cover letter, we do have a look at bios, in part because we like to publish at least several emerging writers in each issue.

We don't care about your past. We just want to be your future. If you're doing persona work, or writing something more conceptual, an artist's statement or note of intent can be helpful.

Publication credits do not matter in the least. You can include them of course, but they do not impact our decision to publish or not publish. In fact we might be more likely to publish you if you tell us that you've never been published before, that's not a guarantee. But I am glad to say that we have published a lot of wonderful first time voices. I prefer cover letters, it's just good form to say hello briefly and maybe talk a little bit about the work that you're sending. But I appreciate how hectic and busy life is and I don't demand or expect cover letters. They are nice though. It's also nice when people take the time to learn the editor's name. I do like to know about the people who are sending their work, most of our contributors do open up a lot about themselves and what they are sending in their cover letter, I welcome and love that when it happens. I'm a pretty personable and approachable editor, and I try to respond to each submission with the respect and attention they deserve.

It's not important. We are all so many things, but we want to see the person through their work.

Cover letters with submissions are optional. We usually don't read them; if we do read them, it's only after becoming interested in the work itself. We've published huge names like Chen Chen and Mark Jacobs as well as first timers like Stephen Hundley and Mackinley Greenlaw. Everyone is equal until we see that first line or paragraph. Our guest editors read submissions blind.

All entries are judged anonymously.

We feel your writing will tell us what we really need to know. If your words speak, we listen.
We have a form and cover letters get in the way. Just fill out our form online and follow the directions. They're simple really. Previous publications are wonderful; however, they have no bearing on our decision process at all. In fact, we ask that bios be kept to 50 words max. We are just as thrilled to publish someone for the first time.

We like to see publication credits but they have no bearing on whether a piece is accepted. We also like to see "I have not been published" or "this is my first attempt at submission." We like the introduction aspect of a cover letter from an etiquette standpoint but lack of a cover letter will not torpedo a submission's chances. If yours is an under-represented literary voice, feel free to let us know in your cover letter or through the bio you include.

We do like to have a cover letter with contact information but publication credits don't weigh into our decision making process.

No cover letter is required. It is helpful to know whether the writer is previously published but there is no need to include every publication. If the writer is connected to social media channels, we’d like to know their handles. We also like to know if a writer/artist currently works in a field outside the artistic community.

The work must stand alone. Previous publication credits a mile long are often ignored. A single sentence saying you're published somewhere we've heard of, or if you have an MA or MFA, will get your story a second glance if it's in the "reject" pile. We read the cover letters of authors we intend to publish.

A detailed cover letter is not necessary but we do appreciate a greeting. "Dear Editors" is fine, though if you use our names, it would be nice to use them correctly. I.e., we are "Mary Lynn" and "Lesley", both of which seem particularly difficult for submitters to get correct... We really don't want to hear your thoughts about the story in the cover letter. We'd rather the story stand on its own. We do ask for a short bio, which would be published with the story, if accepted. We enjoy reading them but they don't sway us one way or the other. The writing, not the writer, is what matters to us when making editorial decisions.

We pride ourselves on publishing new and emerging authors. Publishing credits are not especially important to us—quality of the work matters most. Having said that, publishing credits can be a help to an author if we're on the fence about a piece in terms of the amount of editing it needs. If there are prose or poems we love, but that we feel need a substantial amount of work, we're more likely to take them if we see that an author has publishing credits. To us, a record of previous publication indicates the author understands the process and can work well with an editor. We've found that to generally be the case.

This varies by editor. Some of our editors actually prefer not to read cover letters for fear that credentials will sway their opinion of a piece. Others look at them because the list of publications may provide some sense of the writer's aesthetic, some idea of what to expect going in. We're honestly not turned off if there are no prior publications listed, though. We love discovering new voices.

We have a blind reading policy for every submission that we receive. While we do appreciate receiving cover letters and third-person biographies, we only read them once we have reached a decision on each piece, to ensure that emerging writers are not disadvantaged by a lack of previous publication credits.

We do not request cover letters, and the only place previous publications need to appear is in a writer or artist's bio. We care about the work submitted, not past accomplishments, although we're sure submitters' parents must be proud.

Cover letters are not important to us, as your biography supplies that information. We like to know about your publication credits.

We publish a short biography at the end of each article that is 3-4 sentences long. We do like to know something about the person. A list of previous publications is fine but it does not need to be extensive. A cover letter is also fine but does not need to be extremely detailed.

We request a brief third-person bio, as this speeds up the production process if your work is accepted. Past achievements won't influence us one way or another. If this will be your first publication, by all means, let us know! We're always thrilled to feature new talent.

I appreciate a strong, brief cover letter. I would like to know their publishing credits or if they haven't published before. We welcome new writers. I don't care to know about anything personal or quirky or to have the submitted piece explained to me.

We do care about cover letters because we want to know who you are, and we want to see that you made the effort to write a brief, thoughtful cover letter. Previous publications are not important, as we love discovering new writers and have published a number of writers with no previous publication credits. However, if you have a strong history of publication, it should of course be part of your cover letter.
A cover letter should never tell us what the story is about or praise the piece you are submitting. The essay or story should speak for itself.

We're interested. Most editors read them after giving the piece an initial pass. Credits are nice, but every piece has to stand on its own two (or four? or six?) feet. If you're writing CNF and you have some special expertise that is germane to the topic, we definitely want to know about that.

We do like cover letters, but your submission is much more important. Cover letters that are flowery or humble bragging are annoying. So are emotionally manipulative pleas for publication or quotes from other writers or teachers detailing how great you are. Keep it simple. Education and past publications are nice, though not necessary. Your current occupation, location, and any other personal details are also pleasant if you feel comfortable sharing. Mostly we'd like to know why you chose to submit to Third Coast specifically. Mostly we want you to let your work speak for itself.

Cover letters (included in the comments section of our submission manager) give us a peek into the background of the contributor, but it's worth mentioning that it's the work that sways us ultimately. We love to see previous publication credits and any other pertinent educational or work experience, but we're always happy to publish work from up and coming writers as well. Send us something beautiful, true, and enduring, and your previous publications (or lack thereof) won't really matter all that much.

Solid pub cred never hurts, of course, but every fantastic, well-known author has that first book, and we're more than happy to give a chance to anyone who writes in our genres to have a debut novel published with us.

Honestly, we really want a quick and to-the-point cover letter, including a short, third-person bio. Including your "vision" in the cover letter is redundant, as your work should speak for itself.

We always appreciate a cover letter, but that's never our primary focus when reading submissions. We approach previous publication credits in much the same way. Part of our mission as a nonprofit is to provide an outlet for new and emerging writers to earn those necessary publication credits—we aim to publish debut authors alongside big, recognizable names, to help writers gain clout and prestige in the industry. As a result, we are not too preoccupied with publication history, though we are always curious about writers' individual experiences!

I do want to know a little bit about their publishing history. There's a reason writers will allow journals to publish their work without paying. One of these reasons is to build publishing credits to include in their bios. Some editors don't think this should matter, but it just does. Having been published in reputable venues shows that you have a certain level of professional know-how as a writer. It shows that your work has been good enough at one time to be published. All of this information can be important and inform a submission in ways that are beneficial to editors. Anyone who says differently has probably not been editing for very long. I'd like to still be idealistic, but I'm too busy trying to find the best work out there.

Cover letters and lists of previous publications are welcome but not required. Do let us know in your cover letter if your submission was solicited by anyone on our staff.

A short bio and other commentary is at times helpful, but past success plays little part in our decision to publish.

Honestly, we really want a quick and to-the-point cover letter, including a short, third-person bio. Including your "vision" in the cover letter is redundant, as your work should speak for itself.

We read all of our submissions anonymously. We don't want our evaluation of a manuscript to be swayed either by a writer's earlier successes or the fact that they are unpublished. Most of our readers don't even have access to the cover letters, and we like it that way.

Very brief cover letter. Where you found Umbrella Factory Magazine and a small hook for your piece is sufficient. For writers of fiction we want to know what your favorite novel is. We also like a 50 third person bio. We can get to know you in about 100-150 words.

We generally appreciate (as previously mentioned) a cover letter and a short third-person biography, for potential use on our website. That said, publication credits matter little to us at the end of the day. After all, a substantial amount of what we publish is composed by emerging writers. Also, as emerging writers ourselves, a lot of us have witnessed the influence that first publication can have on a writer's self-esteem and subsequent publication opportunities. We want to be that (although, of course, we also love good work from established writers).
If you've got good work, send it. We'll let it speak for you.

Not interested in cover letters. A simple introduction email with a bio in the body of the same email will suffice. What previous books published, any accolades won? Where they're from.

if you bought us a drink at a bar, let us know. if you've submitted before, remind us. sometimes publication credits help us sift through the piles, sometimes they don't matter at all. sometimes we look you up on social media, sometimes we don't. mostly, we want to read your work.

I am interested in seeing a 50-100 word publication-ready bio that includes a couple of related activities (such as teacher, editor), possibly one interesting fact, the author’s geographical location, and a limit of 3 or 4 publications followed by “and others” “among others” or something like that. Brief, but just enough to give a feel for who you are.
I am not interested in lists of nominations or long lists of any kind.

We very much want to know if there's a genuine Maine connection, and the cover letter is the place to let us know that. Previous publication credits are not needed. It's fine to include them, but we're hoping that some of the work in each issue will be by early-career writers.

We like cover letters. We don't pay a lot of attention to them before work is in final rounds, but if we can help someone at a critical point in their career, that can tip us in a close contest. In that case, yes, publication credits matter, but it's never the most important thing.

We want, first and foremost, compelling work that resonates with the theme in fresh ways or challenges it in equally fresh ways: cover letters are secondary, though not useless.
We are happy to publish first-time authors with compelling work alongside emerging and established writers. We are also interested in supporting voices from marginalized communities and perspectives.
What we are looking for is a short bio as close to publication-ready as possible, one that lists up to a maximum of five publication credits, though less is fine.

Cover letters, queries, etc. are really of secondary or even tertiary importance. As long as you’ve written a wonderful, captivating story, we really don't care who you are or what you’ve published before.

I just need to know a little about an author: name, address, how best to reach them (email and/or phone), and a few relevant credits. It does get my attention if they have solid credits, but I only buy on the strength of the story in front of me, not because someone has been published by X or Y publication before.

Sure, they're fun to read. We hope they're kind of fun to write. We like to know what you've been up to - and we can use it as a bio-sketch if we publish. We hope you checked us out first, but we also know that you can't read everything - not enough hours in the day. Do your best.

We appreciate cover letters, but they aren’t necessary. It can be interesting to see where writers come from or where their work has appeared; but we are as eager to read work by unpublished writers as by those who have published extensively. Jesmyn Ward and Leslie Jamison, for example, were both unpublished when they submitted work to A Public Space. Publishing their first stories was an exciting moment for the magazine.

We don't need cover letters--please don't try to "explain" your work or impress us with credentials and publications. However, you can include an acknowledgments page and your name with a brief bio if you want; this information helps us with tracking manuscripts and getting an accurate sense of a manuscript's page count.

We like to know who we're corresponding with, so we are interested in what you want to tell us in your cover letter, even though it never affects what we finally decide about your submission. If you've never published anything before, please let us know. If we've encouraged you to try us again on a previous submission that came very close, we definitely meant it, so you should remind us.

Cover letters are always fine, but what's important is all the basic information. Who are you, why are you submitting to me, what are you submitting and why you think it's special and will sell, those kinds of things.

Cover letters are not important or needed. We often publish first-time authors, so there is no need to prove your submission is worthy of our time in a cover letter. The submission will be judged on its own merits.

I like cover letters. They can tell us something about who reads and contributes to filing Station that is important as we consider our audience. However, it is truly up to the submitter to determine what they feel comfortable revealing in a covering letter. filling Station is mindful of stubborn inequities in Canadian literary publishing and we do benefit from knowing a bit about our submitters, though we do not operate with any kind of quota in mind. Nevertheless, several section editors have pointed out that they would be more willing to undertake more substantial revisions, through an editorial process with the writer, if it might help in addressing (in a small way) such an imbalance.

We like a good cover letter and a short bio. We like knowing something about the writer. Previous publication credits don't matter, but being a friendly human being (who is professional and follows guidelines) does matter.

I have no preference. The story will speak for itself.

Whatever they want to reveal to us. Cover letters are fun, biographies are useful. I do like to know what people have accomplished.

We don't want to know anything about the person submitting. The story has to speak for itself.

We do like a cover letter but when we accept a piece for publication we do ask authors to submit a short author bio and image if they want to and we include that on our author page and author gallery - we think it helps to make our site a friendly place when we can put a face and a bit of background to a name. Lists of previous publications don't really matter as we hope that we take every story on its own merits.

If writers are short listed for the contest, then we ask for a 100 word bio.

We would like a short bio included that we may edit and include after the contributor's work. It should list publication credits, although we may limit how many of those credits we list.

We do not do blind submissions, because we believe in the importance of identity to an author's work. However, we do not value published writers over unpublished writers. In fact, we seek strong work by emerging and under published writers.

We rarely even look at cover letters, at least not before reading a submission. We won't be swayed by a list of previous publication credits, or by a lack thereof. The work should sing for itself.

We want to read new writers as well as established writers, so our Readers probably won't see the
cover letter or bio. But the editor appreciates a brief bio when it comes to the final cut.

No publication credits is fine, but if you have them try to pick the best/most relevant three or four. Go ahead and mention if you've won any awards or are a Clarion graduate, or if you are a member of SFWA.
But bear in mind that I look at your cover letter AFTER reading your story. Your story stands or falls on its own merits.

A simple bio is read after we have read the stories we have narrowed from the pool. We do not read these before reading the entries.

Nope.

We read anonymously because we want to really see the writing -- no name, no credits ahead of time.

Cover letters ought to be brief. A quick introduction, a sentence or two about your previous publications or writing experience, any interaction you've had with failbetter, and done. Let the work speak for itself.

Except for our contests, which are read and judged blind, we prefer to see a professional cover letter that includes a brief bio (relevant academic study, experience, publications only). We rarely, however, read the cover letter first, and if someone doesn't have any publications, that could be a good thing. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of work, which means publishing work from new and emerging artists as well as established writers.

For the contest don't bother with biographies. We will ask for that information if your story wins. For regular submissions you can include a short biography, but honestly, the story matters more to us than your prior publication credits.

We do prefer to read a cover letter, and if you've been published elsewhere, we'd like to know where. We don't need to know *every* prior publication (please no walls of text), but just maybe the five journals you're most proud of. Otherwise, keep it brief. We'll give your work serious consideration no matter what.

We require cover letters. We would like you to list the type of work right off the bat (poem, short story, essay, interview). We only read the bio when we accept the work for publication and are ready to include that information in the Contributor's section. We don't base any of our choices on a resume and while we think it is great that some authors are widely published, it doesn't matter to us in the long run. Our bio section can't really be longer than 50 words to fit.

We like to know if the writer has been published before and what part of the country they come from.

I love hearing where authors are from, where they have been published, and what they're passionate about. However, I have a peeve against long cover letters with many unnecessary details.

At Literary Wanderlust, our authors are both our business partners and the relationship is important. We work together as a team. It absolutely matters who you are as a writer, and as a person. If there are previous publication credits, we would love to hear about those. If the writer has won awards, we want to hear about those as well. Be accurate but don't be shy.

Cover letters aren't necessary. A short message that is polite and/or friendly is nice. Previous publication credits don't have any bearing on what we accept, but we don't look down on them either. Gushing (honest) compliments are always welcome.

If you are interested in becoming a regular contributor, it's good to let us know your interests. If you want to do a column, tell us about it, your ideas for it and where it might lead to.
I can't hurt if we know about your previous publications or anything else that shows what you've done previously.
Include a short bio for yourself and a profile pic 200x200 pixels.

Long biographical statements aren't necessary; a brief one is fine.

We like a polite note, with perhaps a couple of lines outlining the highlights of your publishing career, but we don't need anything lengthy - much of the work we've published via the slush pile has come from people with very minimal cover letters. You don't need to wow us that way - your work itself is the way to impress us. There's never any need to explain your story in the cover letter, either: if it needs explanation, it's probably not ready yet. At the same time, a blank email with a story attached feels rather too robotic. Strike a balance!

Previous publication credits are interesting, but mostly we want to know who you are and what your current relationship with comedy is. Are you writing a lot? What are some of your personality traits that would help us understand your style? Do you plan to contribute regularly?

We don't need to know much--it's the work that counts. You don't need to list every publication credit, just give us the highlights, if anything. If you don't have a publication history, that's fine, too--just be courteous and straightforward.

Just two lines of bio is enough. Don't list every publication credit, it really looks like notches on a belt, and we don't want to be the next notch.

One or two sentences about your submission, and that’s that. Showing off by trotting out your theories of this or that, or listing the hundreds of publications and awards you’ve won actually turns me off. My personal experience has been that the most talented people in any endeavor, whether it’s literature, music, science, or sports, are usually the most humble.

Twisted Vine wants good literary work and art, save the creative cover letters and effort and put it into the work. We do like short third-person bios, but long cover letters and publication lists aren't going to make a difference.

We only need to know their pen name and their contact information. When we accept a piece we ask authors for a two-sentence biography and any social media handles that they'd like published along with their writing, but biographical information is not a must.

Cover letters give the team and I a chance to chat to the lifeblood of the industry, but they aren't mandatory. An author with a thousand publication credits receives no special treatment in comparison to a new author submitting their first ever short story.

I need a biography (up to 200 words) and a photo. All shortlisted entrants have their info published on my website.

We read all of the work before making any decision. Sometimes it is easier to make this decission early on in the reading, but we do look at the work as one might hope we would. We are human too :-)

A cover letter is nice, but not necessary. A brief bio is acceptable for us to know who the author is, how they come to writing and how they know about BlazeVOX. But then again, just a good poem or fiction piece is always the best way of introduction.

We wouldn’t accept a story because the writer was published in Magazine X or Magazine Y, but it’s always helpful to have some context.

I think a brief introduction is polite. A lengthy bio is not really required. I do look at previous publications but at the end of the day I am looking at the poem/poems/work they have sent there and then gleaming at me on the laptop. That is essentially what speaks. The previous publications can indicate the level of tenacity, success and focus a writer has regarding publishing their work out there. And I think it's wonderful to see the synthesis of their achievements. But emerging 'unpublished' writers shouldn't be put off from submitting. Just edit your work, edit it again, and send us your best!

Often, I read the cover letter after I've read the submission. I don't think it's made a difference one way or another in terms of accepting a piece, but sometimes it does give a small amount of context.

Publishing track record or relevant experience (including education) is important to list.

How much do we want to know? Not much. A few solid publications will make our ears perk up, but it's not that important.

Cover letters don't do much for us - a BRIEF list of publication credits is always interesting since it gives us a sense of who else has enjoyed your work in the past (and clues us in to other publications that we may not have know about.) A friend of mine once said that she rarely sets up a piece before she reads for an audience since, untimely, the piece needs to stand on its own anyway. I have since adopted a similar view about my own readings as well as submissions - the words need to do the work. No set-up can ever do the job of the words themselves.

If it's a first-time submitter it would be helpful to know where you're published before, but not necessary. The final work is what matters most.

Short bio with credits and experience in the world and its issues in cover letter. Formal bio short.

We want to know about your previous publications -- this gives us an idea of your aesthetic up front. A word count of the piece is also nice. Keep personal information to a minimum. There is something honest and endearing about letting the work speak for itself. No matter your resume, we seek to publish the best writing, not the best writers. The best story by an unpublished author could very well be better than the worst by a Pulitzer Prize-winner. Also, if you have many cats and they have cute names and they are your creative muses, it's probably best (IMHO) to leave such things left unsaid.

I try not to read cover letters until after I've read the submissions. I don't like bias (unconscious or otherwise). That said, I hate when writers submit without a cover letter.

We don't need to know much at all. You don't need to worry about making us laugh or insulting us. Submitting is stressful enough as it is.

I'm interested in whether or not the submission is a good story. I endeavour to read submissions blind, so no, I'm not that interested in cover letters nor am I that taken with publication lists. If I like the story it gets in, if I don't, it doesn't.

We care about cover letters, but wish more authors would keep them to polite introductions, maybe a word or two about a cluster of writing whence the submission might have come. We often receive exciting material that kicks language around and it's nice to have an idea how the author traveled to that place. We like to know where someone studied, just to momentarily enjoy the memory of a particular writer we may know, but we eschew degrees and resumes in our biographical details. The ideal cover letter pulls back the curtain a little bit, doesn't over share, and doesn't feel like a marriage proposal. We rather not hear of a Pushcart nomination unless it was successful, and prefer a boutique list of credits

We like it when an author sends a brief cover letter and third-person bio; it shows that the writer is taking the process seriously. However, the author doesn’t have to include a bio to be considered. We’re more concerned with the work and base our decision on such. We do, however, like to add bios after each published piece on our website, but it’s the author’s choice on what to include in that as long as it’s within reason.

None. I don't care if the author has an MFA from Kalamazoo Junior college or is completely self taught. It's the written words that count, only the words. We only attribute a name at the beginning of the story, never their credentials. If you want to know about the author, google them.

We don't look for cover letters, and previous publications have no influence with us. We're looking for cutting-edge work, not cookie-cutter work...

Previous pubs, great. Writing-related accolades, sure. Pets? Quirks you think separate you from other writers? When in doubt:
"If a homeless person has a funny sign, he hasn't been homeless that long. A real homeless person is too hungry to be funny." -Chris Rock

A short cover letter of a few lines requesting that the piece being published in The Satirist is appreciated. It is strange to receive a submission without any introduction (or title to the piece).
Mentioning previous publishing credits is helpful, but it is not strictly necessary.
Writers should include at least a one line author bio.

We like cover letters with some information about the author and any previous publications. We'll usually use the information in the Author Bio. We like to give our authors and their work a personal touch.

For the most part, we don't look at cover letters until after we review the submission. We want to publish the highest quality work, not the people with the most impressive publication credits. We've been known to choose debut authors over writers with impressive credentials.

I love cover letters. I think it's always fascinating and helpful to know a little bit about the person whose been brave enough to compose a piece and kind enough to send it our way. I should clarify: I love them insofar as they eschew Tolstoyan length and elaboration. I don't need a status update from every minute of your life on earth, but it's cool to know where you're from and a little bit about your work and where it's appeared and any honors you've received. That should not, however, be a deterrent to anyone who hasn't yet published or received awards for his/her writing. We love discovering new writers.

It's not that important on the whole, but if the submitter mentions publications I particularly admire in their publishing credits, it's likely to make me sit up and take notice. It's interesting to know where the submitter is from, especially if it may mean a variance in US/UK spelling. Generally though, it doesn't matter if they've been published before, whether they live on a farm or a boat or how long they've been writing.
I offer all submitters the opportunity to have a bio included. Not everyone takes me up on it. They are generally just an opportunity for contributors to promote themselves and provide links to their sites. The bios I prefer are fun, tongue-in-cheek or adapted to suit that particular submission.
I definitely do not want to see a list of previous publication credits!

We pull all biographical information off our submissions when we're reviewing them. Of course, we're curious to know a bit more about who sends us work, but we turn to that after judging submissions on their own merit. We're proud to publish established writers, but we are eager, too, to find new voices.

A short list of your recent publication credits will suffice, along with a brief cover letter. No cat bios.

A cover letter needn't be long, but it's important as it gives us a sense of the person behind the book (an unprofessional, rude, or entitled-sounding cover letter -- and we've received all of these! -- might indicate that the author is someone who could be difficult to work with). We want to know about the writer's publishing background and what inspired the submission; publication credits are less important than a passion for the work and the willingness to help it find its audience. We'd love a link to the author's website; this is important when it comes to promotion and shows that the author understands that in today's publishing market, the author is the very best salesperson for the book.

Cover letters are not important to us as the submission process is through our online shop.

I need a complete sexual history, list of crimes committed and crimes contemplated, a full dossier on your travel history and projected travel plans, all known confidants and acquaintances, a thorough voting history, photographs of you and your family, the current whereabouts of any secret valuables you own, your PIN number, bank account and credit card numbers, and a fascimile of your signature.
I also need the same for all members of your immediate family.
In addition, please send all submissions with the following loyalty oath:
I swear, now and in future, to be loyal to Chrome Baby, so help me God.

Nothing for the first rounds of reading. At the very end, when we have narrowed the selection, we'll look at the cover letters. Ideally, one should not be swayed by a list of publication credits, but in a pinch, it can make a difference.

We do not need a vast list of publications and accomplishments. We are impressed by the writing.

Information matters but it isn't critical.

Submittors should only enclose a short biographical note on a seperate page or preferably in the body of the cover letter. It should cite a few significant or recent publication credits and any relevant awards, professional accomplishments, or educational afflications. We discourage attaching a detailed resume or a glossy author photo.

Be polite, as Mr. Eddy told the snivelling tailgater in 'Lost Highway' (set in Los Angeles).

As much as they feel like sharing. Nothing insanely long, but it's nice to get to know them beyond their publications and awards and schooling, because that says very little to me. I want to know about who they are outside of this world. (We read the cover letter after deciding to reject or accept a piece to keep the whole process of blind reading a fair one).

It doesn't matter. If we like/accept the work, we'll then ask for more information.

We require only brief contact details in the covering email. As the selection is 'blind' we ensure the author/artist name is deleted before forwarding the attachment submissions to our selection panels (prose, poetry, art). This is essential to prevent bias or favouritism. Once work is selected, we ask the contributor to provide a short biographical summary for inclusion in the magazine.

We ask that submitters send us a brief biography that includes whatever he or she wants to say. What have they done so far in terms of writing/teaching, for example. If they have previous credits, we'd like to know about it. We welcome humor and sarcasm in biographies, too.

Cover letters are important sources of information. We tend to reference that information after the manuscript has been read and evaluated, however. For that reason, lists of publication credits have no effect on our decision process whatsoever.

We consider cover messages a courtesy. We read them with interest but don't require them. A personal bibliography can be of some interest; one never knows where it may lead. But again, it is not required.

I think most of us read the cover letters, but not until after we’ve read the work. We publish a mix of established and newer writers, so a list of where someone has been published isn’t going to sway us one way or the other. That said, we do want a cover letter because we’re interested to know who our submitters are. It doesn’t have to be anything long or complicated.

I care a medium amount about cover letters. Cover letters are important in figuring out how professional the writer is.
Previous publication credits mean little to me. It's all about the particular piece you've sent us.

We only ask for a brief biography of no more than 100 words written in the third person. What the submitter chooses to include is up to him or her. Some submitters include a list of personal literary achievements and some focus on different aspects of their personalities. We like to see a little of both of these things.

Not much. The best cover letters are short, to the point, and relevant to the submission. We usually look closer at cover letters once we really, really love a piece, and by then you've hooked us anyhow.

We don't read cover letters until after we decide to accept/reject submissions, so your cover letter (or lack of one) isn't going to sway our votes either way.
However, we do love to read stuff about our submitters. Previous publications don't matter, though sometimes they're interesting. We're just as (if not more) interested, honestly, in weird facts about how your spend your mornings, or your odd talents, or your least favorite vegetables, etc.

We do like to have a brief biography and abbrevated list of previous publications. We do like cover letters, but they do not have to be separate from the emailed submission. The cover letter can be within the body of the email.

We like a one page query letter with previous publication and what the author would do to promote the book. We like to publish books that there is a market for.

We like cover letters that name a few publications in which an author has placed work, or that mention where the author studied; it's interesting to know where an author's writing from. We don't, however, need a curriculum vitae or a similar level of detail, nor do we need gratuitous information about the author's personal life. A concise, polite cover letter that is addressed to the correct editor and that demonstrates a bit of personality shows us that an author is professional and approachable. That's the kind of author we like to work with.
What really makes us sit up and take notice of a cover letter, though, is a writers's telling us (truthfully!) that he or she has read an issue, enjoyed a particular piece, and thinks the work in the submission will be a fit for our current needs. We love getting submissions from our readers.

A brief bio. approx. 100 - 200 words

It's good to have a few lines of bio, maybe something about the person rather than just a list of where they have been published.
I really don't mind if they've never been published before.

I need a brief bio. I appreciate a brief list of publication credits, but not a massive onslaught, etc. If the person has published in a larger journal, I'd like to hear that. Then, whatever is most recent.

Just that they have a connection to Chicago. We like the work to speak for itself...tell us too much and we might not like you.

Whatever they want to reveal, in a paragraph or less. Other publishing credits might be of interest but are not necessary. Plot summaries or topics covered in poems are absolutely NOT needed, and generally hurt. A good cover letter can focus our attention on the submission, but a bad one can prejudice us against the work, so it is really a 50-50 situation. It's fine to submit without cover letter.

We are only interested in the quality of the writing, so we don’t require a cover letter with our submissions, or a synopsis, or an author bio (although those things are fine to send if you already have them). We have published several first time writers, as well as more seasoned writers with several award-winning novels behind them, so publication credits really don’t influence our decision. The bottom line is that the work has to stand on its own.

Brief lists, but don't work too hard at it - I'm reading this story, not your resume.

Actually, we don't need to know anything about the person. Submishmash has a section for "comments," but we don't require biographical information or a list of previous publications. The work should speak for itself.

Never tell us what the story is about or why we might like it. It helps to give us your past publishing record, your education, who you have studied with, but that won't make what we read any better or worse. It's about the quality of the work. It's pleasant to read a nice introductory letter.

Cover letters aren't necessary. You're free to include some publication credits as part of your bio, though.

Query letters are a must. It’s the author’s chance to shine. Previous publishing credits are helpful but not mandatory. I need to know things that will show me how committed the author is to the business of writing.

As I mentioned previously, we are not going to choose someone just because they have a lot of publishing credits, or they’ve been published in a journal with a lot of “cred.” Nor will we refuse to consider someone who has absolutely no publishing credits. The work comes first. We ask for bios up front because it speeds up the publishing process should we choose the work. We also enjoy seeing from where people are sending their work.

We publish both the work of internationally renowned writers and previously unpublished authors. We ask our submitters to provide cover letters, however, the submission is always read on its own merits.

I ask writers to supply a bio with the submission so that I don't have to chase one up when typesetting, but previous credits don't really matter to us. I'm very wary of submissions that are just attachments to empty emails, since in the past they've turned out to be plagiarists.

I like cover letters. I like to know who you are. That being said, all I'm really looking for is a 100-word or less biography--the sort that would accompany your submission, if published. I don't mind if this includes a list of publication credits, but the list should be short. The amount of publications you have isn't going to affect your chances any more than the quality of those publications. Also? Your biography can be one big lie for all I care, because lies can be entertaining. But don't lie about your publication credits, because there's nothing adorable about that at all.
One other point: Don't send us rude cover letters. Even in jest. Being rude in an attempt to be funny isn't adorable at all, either.

Brief details are welcome and can be helpful, but I'm not interested in numbers ('I've had 295 poems published in publications including the Little Gidding Parish Magazine').

We know next to nothing about the person submitting to us, although we do require an author bio. However, the selection editors see only the material so work is based on what's on the page, versus publication credits. Work is judged on its own merits.

Cover letters can be interesting, but they are not essential. Previous credits can also be interesting, but are not essential. Tell us whatever you want to about yourself, or don't. You can be anybody. If we like your work, we will take it.

We want two line bio's. Period.

I like a short cover letter to show me the writer has done his homework and studied my magazine. An author with serious publication credits will get a better read from me, no question about it. If the first page doesn't grab me, I'll keep reading because I'm confident he knows what he's doing. At the same time, it's a thrill to be a writer's first credit.

I want to know the person's name because I want to send them a check for their work. Otherwise, it doesn't matter how much we know. It is the work that has to stand up for itself among a sea of other works. We have to be able to identify the voice within the piece - that is far more imoprtant to us than a biography or list of accolades.

Like I said, a cover letter, however short, makes my efforts feel appreciated. Previous publication credits are fine, but not absolutely essential. Tell me something interesting about yourself in the biographical note instead! Better yet, provide a link where your readers can find out more about you and your work.

We really like the authors who submit their work to us. We like to offer their bios when we publish and we love to know about their previous successes. Cover letters aren't so important to us, a brief introduction is all that is needed along with the story. We encourage our authors to blog with us, check out our facebook and just share with us and others their passion for writing.

Very little. I don't have much time available for reading cover letters. No information is fine. A few words about previous publications are okay, but won't sell the story. I run a bit of biographical information with each story, but I always ask for that information after I purchase the story. There's no need to worry about including it in the cover letter.

No cover letters. We do not care about prior publication credits. If your work is accepted, we will ask you for a bio.

I like cover letters and to know something about the person submitting. Sometimes I look at a website.

No need for a cover letter. I could care less in the beginning. If the poem is selected, I may ask for a bio. Most include a list of credits anyway. I read the poems first.

Lists of previous publications helpful; nevertheless, we read everything we get.

We pay very little, if any, attention to publication credits. We prefer a nice, quick cover letter that introduces the work and thanks us for reading.

A cover letter won't significantly affect acceptance if the poems are good, but bad cover letters tend to accompany bad poetry. Mistakes: employment/family history in bio; mentioning more than 5 publications; mentioning any vanity press; philosophical statements.

We like to get a brief sense of our writers, but the work comes first. We have published many new writers, especially from the MFA programs.

Initially, nothing. If their fiction touches the monkey, then we can sit down at the Queen's Rump and chat over drinks, preferably Old Style 40s.

Not very much. We actually don't read cover letters very much. The story will sell itself, in our opinion with or without the author telling us where his or her MFA is or isn't from or where he or she's been published before.

The bios can tell us about the writer, but the piece must stand on its own.

A bio should include age, occupation, education, and writing/publication history as a minimum.

We like to see cover letters, especially when the cover letters are pasted into the "comments" section of our submissions software. This not only helps us screen the work for previous contributors, friends of the journal, or solicited material, it also allows us to keep up with trends in the publishing world. Likewise, we like to get to know our contributors and a cover letter on their submission is the first step in this process.

Cover letters should be brief and professional. No spoilers. Ever. We're serious. We only want to know a few previous publications, and if anything in your training relates to the writing of the story. This information is considered only after the fact. The story is read and measured how it stands alone.

Some information is useful but, truly, the work being presented is most important. If the author has credits it is good to know, but it really does not mean much in the decision-making process.

As much as they wish to share. We have an "About the author" section before every short story published. The author sends us a true or funny or strange bio - a chance for them to be creative and yet share something about them to our readers (and us). I have readers who have sent me photos of theirs, or personal experiences. Its beautiful that I can reach out to talent and that talent share their life/ creations with us at FFJ.

We do not want to see cover letters. Ever. Cover letters are for job applications. We do require two-line bios. Publication creds are nice and all, but I'd rather see a really clever bio.

We prefer cover letters that are short and to the point. Email addresses are essential. If you have an MFA degree, that is worth mentioning, as are recent publications and awards. Also, if someone we know has suggested that you submit to us, be sure to mention this person's name.

Not as much as they might to other editors. A wonderful story may work well in print and be a cover story for Asimov's, but it may be too expository and slow for Escape Pod.

We don't need or ask for any covering letter - just your work. That said, we're happy to hear a little bit about you if you want to tell us, but please don't send us a 1,000 word biography listing everything you've ever published. We won't read it (well, not unless we want to publish your story anyway) and may see it as a sign of insecurity :)

We ask our submitters to leave their personal info off the work, so the cover letter is very important. Our process separates the work from the cover letter and codes them so that once we've made a decision we can locate the cover letter. It's important to have name, address, email address and perhaps a phone number. It's also important to list what you've submitted. As far as previous publications go, it doesn't matter. The only time I'll need that information is if we use a writer's work and then it goes in the "Contributor's Notes."

The main thing is the writing! We have published many new writers with no publication credits at all. Cover letters are welcome for regular submissions, but in our fiction contests we ask for no biographical information or publication credits, and that is very refreshing because we get to focus on the work itself.

I care about a cover letter, but I care more about the quality of the work and less about the writers publication credits.

That is entirely up to the submittee. Nom de plumes are fine. I also like to include brief author biographies, though, so authors can link back to their blogs, sites, et cetera, or list their previous publications.

Please always include a short bio of yourself.

Since we read stories blindly, cover letters don't help much at first. However, when it comes time to learn who you are, we read the cover letter. So yes, we like cover letters (e-mails) but we don't read them until we've decided we like your story enough that we need to tell you something.

We request that every submission be accompanied by a standard and concise biographical note, including prior book/periodical publications (if applicable). However, equal editorial attention will be given to established, emergent and new writers.

We don’t need a lot, since we care more about the quality of the submission than a submitter’s prior publications. That said, we do require a cover letter, and listing a sampling of previous publications and current affiliations makes sense. A little more here and there is fine, but please avoid long bios or explanations of the work you’re submitting. If the story or poetry needs an explanation, there’s a good chance it’s not the right fit for Terrain.org.

The proposed work needs to stand on its own feet. Name recognition doesn't hurt.

Cover letters are quaint, but I don't need paragraphs on their history as a writer. Having SOMETHING for a cover letter (other than just sending the writing with no explanation... if I get that, I wonder: is this a submission? Tell us SOMETHING) is good, but a full page of details on your history is unnecessary.
It does not matter to cc&d if a writer has been previously published a billion times or never published (the main page at http://scars.tv even says that we are "the mother of all publishing ventures for new writers, so publishing history is irrelevant to us).

Basically nothing. The only situation that might influence us to give extra attention to a submission, is when the writer clearly demonstrates he or she has read what we have published, and is sending work our way because of this. We have found that when submitters cite details and provide comments on material we have published, the work they are submitting, on average, is substantially more compatible.

I like getting a cover letter, although it is not necessary. If you do include one, tell me whatever you want about yourself: where you're from, how you make your living, et cetera. I do not need a complete list of publication credits. However, if you sold something to a prestigious or unusual place, it does not hurt to list that.

Prior to reading a story, I try not to even look at the name of the author. I want my initial opinion to be based on the writing and the writing alone. That said, a good cover letter can help a piece that’s on the fence. And a bad one can send it packing.
An author’s publication credits themselves don’t mean much. It’s more about the voice of the writer, whether or not he seems like a good guy, someone who gets what we’re publishing.

I don't really need to know anything. A cover letter is nice if it gives your real name and where you live (we won't share these, obviously), but we anonymize all stories before our referees read them, so it doesn't matter if you don't tell us anything. Cover letters and publication credits don't affect our decisions at all. We do like to know if the author is from any group under-represented in speculative fiction (women, non-anglo-, people of color, queer/trans, etc.), but this won't make us buy a story we wouldn't otherwise.