Re: Nitpicky question re cover letters -- The Lonely Canadian Writer

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Date Posted: 11:50:42 10/25/05 Tue GMT-5
Author: Roger
Author Host/IP: blvb01.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca / 198.103.40.3
Subject: Re: Nitpicky question re cover letters
In reply to: DianeG 's message, "Nitpicky question re cover letters" on 11:47:50 10/18/05 Tue GMT-5

I look at a cover letter as being like a letter of application for a job. I will always try and find out the name it should be going to, but its not the salutation nor the cover letter that's going to get me the job - it's the resume. The letter shouldn't be dull, but should be professional and short. If the editor's name is Ariel Fraser, and you address it to Ms. Fraser instead of Mr., I suspect you can be forgiven if the quality of your work is good.

In the government, where we get names like Nathianathan Thingumajah, we just send out letters to "firstname lastname" and leave it at that. I never heard anyone get his nose out of joint because we didn't call himher Mr. or Ms. or Dr. I hope editors are not that sensitive. I wouldn't address the editor by first name alone, though, unless I knew her.

Cheers,
Roger

>On another board I participate in occasionally,
>someone wanted a cover letter sample (for a short
>story submission).
>
>There was more than one reply and one of the questions
>was about how to address the edtior in the salutation
>line.
>
>I said that if you didn't know, or couldn't tell from
>the edtior's name whether the edtior was male or
>female, you could use Dear (given name smith) Smith.
>That doesn't give the person a "title" and so,
>perhaps the editor's nose would be out of joint. I
>don't want to offend any editors, but really, wouldn't
>an editor rather see his or her given and last names
>spelled correctly, even if there was no Mr. or Ms?
>
>I'm also in favour of closing with "yours truly" and
>not something like sincerely.
>
>What think ye?

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Replies:

Re: Nit-picky question. Thanks -- DianeG, 07:46:28 10/26/05 Wed GMT-5