Glaring typo in Cover Letter...

CarbunkleFlux

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So I submitted to a place through submittable. Recently I checked on it and it's "In Progress" now (after submission, it just says "Received").

I glanced over my cover letter and found a glaring typo I somehow didn't see before. "with has." It is massively embarrassing and I'm afraid it might significantly hurt my chances to get my story accepted.

It is still well before the deadline (September 15). What would you guys do in this situation? Is it too late to withdraw and re-submit with a corrected cover letter (I don't know if "In Progress" means they're reviewing or what)? Do I request a modification (which has to go through them first)? Do I just leave it?
 

Maryn

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You think they've never seen a typo before? You think they might not know that the proofreading eye sees what ought to be there, not what is?

I wouldn't worry about it. (Yeah, easy for me to say.) I suspect it's a hassle for them if you withdraw and resubmit, and if it's just one glaring typo rather than materials riddled with errors in spelling, grammar, and writing mechanics, I suspect it won't be held against you.

I would take care, when I submit to them again, that my materials are free of such errors, so they know it's not just you being carelessly unprofessional.

Maryn, who has been known to make a typo (gasp!)
 

Jamesaritchie

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Hey, I've got away with writing "doe snot" rather than "does not", so I wouldn't worry about it. It really is a case of "Let he without typos cast the first rejection." No editor or agent wants to see a cover letter, or anything else, that's filled with typos, but one typo? Don't worry about it.
 

CarbunkleFlux

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Okay. It's just the one typo, but it's like a paragraph long cover letter at most so I feel like I should have caught it.

Just something for me to keep in mind for future submissions. Thanks!
 

Jamesaritchie

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Okay. It's just the one typo, but it's like a paragraph long cover letter at most so I feel like I should have caught it.

Just something for me to keep in mind for future submissions. Thanks!

That's a good way to feel. I feel like I should catch every typo, too. And I should. I usually do. , and the same attitude you have helps me in the process.

But you can't beat yourself up when one slips through. It happens to everyone, including editors and typesetters.
 

Debbie V

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I've done it to. A good tip is to go backwards through everything you write. You'd be surprised what jumps out of you when you take the flow away and force your brain to focus again.