There are two
ways to submit to magazine editors.
One is to send the finished
article without it being requested. This is referred to as an unsolicited
manuscript. Most editors dislike reading lengthy manuscripts, and many
magazines specify that they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts which, when
received, are consigned to what's called the 'slush pile' and seldom get read.
Another, more productive way, to submit to magazines is to send a
query letter, in which you pitch your idea to the editor before actually
writing the article.
A query letter is a sales pitch: your goal is to
convince the editor that your article idea is of interest to her readers and
that you are the best person to write it.
Query letters save everybody
time. In the time that would have taken you to write a full article, you can
write a few query letters which may result in more than one assignment. Query
letters save editors' time because they don't have to read lengthy manuscripts
which may not be suitable for their magazines.
Query letters better
your chances of working with the magazine you want to write for. Editors are
usually reluctant to ask for a rewrite or suggest substantial changes to a
finished piece. Query letters, on the other hand, make it easy for editors to
offer suggestions to a proposed idea.
Even if your idea is not quite
suitable for the magazine, the editor may like the way you've presented your
idea and yourself and may still be interested in working with you on a
different assignment.
I hope by now you are convinced that query
letters are essential to breaking into the writing industry, especially if you
are just starting out. So it's well worth the time and effort to compose an
irresistible letter that makes the editor want to see more of your writing.
Your query letter is not the only one the editor will see, so you must
do your best to make yours stand out from the crowd and get noticed. A single
query letter can make or break your success as a writer. Editors remember
names. Make sure they remember yours in a positive way.
If your query
letter is professionally written and attention-grabbing, even if your idea may
not be quite right, the editor will mentally clock your name. If your query is
accepted, and you complete your assignment with a well-written, well-researched
and error-free article, she'll remember you even more. And your next query will
be viewed in a more favourable light. This means that a good query is often the
beginning of a long-standing relationship between you and the editor.
If you send an unprofessional, poorly-written query, suggesting ideas which
do not fit the magazine, the editor will remember you, too. But now she
remembers you in a negative way. The next time you send her a query, she may
just quickly glance at it and put it in the bin. You may be closing the door to
that magazine forever by sending a single bad query. Do you really want to take
that risk?
Nothing is guaranteed in life. Even a perfect query letter
does not guarantee an assignment. But if you following the 10 steps outlined in
this book, you will stand a much better chance of producing a professional
query letter that gets read and gets assignments.
Note: To avoid
cumbersome writing such as he/she and his/her, I have taken the liberty to
refer to an editor as a 'she'.
Step 1: Get the name right
When you receive a letter addressing you as 'Dear Customer' or 'Dear Home
Owner', do you feel the letter is talking to you directly?
Exactly.
It reads like junk mail that has been sent to millions of other
people, doesn't it? If you send an editor a letter addressing her as 'Dear
Editor' or 'Dear Sir / Madam', she will get the impression that not much time
and effort has gone into the query, and she'd be right.
If there's one
thing all freelance writers should know, it is that your article must be
targeted specifically for a particular magazine. In order for your article to
fit in with the style and tone of the magazine, the editor will expect you to
have read a few issues of the publication.
A query letter beginning
with 'Dear Sir' tells the editor that you have not taken the time to research
the publication. If you haven't read the magazine, you won't know anything
about the audience. And if you don't know who the audience is, how can the
editor trust you to deliver an article that is suited to the magazine? So, if
you only do one thing to make your query stand a better chance of success, get
the editor's name.
Larger publications often have different editors
for different sections, and it's important to send your query to the right
person. When a features editor receives a short story, she may not have the
time or inclination to forward it to the short story editor, and your query
will be unread. So take some time to find out if you need to send your query to
somebody other than the main editor. You can usually find all the information
you need in the masthead.
If you don't want to spend money buying
every magazine you want to write for, go to a large newsagent or the library
and look up the names there at leisure. Another way is to ring up the editorial
office and ask the secretary.
Bear in mind that magazine personnel
changes regularly, so check that the name is still valid every time you send a
query letter.
Make sure you spell the editor's name correctly. Some
editors are mad about having their names spelt wrong. Besides, if you can't get
the details of her name right, why should she trust you to get the details of
the article right?
It is acceptable to address the editor simply as
'Dear John Doe' or 'Dear Jane Doe' rather than 'Dear Mr Doe' or 'Dear Ms Doe'.
Nowadays it's not always possible to tell someone's gender by his or her name.
In the case of women editor, it is particularly difficult to ascertain if she
is a Miss, Ms or Mrs.
Step 2: Know your audience
Imagine this scenario:
You are a 35-year-old career woman. You
subscribe to a magazine called 'Women Today'. You like the magazine because you
feel that it caters for women like you. It addresses the needs of those who
have to juggle between their roles as career women, wives and mothers. It
offers fashion tips for your age group and good advice for busy parents. It
also has an inspirational short story in each issue.
Now image this:
At the end of a busy day, after the children have gone to bed and all
the dishes have been done, you open your 'Women Today' and look forward to a
good read, only to find that the magazine is now full of beauty tips for
teenage girls; news about pop bands; advice on what to do on a first date; and
the short story is gone.
You would be forgiven for thinking that
you've brought the wrong magazine, and you'd probably stop buying it from now
on and look for another one to fill the void.
Driving readers away is
the last thing editors want to do. That's why most magazines stick to a
tried-and-trusted formula that suits the targeted readers.
The moral
of the story is that there is no point in submitting the wrong type of article
ideas to editors. Your article may be beautifully written, well-researched and
error free, but if it's about teenage pregnancy then it's not going to get
printed in a magazine for the over-50s.
Likewise, article ideas about
enjoying one's life in retirement are unlikely to be accepted by editors of
magazines targeted at teenagers. Your ideas must be right for the magazines
you're sending your queries to.
You should read at least two issues of
the magazine to get to know the tone, style and the average length of the
articles. Again, use a library or a large newsagent if you need to.
Don't forget to look at the advertisements, which will tell you a lot about
the magazine's intended audience. An article about trendy wine bars is unlikely
to be of interest to a magazine advertising stair lifts.
Reading the
magazine will also ensure that you're not trying to pitch an idea that has
appeared in a recent issue.
Many magazines now publish their
submission guidelines on their websites, so check these out first to get an
idea about the kind of articles they want. If you can't find guidelines on the
website, write to the editorial office with an SAE asking for writer's
guidelines. Most magazines will be happy to send you a copy.
The
bottom line is, editors only print what their readers want to read. So if you
have an idea that appeals to a magazine's audience, it will also appeal to the
editor. And the only way to find out what the readers want is to read the
magazine yourself.
Step 3: A grand opening
Make your
opening sentence work for you. Make it attention-grabbing and make it a
masterpiece. Editors are busy people and you have about 30 seconds to get their
attention. If you begin your query with a boring statement, she will simply
scan through your letter and move on to the next one. Don't give her any excuse
to stop reading your letter. Present your idea as early in the letter as
possible.
Your first sentence can be an intriguing question, an
interesting fact, a quote from someone you interviewed, an anecdote, a
statistic, a riddle or a joke appropriate to your idea.
Don't ever
begin your letter with:
'Although I have never been published before
…'
'I'm new to writing but …'
'My mother thinks I
should submit this article idea …'
You get the drift. Comments
like these scream amateurism. No editors want to work with amateurs.
Step 4: Get to the point quickly
Don't over-stay your
welcome by waffling on about inappropriate personal details. Editors are not
interested in the fact that you struggle to find time to write as a
mother-of-two, for example.
Explain to the editor why your article
idea is unique and how it is of interest to her and her readers. Include a
provisional opening paragraph if possible, but only if you think it will grab
the editor's attention and make her want to know what comes next. Say how you
will get the information required to write the article; for example, by
interviewing experts on the topic.
If you haven't worked with the
editor before, include brief information about yourself. If you have special
qualifications to write about this particular article, make sure you let her
know. For example, if you have a science degree and your article idea is about
making science interesting to the general public, then say so.
Indicate how long your article will be. Make sure this is in line with the
average length of similar articles in the magazine. Make it clear to the editor
that the length can be varied to suit her needs.
Make your query a
single A4 page. If you can't condense your idea on one page, you need to work
on it more to get it more focused.
Don't include more than one idea in
a query. The only exception is when you're sending fillers. Even then it should
be no more than 2 pages. Number your fillers clearly.
Step 5: Be
professional
Professionalism is the key to success. The quality of
your writing is of course important, but so is the image you project as a
professional writer.
Be businesslike. You may be feeling despondent
about having received five rejections in a week, but don't spill your emotions.
At this point, an editor is a potential client, not a personal friend, although
she may become so once you have worked with her on a regular basis.
If
you can afford it, get a professional-looking letterhead designed and printed
at a printer. It need not be too expensive. If you own a laser printer, you can
design a simple, elegant letterhead yourself on your computer. Make it minimal.
Don't try to use all the available fonts and colours in your word processor,
and resist the temptation to include silly clip-arts in your letterhead. If you
want to include graphics, get a logo designed professionally.
Include
essential details such as your name, postal and email addresses, telephone and
fax number.
Don't expect the editor to pay for return postage. If you
want to get a reply, you must include an SAE.
Editors want articles
that are well-researched and error-free. If you query is full of mistakes,
editors will doubt your ability to produce high-quality articles.
Don't rely on spell-checkers solely. Read your query letters out loud; this
makes it easier to spot spelling and grammatical errors. Get a friend or
relative to proof-read your queries. Don't send them out unless you know
they're error-free.
Step 6: Be focused
It is probably
true that everything has been written about at least once. Your task is to find
a new angle. Do you have something new to say about your topic? Or can you say
something that's already been said in a new way?
Don't write to an
editor suggesting you want to write an article about cooking or dyslexia. This
is too generic. On the other hand, queries entitled 'Quick Mouth-watering
Recipes for Busy Mums' or '10 tell-tale signs of dyslexia in children' are
focused.
Editors like ideas that are focused because they can picture
how and where the finished articles will fit into their magazines. Make your
query focused and editors will love you.
Many magazines have regular
sections. If you can indicate to the editor which section of the magazine your
article will fit into then all the better. This tells the editor that you have
studied the magazine, which will put your in her favour.
Step 7:
Mail or email, but no phone
Before you send out your query, check
that your submission method is correct. Some magazines will not look at email
queries, others insist on them. Do not query by telephone unless you have
worked with an editor on a few occasions and are sure that she doesn't mind.
Sending your query via the wrong method once again shows the editor
that you have not spent time studying their publications and guidelines. This
will put you on the blacklist and jeopardise chances of acceptance of your
future queries.
If you're querying by email, it is best to paste your
query into the body of the email, rather than sending it as an attached
document. This is because attachments are notorious for spreading computer
viruses, and editors who have not worked with you before will be unlikely to
open an attachment from an unknown source.
Emails are great for
keeping in touch with friends and family, and we often adopt an informal tone
in emails. When you email an editor, however, write it as you would a formal
letter. Resist the temptation to use smilies (? ?) or abbreviations commonly
used on the internet. Don't over-use punctuation marks, like this!!!!!!! AND
DON'T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN YOUR EMAIL. IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO
READ.
I would also advice against putting the word 'Query' in the
subject line of your email. Editors are busy people. On a day when she is
inundated with emails and letters, and faced with a deadline two days away, she
may well respond to that 'oh no another query' by deleting it without reading
it.
Step 8: Clips, or no clips
If you're a published
writer, include a couple of your best clips with the query, but only if the
clips are appropriate to the idea you're proposing. There is little point in
sending a clip on local history if your query is about fine wines.
If
you've never been published before, don't draw the editor's attention to the
fact. If the only places you've been published are local church newsletters or
obscure websites with dubious reputation, it's best not to mention them. It's
much better to simply present yourself in a professional manner in your query
letter. If you act like a pro, the editor will assume you're a pro and will
treat you as one. Let your irresistible query letter and its professionalism
speak for you.
Step 9: Learn from your rejections
It's
waiting time once you've sent your query off. Unfortunately editors are busy
people and the waiting time can range from a week to three months.
If
you haven't heard from the editor in four weeks, follow it up with a polite
letter or email. If you still haven't heard anything after three months, assume
it's a rejection and move on.
For new writers, rejections can be
soul-destroying. Just when you are feeling more confident about your writing,
along comes a rejection letter, leaving you in doubt as to whether you are good
enough to be a writer.
It's important to realise that getting
rejections is part of a successful writer's life. It means that you're making
contact with the publishing world. Don't let rejections stop you from sending
out more queries. Be persistent, be professional and you will get published.
While you must try not to let the rejection get you down, you should
spend some time analysing why your last query has not produced a positive
response before re-submitting it to another magazine. Was it appropriate to the
publication? Did you start your query with an attention-grabber? Did you send
it to the right person? Did you send it in the post when the magazine insists
on email submissions (or vice versa)? Did you include enough information for
the editor to make a decision? Did you include an SAE?
Every rejection
is one step forward in your writing career. Learn from them and use them to
make your next query better.
Step 10: Give it 100%
Some writers, especially new writers, argue that they should be spending
their time writing 'something proper' rather than writing query letters. The
trouble is, if you don't write query letters, your 'proper writing' may never
be published and be read.
A query letter is a sales letter. To the
editor, it is an indication of the quality and style of your writing. If she is
impressed with what she reads in your query, she'll trust your ability to write
the finished article.
Don't ever dismiss writing queries as a waste of
time. To a writer, nothing written is ever wasted. Think of it as the gateway
to your success as a freelance writer. Follow the steps outlined in this book
and give it 100% every time you write a query letter. Now all you need are good
ideas. But that's another story.
Happy writing!
Appendix:
1. How not to write a query letter
[No Date]
[Do return address and contact details]
ABC
Magazine
123 High Street
Another Town
Dear Mrs Smith
I have never written to an editor before, but I have a wonderful article
idea about horses. I started riding since I was a child, so I thought I could
write an article for your magazine about horses.
I haven't read your
magazine but a friend suggested I should write to you to see if you'd be
interested in my idea. I have written a couple of items for the local community
newsletter and my family and friends think my writing is not bad.
Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in my idea. I
will give you a call next week to discuss the details.
Emma Johnson
[no SAE enclosed]
2. Example of a professional query
letter
[Professional letterhead, or clearly printed contact
details]
20 October 2006
Anne Smith
ABC Magazine
123
High Street
Another Town
Dear Anne Smith
What.. what..
should a pa.. pa.. parent do if.. if.. if.. a child st.. started stammering?
Many would simply keep their fingers crossed and hope that the child
would 'grow out of it'. However, research shows that while most children do
outgrow this problem, some will develop persistent stammering into later life.
Stammering usually begins between the ages 2 and 5, and early
intervention is vital in preventing it from developing into a chronic problem.
I am confident that your readers, a large number of whom are parents of 2- to
5-year-olds, will be interested in a 1000-word article entitled 'Help! My Child
Has Started Stammering'. The article will be an excellent fit for the Toddler
Development section in your magazine.
I am a speech therapist and have
worked with children who stammer. I will also interview two experts in this
field to include the latest findings on childhood stammering.
Thank
you for taking the time to consider my idea. I enclose an SAE for your
response.
Yours sincerely
Emma Johnson
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Mui Tsun is the creator of Inspire Software: the simple yet
powerful Character Generator, First Line Generator and Scenario Generator will
enhance your creativity, kick-start your imagination and clear your
writer’s block. For more information visit
http://www.raincatcher.co.uk/inspire.htm
