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I was recently asked to be a part of a panel of magazine editors to talk about how I like to receive queries from freelancers. There were nine magazines represented on this panel that ranged from having a press run of 12,000 to over 100,000. It included two nationally read publications, two regional magazines, one state-wide publication, as well as specific, niche publications dedicated to business, boating, and homes. I was pleasantly surprised that the query process was extraordinarily similar between us all.
I?m going to share with you the basic rules that all of us editors agreed on, in hopes your queries to the glossy mag of your choice doesn?t fall on deaf ears.
Rule 1: Research
Before you send in your pitch to a magazine, you need to do your homework. As the publisher of a regional magazine, I can?t tell you the number of queries I get that have nothing to do with the readership area we cover. Likewise, a niche magazine that focuses on sustainable living in the Portland, Oregon area is not going to want to publish your story on deep sea fishing off the coast of Florida.
Read through a bunch of back issues of a magazine to get the feel for the sorts of stories they publish. Numerous magazines have specific topics they write about each month. Reference this section in your pitch, for example: ?My story on Charlie Sheen would be a perfect fit for your ‘What Were They Thinking’ section.?
Rule 2: Have a Plan
Have an idea of who you would like to interview for the story you are pitching. This shows the editor that you have thought the idea through and have done some research on the topic. In your query, list who you would interview and why?and be as specific as possible. Instead of saying ?a business professor at a top university? actually pick one out and list why their expertise would add to the article.
Rule 3: Be Concise
All of the editors I?ve talked to prefer a query via email. One went so far to say that if someone sends in a query as an attachment she doesn?t take the time to read it. Don?t have your great idea end up in an editor?s junk mail box just because you didn?t get to the point.
Editors want to know what your idea is, why it?s important to their readers, how it fits into their magazine, a blurb on who you are, and your expertise. Tell the editor in your query what it is that makes you an expert on the topic you are pitching. Maybe you?ve written articles like it for other magazines. Maybe you have educational or work experience. Whatever it is?include this in your query.
Rule 4: It?s All About Style
You should write your query in the style of the magazine you are pitching. If it?s a prestigious, conservative magazine, your query should follow suit. If it?s an alternative arts magazine, you can leave off the ?Dear Sir or Madam? and start your query with a nice ?Hello? instead. Editors want to know that you can write to their specifications right off the bat.
Rule 5: Spell Check
If your query has spelling or grammar mistakes in it?you?re toast. Be meticulous! A query letter is the first impression, so you should put your best, most professional foot forward. I know editors who, when they come across a spelling mistake in a query, delete it immediately. If you can?t take the time to spell check your query letter, what faith does an editor have that you won?t be equally as sloppy with your writing assignment?
Rule 6: Clips
If you have clips, send them along?but be choosy. If you are sending them as an attachment, (which no one will read unless your query letter has piqued their interest) send no more than three. If you are sending links, be sure to put the headline of the story before the link. I like it when freelancers take the time to write a little blurb about the story they are linking me to.
Rule 7: Unsolicited Stories
Most magazine editors don?t accept unsolicited manuscripts, unless it?s for poetry or fiction. If you don?t have any clips, and you want to get your foot in the door, it isn?t a bad idea to actually write the story (in the style of the magazine you?re pitching, of course) and send it to the editor. Without previous writing experience, it will show the editor that you can write to their demographic. Most freelancers don?t have the time and don?t want to put in the effort that this requires. Just so you know, I have never received an unsolicited story that I have published?I much prefer a query letter describing their idea.
Above all, what freelancers need to remember is that editors are very busy people. Some of them work with a very small in-house writing staff, are managing interns, running the magazine?s Facebook page and twitter account, and trying to constantly hit deadlines at the same time. Even though editors work in a high stress, deadline driven job, most of us are always on the lookout for talented freelancers. The best way to start that relationship with an editor is to craft a clear, concise, and well thought out query.
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