Query Letter Basics

Writing the perfect query is the only way to make it in the print industry. There are hundreds of places that accept (and often prefer) full manuscripts. If you spend hours on a piece and it is rejected, then you are back to square one (only now you have a file full of articles that have never been published – I know, start a blog).

The great thing about queries is that you don’t have to write the whole article before you find out if the publisher is interested. The bad thing about queries is that if yours is accepted then you better be able to meet the expectations that it delivers. I have written BAD queries, great queries that I couldn’t produce the article, and great queries where the articles were accepted (and the check has cleared). Here are some of the tips that I have stumbled over through the years.

1. Know the magazine that you are querying. That means that you need to find some of the magazines and read the articles. You need to know the tone, the material, and even the grammar (some use contractions, some don’t). Many magazines have an online site where you can see some of their archived articles.

2. Know the person you are querying. You will have to find out the editor of the department (don’t trust the website, the market guide listing, or the magazine). The best bet is to call. The print industry is one that is always flipping. If you send your query to the wrong person then it will most likely find its way into the garbage before it is ever opened. Also, make sure you have the right spelling and title.

3. If you haven’t written the article (and I usually don’t) then at least have an outline to guide your query letter. I wrote the perfect query letter and a major print magazine asked to see the article. Only, I couldn’t figure out how to make the exact idea in the query into a flowing article. It was rejected, and they haven’t asked to see another of my articles since then.

4. Read the guidelines. If you have a fiction story and the magazine doesn’t accept fiction, don’t waste the time or money to send the query no matter how good and perfect you think it might be. The guidelines are there for a reason. Follow them specifically (including number of words) or you will not make it into the respond pile.

5. Check, recheck, and then have a friend check your grammar, titles, and names. During a day when I sent out multiple queries, the name of a rival magazine ended up on another’s query. I wasn’t shocked when I got a form rejection letter. Why should they take the time to look over and evaluate a query when I can’t even take the time to be sure I’ve got the right magazine?

What makes a good query? Everyone you will speak to will probably have a little different formula for what they write. This is a layout of an accepted e-query:

Jane E. Doe
Editor
I Want to Write Magazine
1234 Grammar Street
Hometown, Al 12345

Dear Ms. Doe:

Paragraph One: Attention grabbing sentence or anecdote

Paragraph Two: Basic outline of the article, the length, and the section of the magazine it will most be suited for (shows your knowledge of the magazine).

Paragraph Three: Use a few sentences to tell about whom you are, what have happened in your life to qualify you to write the article, and any experience you may have had (DO NOT say you are inexperienced!). My first query simple said something like “I am a freelance writer with a desire to share my personal struggles to assist others in their walk.”

Paragraph Four: Just a simple “thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.”

Sincerely,
Your name

Your name
Your address
Your phone number
Your email address

Learning to write the perfect query is the best way to send your writing career to the next level. If you don’t have friends that write (or that will be honest with you) then subscribe to an online writing forum for advice and suggestions. The key is to keep learning, keep perfecting, and keep trying until you get to where you want to be.

Add comment October 18th, 2007

1 Thing You Have to Do

There hasn’t been a time in my life when I didn’t wonder what God had planned.  While some things seemed simple – mother and wife – others have been one giant road block after another – writing, teaching, and speaking.  Today was the first day that I realized it’s not about the “big plan.”

God has one purpose for my life – that is to live in a personal, intimate relationship with Him.  If I spend all day today just working on that relationship and looking for Him right now, I don’t have the time to think about the plans He is laying out for my tomorrow.  He will take care of what He is doing.

I see Mark in a whole new light – “don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has worries enough of its own.”  I had thought it was talking about the fretting kind of worry (how will I pay my bills?  What are the kids doing?  What about that promotion?).  Now I think it’s just talking about living.  That’s why it’s included with the passage about not thinking about what to eat or what to wear.

It almost goes against nature to think that God is concerned about my clothes, or my hair, or my weight.  The truth is that He is more concerned about anything that I am because that is the way a parent works.  But the great thing is that He takes it one step farther than we parents could ever do.  If I will focus on NOW and do what I know to do then my Father will take care of tomorrow.  He will lay out the “big plans” and He will have me prepared to take on all that lies in the path.

If you are not sure about the direction you are headed, take a moment to step back and talk to God.  Work on that intimate relationship with Him that He designed you to have.  Listen to His words and His direction.  Do the things that you KNOW to do (even if it’s just read, study, and pray) and wait for Him to make Himself clear to you.  If you know the Father then you will always know when He is direction you.

Add comment October 18th, 2007

One Simple Step to Pay Off Your Mortgage

Society has designed the system so that you will be in debt for most of your life – all of it if you plan right.  The mortgage industry has developed loans that will allow people to borrow more – which have pushed up the price of houses, requiring people to pay more for less house.

It seems like an endless cycle – but you can get out now!

A traditional mortgage will cost you three times what you agreed the house was worth – if you pay off in the full amount of time allotted.  If you make one extra payment per year, the number of years decreases.  Now pay on the principle each month, and you could decrease your mortgage term to as little as seven years.  That means you will be debt free AND you will have paid thousands less in interest.

There are mortgages that are beginning to make their way into the United States that are designed to help you pay off the loan faster.  Basically, you put money into an account to pay your mortgage.  At the end of the month, everything that is left over (after paying your monthly payment) is rolled over to principle.  If you don’t have a mortgage already, this could be the path for you.

If you are already locked into a mortgage, you don’t want to go to the expense of moving to a new lender.  It is possible to use the same concept – if you will just be disciplined about it.  Set aside ¼ of your normally monthly payment.  At the end of the month, if you haven’t HAD to use the money, then pay it on your principle.

It’s really just one simple step that will buck the system and have you debt free before your children can even spell the word.

2 comments October 18th, 2007