Writing for magazines is a dream for many, but a reality for few. Because competition is so stiff for those few magazine pages, it's important to make sure to make a great first impression. In the magazine world, the first impression is also called a query letter, and by following these tips for a great query letter, you could end up with more than a few bylines to call your own!
Be Professional
First of all, it's important that you approach all your correspondence and dealings with magazine editors with an air of professionalism. As a freelance writer, you may be working from home, in your pajamas, but don't let on.
Before sending any queries, make sure you've spell-checked everything and gotten the address or e-mail address right. Make sure you've got the right person's name on the letter and you know how they want to receive queries. Observe that, because just not following the protocol can often be a way to lose out on the chance to write for a publication. To find out what specific editors are looking for, check out databases on sites like MediaBistro or look at the magazine's Web site for writer's guidelines. Check the masthead for the name you want.
Be Specific
Many beginning writers think that they can write a query letter introducing themselves and that will make an editor assign them a story. Not so fast. These days, writers have to work for their stories, and that includes coming up with the idea yourself. It's important to read the magazine you're pitching first, to make sure your story would fit there, and then to spell out the idea in the body of your query letter. Including information such as who you plan to interview and what areas you'd like to cover can be very helpful to an editor.
Be Proud
One of the most important things editors are looking for is experience. If you've worked with other editors in the past, new editors will be more likely to take you on as a writer. You need to find a succinct, yet effective way to tell editors about where your writing has appeared, which editors you've worked with and what your writing past is.
Everyone has a different level of experience, and at some magazines a good idea will get you in no matter your experience level, but it's important to state what experience you do have. If you've got national magazine clips, lead with that and attach them to the e-mail either in attachment or link form. If you've worked for regional magazines or newspapers, include those too. Web writing and even academic papers are also good examples of your writing. Make sure to play up your proximity to the topic, too - magazines always want someone with a unique insider perspective and a fresh voice.
Be Persistent - But Not Too Persistent
Magazine editors are busy people, so it's important to keep that in mind. It's very rare that a magazine editor will be able to get back to you within one day, and sometimes you're looking at six weeks before you hear back. Usually, it's appropriate to follow up after two weeks (by e-mail is good since it's not too invasive) with a polite note asking if they've received your idea and had a chance to get to it yet. If you don't hear back, don't keep pestering - some editors let the ideas they don't want fall by the wayside, no matter how disheartening it is to writers.
But overall, remember that if you keep pitching, you will eventually get a gig writing for the glossies. With professionalism and great writing skills, the sky's the limit!
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