Writing effective queries

[Ty Goodwin]

Hey guys,

I’m hoping to get some advice from experienced writers here on putting together effective queries when submitting ideas to editors. My experience is limited. I’ve published a few things in small on-line magazines, but none of these required queries.

My apologies if this ground has already been covered. I searched around a bit and couldn’t find anything that addressed this specifically. Appreciate your time.

[Zach Matthews]

Hey Ty

Scrap everything you know about “queries” and simply write a partial piece. Research your target magazine, figure out what kinds of things they do regularly (but have not done lately), and prepare an outline of an article. Typical feature length is 2,000 words. Then fill in the intro with say 300 words, and sketch out where the rest of the piece is headed in the outline. Always provide publishable photos to accompany the potential piece, and email the entire package over to the editor in chief or managing editor with a polite cover letter.

Zach

[Ty Goodwin]

Thanks Zach. Very much appreciate that info.

[Tim Angeli]

Hi Ty,

I’ll echo Zach’s advice – that’s what I do as well. Alternatively, just write the full article and submit it to the editor with a cover letter and publishable photos. That approach requires time investment on your end in terms of writing a full piece without any agreement for publication, but it allows the editor to see your writing style and how you develop a full article / story. This can be a very useful approach, particularly when trying to break into new publications and establish a rapport with a new editor.

Good luck!

Tim

[Ty Goodwin]

Thanks for response Tim. Great advice.

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