Jan 20 2009
Hi there,
I have been busy finishing up some writing work and have two more articles on the burner for submission at the end of the month. I received these two assignments from good ole querying. I used to dread querying and preferred to submit to markets that accepted the completed submission but with experience, I realized it is better to query first than spend a whole day writing an article that has no intended market.
I hated querying because I wasn’t confident in my ability to write a good query. One day I received a copy of Jenna Glatzer freelance writing workbook for payment for a short humourous piece I wrote for her site. After working through her workbook, I finally hit upon a template for my queries and have been using it ever since. A querying template is the most effective way to write your queries and get them out there. I am not saying that all queries should say the same thing, nothing can be further from the truth but if you follow a certain format, you can master the dreaded query.
Here is my format for a good query, remember to keep it one page:
1st paragraph - your opening statement introducing your topic.
2nd paragraph - more information on your topic.
3rd paragraph - information on your article and how it pertains to the topic and why it is suitable for the publication’s audience. Also include word count and a list of the articles subheadings if applicable.
4th paragraph - Your offer to send the completed the article for review for publication.
5th - closing statement thanking the editor for their time etc.
That’s it - that is my formula for a good query.
Give it a try and good luck!
Until next time - write it right!
