Writing Tips: Writing a Query Letter with a Sample

If you were a born writer, than you know the hardest part of becoming a paid writer is not necessarily the writing itself. That's what comes natural to most of us drawn to this profession. What we need help with is becoming a published freelance writer. We need help learning the steps such as writing a query letter, what a query letter needs to say, or maybe even what in the world is a query letter and why is this so important? The bottom line to understand is that the key to getting your work published is not how great of an article/story/poetry it is, it's about how to get an editor to notice it! Let's face it, there are going to be a lot of great writers, some better, and even some worse than you that will get published. The difference between the unpublished writer and the published one is that one knows how to get their work noticed through query writing and the other is still learning!

Wendy Burt-Thomas, the author of "Guide to Query Letters" (which you can buy to the left of here) states that she spends 1/3 of her time writing, 1/3 marketing herself, which includes writing query letters, and 1/3 managing her lifestyle as a successful free-lance writer. This shows you the importance of promoting your work within a query letter. It is just as important as the writing itself. You will have to submit many query letters, before you will sell one. You may even want to be willing to sell your work for free, so that way you will have tear sheet (a sample of your work) that you can use in future queries.

What is A Query

If you are unsure what a query is, it is a letter that tells a potential publisher or editor why your work should be put in their magazine or book, and why you are the person who should write it. There are key things that you need to keep in mind. First, it's important to familiarize yourself with the Writer's Market Manual. You can find this book at any library. It will give you addresses, and editors to sell your work to. It will also tell you how the editor likes work being submitted. Very few editors do not mind receiving a manuscript, most want you to send a query letter, before they decide if they want to read your longer work. If you get a rejection, don't take it personal, you will get a lot of them. They may have denied you because they don't publish the type of article you are querying for, or they have recently published a similar item, or a host of other reasons. Here are some tips on how to maximize your chances of them wanting to see your work!

Before You Write the Query

It's important to find an appropriate magazine, publisher, etc. that is right for your work. That means you need to do a little research. The Writer's Market is a good place to start. If you are writing about the eohippus, which is believed to be the first horse before evolution took its toll, then you may want to look in the science section, animal section, or maybe the archaeological section. Then read the different magazines that they offer. Read descriptions until you find a good match.

Once you find a good match, you need to make sure that the voice of your work, fits the magazine. Check out a magazine's last three issues. Again you can find these at your local library, or contact the publisher for back issues. Look for a few things. First that they haven't recently published your exact article. That your article would fit well with this magazine, not just in content but also in tone, length, and depth. Children's magazines will require a little less depth, whereas National Geographic would want a very deep article that is substantially longer.

Once you find the right publisher, you want to make sure that the editor is current. Even if it's this years market, people change jobs. I have gotten rejection letters solely stating, "This editor no longer works for us." They didn't even look at my work. Though I can understand. They probably figure if I didn't do my research to make sure the editor was the current one, then how do they know the rest of my research is going to be accurate. A few ways to double check this is by looking in the latest issue of the magazine. In the front there will be a list of editors. Try to find the editor that best fits what kind of article you are writing. If that doesn't' work, call the magazine and ask someone. Chances are you will be able to reach someone. But if you call make sure you get the right spelling!

Another key thing to keep in mind is how does the editor want it sent. If it does not list it in the Writer's Market, the preferred way, then call. If you're not sure, most today prefer e-mail. But just because it's email, does not mean it needs to be any less casual. Still make sure that the email is very professional.

Note: to the right you will see sample of one of my letters. Click on it to see full-view if you want to be able to read it. Although I give examples of three sentences, you can see this one has more than that.

The three most important things about a query is to edit it, to edit it, to edit it. In other words, if it's not well written, they won't want to see your work. You want this to be just as well written as the work you want to submit. If it's not, they might not even give it a second look. So read over it carefully, maybe even have someone else read over it, before you send it.

Another important tip is make sure it looks professional. The Writer's Market has great examples of how you should have a query set up. It also gives you great examples of not only what they should look and sound like, but also what they should not look and sound like, which is equally important.

At the top, make sure that you have a clear header. It should include the name of the editor who you are sending it, with his official title. What is written before their name in the front of the magazine is their official title, ie: Tommy Bruin, managing editor. Underneath their name type the name of the magazine or publishing company. Make sure it is spelled right! If they notice it's typed wrong, they will assume you are not careful and do not double check your facts.Then underneath that you should write their address, whether it be their email address or their address.

Everything in the header should be single spaced typed. In fact the entire body should also have single spaces, with double spaces between paragraphs. After the header, make sure there is at least one single space before you write, "Dear... so and so." Make sure you use the editors name and be professional. For instance, "Dear Mr. Tommy Bruin," "Hi, Tommy," or even starting it, "Tommy Bruin" is unprofessional. Try to keep it strictly professional, until you get to know them. Then follow their lead.

Again make a double space before the body, then another double space before the close. Choose a closing that is professional. "Sincerely," is a very safe choice. Then do another double space, and write your name and information. For instance, it should look something like this:

Sincerely,

Andrea Smith
137 Noon Ave
Sage, MN 78392
(123) 456-7890
ASmith@hubpage.com

There are many variations, but a good rule of thumb, the way you fill out their address at the top, is a good way to fill your address at the bottom, plus your phone number. It's better to give them more than one way to contact you, and giving them all three is just fine.

If you are enclosing anything like that manuscript (ms) or a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE), make sure these are included below your closing. Make another double space then type: "Enclosed: Manuscript and SASE" or whatever applies.

The body of your query is the single most important part of the query. It is what tells them why they should hire you, why they should look at your manuscript, and even why they should finish reading this query.

Queries should only be one page long. That includes header, closing, everything. Any longer than that, the editor will probably put aside to read later, or not at all. The best advice is the shorter you keep it, the better. That doesn't mean skimp on details, nor does it mean pack as much information as possible in one sentence at a time. Remember it needs to get their attention, and it needs to be written well.

Just as in the story itself, the first paragraph should grab their attention. It should also include such details as what the story is about, the age appropriateness (if a children's or teens work) the word count, and why it would fit into their magazine. A good way to show that it would be a good fit for their publishing company or magazine is reference a work that they previously published that you enjoyed. For a children's book, I once wrote this as my beginning paragraph:

Josie Lynn and the Gigantic Jump, written for 4-8 year olds, has a message of self-confidence. Through Josie Lynn’s schemes, she strives to prove that she is an equal to her brothers. HarperCollins is a great fit for this work due to your focus on stretching the imagination like in Pinkalicious, and the precociousness of a girl, like in the Fancy Nancy series.

The next paragraph should explain why you are credible to write about the story. Remember talk as little about yourself as possible, but let them know that you are not only a good writer, but also an authority figure on this topic. So if you want to say, I have published this many works in these magazines, go for it. But don't go on and on with your accomplishments. Keep it short, so it does not seem like you are arrogant or prideful. Two things they don't want to deal with in a writer.

When writing about your authority on the topic, be careful of revealing too much information that is why it's good to keep it as short as possible. For instance, if you're writing about suicide, feel free to say you have had someone's suicide effect your life, but don't go into details that may cause the editor to feel uncomfortable.One paragraph I had explaining my experiences for this same book was:

Having grown up with three older brothers, seven older male cousins, and a neighborhood without girls, has given me a unique perspective of self-confidence and wanting to prove oneself. Not only have I lived through the challenges of being the only girl, but the youngest in the chaos of it all. That is why in Josie Lynn and the Gigantic Jump, she plans ways to prove herself to be worthy of her older brothers, only to discover that it doesn’t matter what they think after all. It only matters what she thinks of herself.

Then end the article by thanking them for their time and consideration.

Granted, it can go longer or shorter than three paragraphs, but the elements need to be there. Longer works can have longer queries, but still stick to the one page rule. Shorter does not mean put less effort into the query. It's hard to fit all that information in that small amount of area, so if you find yourself writing a lot in a query. Set it aside, look at it again in a few days or a week. You may see where you may have gone too much in depth here, or want to add a little here.

So good luck in your writing endeavors. Now you have the tools to write a query, you already have the tools to write an article/story/novel; so now get the courage and send out your work!

If you are interested in getting more writing hints, here is a great blog that gives great periodic tips. Feel free to follow them to get tips sent directly to your email!