In every recession, magazines we’ve grown accustomed to seeing on the newsstand close their doors forever, victims of the slump in advertising dollars that invariably comes during tough economic times. So with last week’s news of Blender’s demise, just the most recent in a string of magazines that have folded since the economic crisis began, [...]
Snow is falling at the rate of more than an inch an hour, and has been since about midnight. So we’ve already got a good ten inches with a few more hours of snow to come before it tapers off. My daughter is still sleeping, blissfully unaware of the snow day. My son got up [...]
You sent the query and now you’re checking your inbox every 20 minutes–if you can wait that long. So what should you do now?
Take a Deep Breath. Walk away from the computer. But don’t go too far. Editors are usually prompt in responding to queries. They realize that your idea has a shelf life, and [...]
After getting to know the magazine, coming up with a great story idea and drafting your query, you’re almost convinced you’ve got a sure thing on your hands. But before you press send, check for these rookie mistakes.
Hey, Love UR Mag
Though query letters are almost always sent electronically, they’re not a casual e-mail to a [...]
You’ve done your homework, and now you’re ready to write your one-page pitch. But how? Here’s a breakdown of the sections of a query letter, using as an example a query that landed me a feature article in Poets & Writers magazine (Nov/Dec 2007).
Greet the Right Person
“Dear Madam/Sir” isn’t nearly as effective as “Dear James [...]
You’ve read your magazine backward, looked at the ads, read the submission guidelines and now you’re… stuck. What to pitch? These tips will help you develop a story idea to pitch in your query.
Start small. If you’re pitching to a magazine for the first time, don’t start by pitching a full-length feature article. Start by [...]
This is the first in a series of posts on querying magazines.
When you’re getting ready to pitch an idea for an article, it’s time to do your homework. Even if you subscribe to the magazine you’re about to query, you need need to look at it with a fresh eye. To learn what you need [...]
Before starting this blog, I gave serious consideration to whether an audience of writers would hold it against me if I accepted advertising. I came to the following conclusions: If I’m going to take the time to write this blog, I owe it to myself and my family to earn money at it. And if [...]