How To Pitch Storey Ideas To Online Magazine Editors Without Annoying Them Yesteryear Brian Scott

With to a greater extent than people working part-time together with looking to supplement their income alongside freelance work, it's of import for creative-types to larn how to pitch, communicate, together with agree alongside editors the right way, particularly if they dream of becoming full-time freelance writers.

H5N1 hard but essential writing dominion I had to larn equally a budding freelance author was to communicate together with interact professionally alongside impress together with online editors—without agitating their pet peeves. If you lot are offset your quest to write articles for websites together with publications, therefore you lot should know these 4 basic rules because they volition aid you lot create novel together with lasting relationships alongside editors. I refer to these rules equally "duh!" rules because they are therefore obvious to seasoned writers but frequently ignored past times beginners.

• Rule 1: Following Submission Guidelines
• Rule 2: Correctly Address the Editors
• Rule 3: Always Remain Professional inwards Tone together with Writing Style
• Rule 4: Follow Up together with Follow Through

1. Following Submission Guidelines

I think most budding freelance writers eventually larn that a swift together with lazy read through a publication's submission guidelines volition drive them to skid upwards when sending a enquiry missive of the alphabet or manuscript. Many editors are fixed inwards their ways; they like—and expect—to have submissions based on their needs together with idiosyncrasies. An editor knows when you're lazy or don't aid to follow instructions.

Always:

1. Study the submission guidelines. This is dissimilar than but reading them because you lot are picking out the item needs of the editor together with the specific departments opened upwards to freelance writers.
2. Analyze together with dissect the publication: discovery out what the publication publishes, what it has lately published, together with what it intends to pose out inwards the future.
3. Compare the submission guidelines alongside the publication's content. Do you lot visually run into the strict give-and-take counts, titles, topics, writing style, together with vocalization applied to the specific columns, departments, together with features?
4. Know what editorial trend the publication uses. APA Style? Chicago Manual? AP Style? The Yahoo! Style Guide?

Assume nothing. Every publication has dissimilar submission guidelines. An editor who expects a column to run no to a greater extent than than 650 words does non desire an article that runs 700 words. H5N1 literary periodical that publishes micro-fiction does non desire your poetry, nor long-form fiction. H5N1 spider web log that adheres to AP Style does non desire an article formatted inwards APA Style.

You mightiness imagine why editors move out frustrated together with annoyed when writers disobey submission guidelines. Just when they're hoping to read a hidden precious rock they come upwards across a enquiry missive of the alphabet or manuscript that screams amateur. Ignoring specific guidelines together with wasting an editor's fourth dimension are mayhap the ii top pet peeves inwards the industry. You will, equally I have, experience higher credence rates or at to the lowest degree to a greater extent than courteous replies when you lot submit professionally. See examples of enquiry letters that possess got worked.

2. Correctly Address together with Approach Your Editors

Another "duh!" rule: address together with approach all editors correctly. Never write but a firstly cry or but a final cry inwards the salutation business of your queries. Address an editor past times his or her total name. Show respect. And you lot demand to brand certain you lot spell the cry correctly (duh!). If an editor too has a middle initial, don't leave of absence it out. If you lot are submitting online together with the website does non get upwards the someone who is receiving your enquiry (the editor, the managing editor, a departmental editor, the fine art director), therefore this is 1 dominion I break: I address the submission to the Editor-in-Chief or purpose a generic championship (i.e. "To Editorial Staff").

3. Always Remain Professional inwards Tone together with Writing Style

If you lot desire editors to present you lot respect, politeness, together with professionalism, therefore create the same. If you've spilled your java all over your desk piece typing upwards your enquiry missive of the alphabet inwards an e-mail message, mayhap you lot should concur off on e-mailing it to the editor. Frustration or aggravation—like spilling your java or wrestling jammed newspaper from your printer—can manifest itself inwards odd ways, similar causing you lot to boldface words or add together exclamation points to emphasize your mood.

Your e-mails to editors must possess got perfect spelling, grammer together with punctuation (duh!). Proofread at to the lowest degree 5 times for every submission, fifty-fifty if you've written a brusk enquiry e-mail or a novel synopsis. I tend to brand the most mistakes inwards brusk e-mails inwards which I assume the 5 sentences I hurriedly typed are perfect together with a shining illustration of my writing skills. Oftentimes they incorporate errors, similar extra spaces afterwards a judgement or a lowercase give-and-take that should live uppercase. I brand certain I proofread a instant or 3rd time.

4. Always Follow Up together with Follow Through

Editors possess got dissimilar response times—(but you, of course, knew this because you lot already read their submission guidelines). It's mutual for editors to convey their fourth dimension inwards replying to the most basic unsolicited enquiry letter, unless you've written for them before. H5N1 few weeks to a few months is non unusual, particularly if you've submitted a mass proposal or manuscript. If you've written a seasonal article that is alone relevant inwards the months from Oct to December, you'll demand to discovery out the publication's atomic number 82 fourth dimension together with if the deadline has passed or non to submit such articles.

If you lot don't take away heed from the editor inside a reasonable time, therefore follow-up alongside a polite e-mail bespeak if he or she has reviewed your submission. Include your contact info., the championship of your article, the give-and-take count, together with the appointment you lot submitted it. Don't telephone telephone editors to inquire nearly your enquiry or article, unless the submission guidelines allow it. If you've withal received no reply, therefore endeavor contacting about other staff member, such equally the managing editor or an editorial staff member. If withal no reply, consider the publication is uninterested together with motion on.

Quirky Editors

Just remember, editors possess got their quirks. You can't command how they reply, the mode or mood inwards which they reply, or when they reply, but equally you lot can't command their opinions of your work. One editor mightiness think your article is a mad mess of nonsense piece about other editor sees it equally a masterpiece for the to a greater extent than educated individual. If you lot rest truthful to these 4 basic ("duh!") rules, you lot volition possess got a to a greater extent than positive experience inwards dealing alongside editors together with experience to a greater extent than confident inwards approaching them alongside novel ideas.

To larn to a greater extent than nearly what editors desire together with what they don't desire when pitching articles to them, I welcome you lot to my spider web log at WritingCareer.com where I listing electrical flow editorial needs of editors together with publishers.

- Brian Scott

Share this post