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Working Words

A Formula For Fast Query Letters
Jerri L. Ledford
Copyright 1998-1999

Get a roomful of writers together, and the discussion is likely to turn to query letters at some point. You'll hear comments around the room that run from "I avoid them at all costs," to "I write three a day, everyday, and I usually do it in less than an hour." Less than an hour for three queries?

It's possible, even easy, if you follow a formula for the query letters you write. The formula is simple, and it can help you to produce tight, well written queries, that will sell your article.

Before You Write

Before you write your query letter, there are two things you must know; your subject and your market. Now, before you get all panicked, knowing your subject does not mean you have to have all of your research complete.

What it does mean is that you need to know enough about your subject to develop a theory, or premise for your article, and you need to know that you can substantiate that theory through further research and interviews with experts once the article is assigned. It is also a good idea to call your prospective interviewees to gain permission to interview them when the article is assigned. This will save the last minute schedule crunch when you are against a deadline.

Knowing your market is an important aspect to writing a query letter. In order to sell the article, you must know that it will fit the market to which it will be submitted. To be sure, you should study several recent back issues of the market you wish to query. Read through the magazine, noting the type and length of articles, editorial content, style, departments, number of photographs with each article, the names of the editorial staff, and the types of advertisements.

Advertisements are a wealth of information when studying a market. Companies spend millions of dollars to target their selected markets. When you look at an advertisement closely, it will tell you the readership of the publication in which it appears. For example, an advertisement for a Huggies Diapers will be in a magazine for women, usually between the ages of 20 and 35, with an income of roughly $30,000 per year or higher. That is the readership of that particular publication.

When you know your subject and market, your query will be well placed, and therefore will have a better chance of being accepted. All that's left is to write a query that grabs the editor, tells that editor exactly what to expect, and why you should write the article.

"Grab that editor. Quick!"

You walk into your office. The phone is ringing, and your boss wants your departments articles on his desk,
yesterday. There's a scheduling meeting in ten minutes, and you have a pile of query letters on your desk, right in the middle of everything else you need to get done, waiting to be read. Welcome to the world of the editor.

Editors are busy people. It's been estimated that as a writer, you have about 30 to 60 seconds to catch an editor's attention. If you can't do it in that time, the query letter is rejected. You have to grab the editor, fast.

There are three ways to get an editor's attention. Give them a little known or interesting fact, ask them a question that makes them want to know the answer, or tell them a small story, called an anecdote, that makes them want to read more.

An example of a combination fact/question lead:

The next time someone says "you eat like a bird," set them straight by telling them just how much a bird really eats. Most birds require lots of energy, so their bodies use up the food they eat very quickly. This is called having a high metabolism.

Some birds, like the hummingbird, can eat as much as 50 percent of their body weight in food. Can you imagine if you were to eat enough to equal one-half of what you weigh?

The lead of your article has one job, it has to catch your editor's attention, and it has to do it fast. About two
paragraphs is the maximum amount of space you should devote to the lead of your query. If you can't grab the editor by then, you've lost them anyway.

Tell 'em What You Can Give 'em.

If the lead of your article is important in getting the editor's attention, then the next paragraph is equally important in keeping there attention.

This paragraph has to tell the editor exactly what you are offering them. Your editor likes what he thinks the story will be about, but what if he is wrong? Tell him what you expect the word length to be, the department you are submitting it to if it's not a feature, rights offered, who you interview subjects will be, and what you intend to address with the article. For example:

Would you be interested in First Rights to my feature article, "You eat like a bird"? The article will be approximately 1,500 words in length. I will compare the eating habits of the hummingbird to those of an eight year old child, including a breakdown of the types and amounts of food the child would have to eat, to eat like a bird. I will also include quotes from Bobby Byrd, the Director of the National Bird Feeding Association, and from Mark Penguin, Bird Feeding Expert. In addition, I can supply a sidebar of approximately 150 words that will list types of birds and the amount of food they eat.

By telling the editor exactly what you are offering, they will not only get a good sense of the article, but you will also appear as a professional who is capable of doing the research necessary to write an informative article.

Why Should You Write It?

You've caught the editor's attention, told them what you have to offer, and they think the readership will be interested in the article. So why shouldn't that editor assign the article to a staff writer? Now you have to sell yourself.

Your next paragraph should give the editor reason believe that you are the best person to write the article you are proposing. Tell them what you have written in the past, and for whom, and tell them anything that might make you uniquely qualified to write this particular article. For instance:

I have written articles for both national and international publications such as The National Bird Research Bureau, Bird Feeding World, and The International Birding News. In addition, I am a certified Bird Feeder with the National Bird Feeding Association.

The editor can see at a glance why you are more qualified to write this article than the staff writer might be. This paragraph should do the job of selling you as a writer.

Closing It Up

You have given the editor reason to buy your article, now it's time to close the query letter. Closing the query is like closing a sale. You must give the editor the option to buy without making them feel pressured. A good way to do that is to leave open a dialogue. For example:

I'm sure your readership will find this article both fun and informative. If you would like to discuss it further, please feel free to contact me. I have enclosed a SASE for your response.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my work. I look forward to your response in the near future.

The editor can see your confidence in both your research and writing ability and that you are open for discussion if the idea is not an exact fit. Sold!

The editor jots a quick note, "Love you're idea. It's just what we're looking for. Need it by July 15th. Payment is $1.00 per word, contract to follow."

Writing a query letter should be a simple formula. If you follow the formula every time you write the query, you can do it in just a few minutes, and the queries will help to sell your work. Now, go try it, then do it again, and again!

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