By Emily Wrigglesworth
Query letters are something that every freelance writer has to write on a regular basis. Ther problem new writers face however is that there doesn’t seem to be a set way to write one. Many freelancers have developed their own way of writing them, and almost all have changed their approach from the first try to the ones they write now.
“I started off with what I realized was way too long pitches,” says writer Alexander Huls. “They weren’t very focused. Now I’m much more succinct, I get more to the point.”
As with other writers, Huls says that how you approach a query letter is influenced with your relationship with the editor. Many freelance writers have forgone the traditional query letter for a quick note to an editor friend.
“I have editors who I’ve worked with who I’ll send a paragraph saying ‘What do you think about this, this, this and this? Does anything appeal to you, and would you like me to flesh it out so that you have a better understanding of it?’” says freelancer Alex Newman. “… It really depends on what your relationship with the editor is.”
Writer I.J. Schecter disagrees with that approach. He says that even though he’s established himself as a writer, he still frets over the query letter and puts a lot of effort into writing one.
“I never send anything out until I think that it’s as good as it’s going to be,” Schecter says.
Schecter spends hours looking over his query letters, but never in one sitting. He takes a few days, and spends an hour or two each day perfecting what he has done.
One thing that the writers agreed on is that there needs to be research done before a pitch is sent out. Another is that there needs to be a strong idea. Not even the best written query can save a poor idea.
“The number one thing for a query letter is be sure you have a strong story,” Newman says. “You’re pitching to someone who you’ve never pitched to before, and they don’t know who you are, is it a story? Can you tell a story? And that’s pretty much it.”
Even if there is a strong story, all three stress that writers need to be ready for the answer from an editor to be “no.”
“I always joke that pitching is like volunteering to be rejected,” laughs Huls. “Which makes it like dating I guess in some ways.”
For many writers, getting ideas for stories is as easy as sitting down in a coffee shop and just listening to conversations around them.
“The answer to ‘where do you get your ideas,’ the honest answer,” says Schecter “Is everywhere, all the time. I don’t think there’s any other answer.”
For some writers though, it’s harder than that. Some writers have difficulty picking stories out of seemingly thin air. Those writers, Huls included, tend to stick to writing about things they know really well, and often struggle to push themselves too far outside of their comfort area.
Regardless of the topic, the underlying advice the three writers have for writing query letters is know your story, know the publication and make it unique. Most importantly: don’t waste the editors time, or your own.
Emily Wrigglesworth 