If you are a new writer and want to break into the magazine market, you must have a query letter. Most new writers believe that once an editor sees their story, then a query letter is not necessary. That’s simply not true.
Query letter mistakes can prevent you from getting your foot in the door of a magazine. You have only one chance to make an impression on an editor. There are five common mistakes to avoid when writing a query letter.
A new writer can write an excellent query letter with a few tips. Here’s how to avoid five common mistakes that some new writer’s make.
Wrong Publisher
Don’t send your romance story to a literary publisher because you think that it’s a work of art. It’s a romance story and has to go to a romance publisher; furthermore don’t send fiction to a nonfiction magazine publisher with the belief that they may publish one story of fiction after reading your masterpiece.
Wrong Editor
Find out the editor’s name. Read the magazine’s masthead making sure you have the correct spelling of the editor’s name. Don’t use an outdated reference book. According to John Wood’s book, How to Write Attention Grabbing Query & Cover Letters, “The best way to avoid the slush-pile is to send your idea to the appropriate editor.”
Tell the Ending
The query letter should tell the whole story leaving the editor with no unsure parts about your story you want to write. It should talk about the story that you want to write in an interesting way and it should be similar to the stories in that magazine.
Failure to mention what the ending will be in a fiction query is a mistake that new writer’s make also. You must tell what the ending will be here in the query. Another common mistake that new writer’s make is telling the editor there is more to come later and not telling the whole story.
Business Letter
The query letter is not the place to try out your new logo or have fancy clipart with your writing aspirations. Your query must look professional because you are competing with published writers.
Tell the Editor about the Writer
A new writer may not have published credits, and that is only a minor problem, because you can tell the editor about how you’re qualified for writing the story. For example, if you’re writing a nonfiction piece on home school, you may tell the editor that you are a teacher and that you have many years of experience.
Demonstrate your excellent writing skills. This is not the place for typo’s and grammar mistakes. Rewrite your query letter making sure that you have a tight letter to send to the magazine. Make sure that you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your query (SASE).
Reference:
John Wood’s; How to Write Attention Grabbing Query & Cover Letters; Writer’s Digest
