Writing and Publishing News

I’ve been writing for publication for over 40 years and I’ve written hundreds—maybe thousands—of query letters. Recently, however, it has come to my attention that this document has taken on a new shape and style.

It used to be that a query letter was a one-page introduction to your manuscript or proposed magazine article. Today, I notice that some book publishers, when they ask for a query letter, will say, “Please include synopsis, something about the author, your marketing plan and publishing history.” Or they might say, “Send us a 6 or 7-page query letter explaining the content of your proposed book, its competition, author’s background and audience.”

I’d call this a mini-book proposal. What say you? Have you submitted one of these heftier query letters?

Your magnificent query letter must:

1: Contain an intriguing beginning or a hook—something that catches the agent’s, publisher’s or editor’s attention. Don’t fret over this—just come up with something that creates enough interest so the editor will keep reading. Don’t try to be too cute or clever, you might come across as trite.

2: Identify this as a query letter and ask for what you want. Sometimes we become so involved in choosing the perfect words that we forget to focus on clarity. State or indicate early on that this is a query letter. Say, for example, “Please consider my manuscript for publication,” or “I’d like to propose a book featuring…”

3: Describe your project succinctly and briefly explain (based on information from your book proposal) the need and/or desire for a book such as this.

4: Mention the highlights of your project and any special aspects.

5: Name a few of your experts. (You might want to include a separate list of experts, if it is extensive and impressive.)

6: Share something about yourself—your background in the subject of your book and as a writer. I sometimes include a separate page listing my published books or titles of any articles I’ve had published on the topic of this particular book.

7: Let the publisher know that you have a book proposal ready to send or a complete manuscript. I know, I told you to forget about the manuscript until after you’ve completed the proposal. But there will come a point when you have completed the manuscript and you’ll want to mention that to the publishers you contact.

This is excerpted from my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.

I still have a few copies of this book to hand out to people who are willing to read it and post a review at amazon.com. Contact me at: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

In the meantime, visit the book’s page at amazon.com. It’s now in print and Kindle. Or here: http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

I just got the schedule for the Carolinas Writers’ Conference and discovered that I was mistaken about the program. It is a multi-track conference. But mine is a ninety minute slot. So I’ve been busy writing a speech I can use for this event—April 2—and for the two-hour workshop I’m presenting here locally on the 22nd of this month.

I’m also teaching my online article-writing course. There are writers who want to supplement their income through article-writing and also those who want to promote their books through articles. I may be one of the few instructors who cover both in my online article-writing course. If you want to earn more money through your writing or get more exposure (and sales) for your book, check out this course: http://www.matilijapress.com/course.htm

If you sign up this month, I’ll throw in my book—A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit.

Many freelance writers (and authors) are intimidated by the query letter. Here’s an excerpt from Class #4 of the Article-Writing course:

5: The first paragraph: You can either state your intent in the first line or start with an attention-grabbing statement. For me, it depends on the topic and the magazine. For example, I might write, “I’d like to propose an article featuring three artists who have made it big on QVC.” Or I might say, “Millions of artists sell their work, but few ever hit the big time on QVC.” Or, “What do Marcy Young, Toa Chang and Carmen Sanchez have in common? They’ve all made over $50K selling their wares on QVC.”

6: Give a brief synopsis of your article. In a paragraph or two (at most) describe your article idea. You want to be succinct, but make it interesting. Include the content, slant, examples of some of the information you’ll use or points you’ll make and mention the experts (or others) you plan to interview. In this section, you’ll want to provide any important statistics indicating the number of people who might be interested in this topic. The editor might not know, for example, that one in every 3 households has at least one dog, or that there are 2,000,000 kids who are waiting to have a mentor. Help to sell the editor on your article by demonstrating a need for it/potential interest in it.

7: Give your projected word count. The word count should coincide with the particular magazine’s guidelines. If their submission guidelines state that they publish articles of from 900-1200 words, be sure that your word count projection is within those boundaries.

Let the editor know if you have a specific column or department in mind where your article will fit in. If you have studied the magazine, you know that they have a column called, “My Turn.” Tell the editor that you would like him to consider your personal essay for his “My Turn,” column. Column articles are usually shorter than articles for their main pages. So be sure to check the word count requirements for the column you have in mind.

A Word About Word Count
I’ve met way too many people who do not take a magazine’s word count seriously and then wonder why they can’t get their articles published. A client of mine some years ago was invited to write an article for a magazine for the first time. They asked for 1,000 words. She came to me with her article before sending it to the editor and it comprised over 1,800 words. I asked my client about this and she said, “Oh, well I really couldn’t cut it down any more. If the editor wants to cut it, that’s okay.”

Wrong!!!! It would be highly unlikely, in this competitive climate, that an editor would love your article so much that she would publish 1,800 words where she has room for just 1,000. Nor would she spend time editing an article down—not when she has numbers of good articles and a stable of writers who might love to receive an assignment to write on this particular subject. The best advice I can give you is to conform to the editor’s requests and requirements.

8: List your qualifications for writing this article. For a piece on raising feral kitten, I could say that I’ve raised two feral kittens and I’ve done quite a bit of research on this subject for myself as well as for articles published in Cat Fancy Magazine and ASPCA Animal Watch. For an article on how to write a book proposal, I might say, “I’m the author of 33 books and I’ve written successful book proposals for most of them. I also teach book proposal classes and workshops, I’ve worked with dozens clients on their book proposals and I’m the author of books on this subject.”

Have you had experience in this subject? What sort of experience? Do you know the individual you plan to interview? What is your connection? Why are you the best one to write this article? As I said in an earlier lesson, it’s okay if the subject matter isn’t one that you’re familiar with. While you’ll want to do some preliminary research before submitting a query letter, you might say, “For this article, I plan to interview Joe Schmo, author of Why Didn’t I think of That? and director of Inventor’s Anonymous. I’ll also speak to several modern day inventors, including Alice Lake, who recently patented the spray nozzle that works even upside down; John Stanton, who came up with a new idea for recharging batteries and Eric Boston, inventor of the non splatter cooking oil.”

9: List your writing credits. I often tell writers, this is no time to be modest. However, if you don’t have writing credits, I would suggest side-stepping this issue. Since this probably isn’t the case with any of you, let’s discuss how to present your writing credentials. What is the point of this section? To assure the editor that you can write (but your excellent query letter serves this purpose, too), to let him know that you are reliable and accustomed to meeting deadlines. I might say in my query letter, “I’ve been writing for publication for over 30 years.” I might continue this way, “I’ve contributed hundreds of articles to around 300 different magazines. My articles have appeared in (I mention magazines similar to the one I am pitching. If I have written for this magazine, I mention it, as well). I am the author of 31 published books, including (and I mention those that most closely relate to the topic I’m pitching).” Sometimes I mention my affiliation with SPAWN, Toastmasters International, Ojai Valley Youth Foundation, Ojai City Historic Preservation Commission, Cat Writers Association—or whatever organization I belong to that might apply to this particular topic.

Should you mention your writing experience if it relates to business writing, blogging, writing a newsletter or writing in a genre or field very different from the type of writing required for this magazine? By all means, yes. You want to demonstrate to the editor that you can write, that you have a sense of follow through and that you are reliable (you are accustomed to meeting deadlines, for example). If you have not written for publication or presentation, rely more heavily on your expertise on the topic, your research and interview experience or abilities and your excellent presentation via your query letter.

Question? PLFry620@yahoo.com

Do you know the difference between a cover letter and a query letter? Many authors do not.

A cover letter accompanies your book proposal or manuscript when sending it to an agent or publisher. It’s a formality designed to identify your package.

A query letter introduces your project. It is generally the first thing that an agent or publisher receives from you and it is one of the most important elements to the publishing maze. As most professionals will tell you, a query letter is your first chance to make a good impression before an agent or publisher.

The first step to submitting anything to an agent or publisher is to study their submission guidelines. Many will request a query letter first. Some of them will outline the types of information they require. Query letters and book proposals, today, are not necessarily one-size-fits-all propositions. I suggest preparing yourself for whatever information a particular publisher might request. How? By compiling a detailed, complete book proposal including all of the elements, and by writing the most intriguing, succinct and beguiling query letter possible. If this is your first time around the publishing block, consider hiring a professional to help you get it right.

A query letter generally introduces your project through a brief synopsis. Learn how to describe your proposed book in one or two lines and then provide a concise synopsis (approximately one paragraph). Include the purpose of this book, describe your target audience and explain why they need/want this book. You’ll also want to introduce yourself—why are you the person to write this book? What is your writing experience and your background in this topic/genre? And the publisher will also want to know how you plan to promote this book—what are some of your most impressive connections? What does your platform consist of? Finally, tell the agent/publisher when your manuscript will be ready for viewing.

Actually, things have changed. It used to be that we would send queries out before completing the manuscript. We would tell publishers or agents, a date in the future when we expected to have the manuscript completed. Things move faster today. Now, agents and publishers want immediate gratification. Sure, they may take months to respond, but when they want the manuscript or proposal, they want it now. So be prepared.

You may wonder how you will fit all of this information in a one-page query letter. Actually, it is okay to spill over to a second page if the information in the letter is concise, relevant and well-written.

Let me know if you want more about the mysterious, intimidating query letter. I’ll also respond to specific questions. Leave comments here or contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com with your requests.