The Successful Query: Speed and Slant

by Stephanie Olsen

I'm not a fast person – I like ambling. I pause whenever possible (except in the middle of a busy street of course – relaxed, yes; stupid, no). But show me a new writer's market or a craigslist post branded immediate, bring an editor's "urgent" request to my attention, and you'll suddenly wonder about all the dust. (And that's not just a housekeeping comment.)

A start-up national print publication recently issued a call for articles with tight deadlines. Using my 'query template,' I filled in the variables, slanting the approach and list of clips and jobs to best emphasize my suitability as a writer for this particular magazine.

First, I hooked. Admittedly, it wasn't my most brilliant opening line – that one went to a travel editor seeking an article about vacationing with pets:

Six cats and a dog in a motorboat (in a sudden storm) isn't easy, but we made it--and had the best summer of our lives in a huge old cottage on a private island.
Of course...we had to *get* to the lake first...

No, what I had was fairly standard, but since the idea was probably so unique, I thought it might work:

I'm very interested in submitting articles to CarbLite Magazine and, as
a published freelance writer currently residing in Poland (a country known
for its carb "heavy" foods!), I think I might be able to provide humorous
essays on attempting to introduce and maintain a healthier diet.

Since I knew this editor was seeking a writer who could produce work with a quick turnaround, I made sure to focus on how extremely deadline oriented my ongoing freelance copyediting job was, being for a news provider organization. This point was crucial, I thought, as proof of my ability not only to deliver on time but to deliver editor-specified material:  conforming to word count, subject matter and writing style regardless of personal inclinations.

Rounding it off, I even pasted the entire body of a previously published article of mine (having to do with healthier diets) at the end of the query as an example of my proposed humor style. This is not something I usually do or even advise, but in this instance, I thought it might possibly help a pressured editor make a decision (in my favor) without having to leave my email and click to the website where the article is archived – possibly never to come back.

The outcome was a wonderful validation. When you give them what they want, when they want it, you're in:

Thanks so much for your response! I loved your article about veggies,
and think that your writing style is one that our readers would enjoy.

And when you're in, you're in:

We have another assignment in which you might be interested…

Write on the money!

Published freelance writer and JustMarketsCom publisher, Stephanie Olsen, spends her time searching the net to send daily emails crammed with paying, telecommute markets for writers.

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