I get a lot of emails from people seeking freelance writing advice. One letter last week got me thinking about how much time writers waste on queries. In the email, a new writer asked if I could read his query and tell him why it was rejected and point out any obvious problems. He went on to say he knew he didn’t miss anything because he had worked on nothing else but the query for two weeks. Two weeks is a long time. Queries are an important part of writing, especially for writers trying to establish themselves in the field. [Read more…]
Time Management Tip #3 Give the Query a Rest
Save time by resisting the urge to micromanage
February 15, 2011. 6 Comments
Reading to Pitch
What to do BEFORE creating a query
December 16, 2010. 1 Comment
A query isn’t just about developing a good idea and sending it to the right person, a query is designed to show your idea meets the publication’s needs and reader demographic. Before pitching a publication, a writer has to do one very important thing – read the publication. You wouldn’t believe how many writers skip that part and wonder why their idea was rejected. Once you’ve read the publication, go back and read it again. Most experts suggest reading six months worth of information. At the very least, look at the last three months. This will help you determine four [Read more…]
Query Letter Writing: World’s Worst Query Letter
April 1, 2010. 4 Comments
Since I got the pleasure of writing for April Fool’s Day here at Freelance Writing Jobs, I’d like to flex my creative muscles and write what has to be the world’s worst query letter. Query letter writing is half skill and half art, but some writers are just lazy. I can only laugh at some of the things I’ve seen. Hopefully you’ll smile with this one too. Note: This letter is replying to a hypothetical query posted by “Janice” on Craigslist wanting a new blogger to write once a week on her hair salon’s blog, Smarter Clips at $30/post. Hey [Read more…]
Best Query Advice
October 9, 2008. 6 Comments
*Oopsie Note: I thought I hit publish on this hours ago! Goes to show, you always have to check your work! By Terreece M. Clarke One of the first things people ask me after “How do I get started with freelance writing,” and “Is there any money in that?” is how to write a great query letter. A query letter is what’s going to get you into the door – wait, scratch that. A great email subject line is what’s going to get you into the door. The query letter is going to get you invited in for a moment, [Read more…]
