Keep ‘em on the Move

When a query comes back rejected, what do you do? Cry? Yeah, me too. But what do you do after that? Jot down a quick note in your submission tracker, place the e-mail in a special “Rejected” folder and hope that your luck will be better next time?

How about increasing the circulation?

No, not your dead brain cells, silly. I mean the query. Whenever something comes back to me rejected, I copy the whole query to a new e-mail message, hunt out another market where that article could be placed, edit a bit if required, fill in the e-mail address and send it off. Immediately. How much time did that take? Five minutes? Ten maybe?

I’ll then take a close look at the market it came from. If it’s a market I’m particularly interested in, I’ll probably have a couple of ideas lying around for it already. If not, I’ll browse through the magazine’s website, check out back issues or do whatever I need to, in order to find another idea that would fit into that magazine. Another query is written quickly and sent off to the assigning editor with a note saying, “I’m sorry you couldn’t use that idea. Here’s another one that I think would better fit your needs.”

That’s two queries sent out for each rejection. Not only am I making sure that all my ideas stay in rotation but that I’m regularly pitching to magazines I want to break in to as well. And I just sent two queries. That’s a day’s worth of work that I just ticked off my schedule.

It’s My Birthday Today…

… and as I’m blowing out the candles, I’m wishing that in the coming year, my editors will say the following things:

1. “I’m doubling your rate.”
2. “Your piece was perfect. I didn’t change a word!”
3. “We need someone to write a story on relaxing in Paris. Interested?”
4. “Forget the deadline. Just send it in when you’re ready.”
5. “Go first class. Send me the bill.”

And… we’re back!

Apologies for being Missing Mridu yet again, but I’ll be good in the New Year. It’s a resolution!

I’ll be back with updates very soon. In the meantime, check out some of my latest work here: http://www.mridukhullar.com and a whole new “About Me” section (with photos), here: http://www.mridukhullar.com/about/

Hope you’ve been writing!