Make it Personal

In my first year of freelancing, my querying habits went a little like this: send a query, do the assignment, query another magazine, do the assignment, and so on. When the assignment for the first magazine would be finished, I’d neatly wrap it up, complete with thank you notes and meticulous records, and then concentrate on the next assignments I had in line. Next time an idea struck for the same magazine, I’d query them again.

But in my first year of freelancing, while I did write dozens of articles and many more smaller pieces, I also lost out on getting personal with my editors, and in turn, commanding more high-paying assignments. Once you finish some work for an editor, you stand double the chance of landing another one immediately. Since I’d keep on waiting for another hot idea to strike, I was beginning each new assignment on a fresh note. Too much time would have gone by, and I would then have to re-build each relationship, re-create the trust, and re-negotiate each contract. I was getting frustrated.

Had I chucked that “an editor’s the boss” advice right down the drain where it belonged, I’d be getting more assignments with less effort. Now, I finish each assignment with an informal, “Great working with you. Is there anything else you might need for upcoming issues?” or I’ll just send another query. Or if I get my contributor’s copies, I’ll write to the editor to thank her for sending them and say something like, “I really enjoyed the piece on studying techniques. Here’s another idea that might work well in that section.”

This way, my name is constantly in front of the editor, and the next time I pitch her, I won’t have to remind her that I’m the writer who wrote the cover story last year. She’ll already know.

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Get Off the Computer!

Query letters are proposals. And proposals don’t necessarily have to be made on a white sheet of paper, single-spaced with hone-inch margins. They can be made via e-mail, by picking up the phone, or even while sitting in front of your editor, sipping coffee.

In their book The Renegade Writer, co-authors Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell say that they often meet up with editors over coffee and propose ideas on the spot. If you’re in the same city as an editor you’ve written for (or discussed ideas with), call her and ask if she’d be open to meeting with you. I usually prefer to visit an editor’s office, but some writers I know like meeting outside of work.

Or let’s say you have an article idea that is extremely time-sensitive and you need the editor to look at it immediately. Relying on postal mail may not work. E-mail could easily be ignored. Why not call or fax in the idea?

Another thing to do is to keep in touch. I frequently chat on IM with one of my editors, and we often discuss things other than work. If I have a good idea for her magazine, guess how easy it will be for me to propose it to her?

An editor-writer relationship doesn’t need to be a boss-employee one. It should be one of colleagues, or friends. Most editors are terrific people, and all you really need to do is get to know them. While the editor is giving you work, there’s not reason why you can’t have a friendly relationship both in and outside of work. Get friendly. It helps.