I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that the more queries I send out, the more responses I receive. And the more responses I receive, the more acceptances come popping into my world. So if my acceptance percentage is 11% and I’m sending ten queries a week, I know I’ll probably land one assignment by the end of the week. Whenever the going’s a bit rough, or I need more work, I need to send double that amount.

I wrote the above paragraph about three years ago, when my percentage was indeed, 11%. Today it’s about 90%. Needless to say, if I send out about five ideas out each month, I’ll get four assignments. However, this is only with the markets I’m already working with. Since I also aspire to break into new and higher-paying markets each year, I intentionally bring down this percentage by pitching to markets that are new to me, and sending them ideas that while I could have easily sold elsewhere, may not be accepted by new-to-me editors.

But coming to you– if you’re a new writer, your percentage initially may be between 5-10%. That’s normal. But to get an assignment then, the number of queries sent out need to be more, too. A 10% success rate means you’ll get one assignment for every ten queries you send. That’s why successful writers advocate sending out as many query letters as you possibly can. And that’s probably where the whole 5-queries-a-day idea came from.

As ridiculous as it may sound, it is possible to send out five queries a day. I’ve done it. Many new writers I know do it. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll want to continue on this strict regimen in the long run though. For one, you’ll increase your acceptance rate as you get more familiar with editors and better at spotting good ideas and writing these pitches. And two, you do need the time to actually do the assignments these query letters bring in, right?

A lot depends, too, on how dedicated you are to writing articles for magazines, how genuinely fantastic your pitches are, and how many other writing projects and commitments you have. If you’re already working a day job, writing a book, and are a single parent with three kids under the age of five… are you kidding me? Go get some sleep! On the other hand, if you can positively take out a couple of hours each day to not only send pitches, but to complete the incoming assignments, you should most definitely do it.

The 5-Query-A-Day routine is a fantastic way to boost your career and land more, hopefully lucrative, assignments. But don’t kid yourself. Sending five queries– heck, sending two queries– a day, requires dedication, commitment, and a partner who can handle objects flying across the room. You’ll also need to set aside a specific time in your day planner to devote just to writing queries.

Finally, don’t compare. Sure, the pompous woman in your writing group does it (or so she says), but that doesn’t mean you can, too. Maybe she’s a full-time writer with nothing but magazine writing on her agenda, while you’re a full-time mom with six kids and a husband who doesn’t know how to cook. For all you know, all her queries may be missing their mark, while your three-a-week is working quite well for you. Or maybe– and I’ll say this grudgingly– she’s a faster writer and can reach that limit quite easily. In any case, you’re not her. Instead of trying to be her, or like her, set your own achievable limits. You can always increase them later.

Instead of doing five a day, you could shoot for two a day. Or twenty a week. If you’re getting regular assignments as it is, you have no need to read further. After all, the purpose of sending out more pitches is to get the maximum number of assignments that you can handle. There’s no point in getting fifteen high-paying assignments a month when you know you don’t have the kind of time to pull them off!

Tomorrow, I’ll share techniques I’ve used to push my query writing capabilities to their max.