WRITING & FREELANCING
How to Write Query Letters That Get Opened Every Time
By even the busiest of editors
“A typical agent in New York gets 400 query letters a month. Of those, they might ask to read 3–4 manuscripts, and of those, they might ask to represent 1.” — Nicholas Sparks
One of the foundations of writing for magazines and blogs is the query letter: a short, persuasive letter that pitches the writer’s expertise as well as a proposed topic.
A query letter is composed of several elements, including a hook, a short proposal of the topic you intend to write, a short description of your qualifications to write the piece (if any), a polite signature with an established time frame (e.g., “if I don’t hear back from you in three weeks, I’ll assume you’ve moved on with the piece”), and links to clips if you have them.
We will cover all of these elements as well as winning strategies that guarantee your query letters will be accepted at a more accelerated rate.
Before You Draft Your Query Letter
Don’t write the whole piece, pitch first : Unless there are specific instructions in the…
