Query Letters First

Query letters are the bread and butter of the freelance writing world. Why? Simple - you don't want to do work for which you may not get paid.

The way it works is this. Many writers have an idea for a short piece - a profile or sidebar or short article for a magazine, a series of blogs for a topical website, etc - and they think, 'the editor doesn't have time to read a letter, respond to it, and then wait while I put the thing together. I'll just send them the entire article, or a few full blog posts. Then they'll see what I can do, and they will have to hire me!'

In my experience, this reasoning is flawed. Firstly, editors largely prefer to see a brief query letter rather than a full piece, if only to aid in their weeding out process. They are professionals, and will be able to divine your quality just from how you promote your article idea. A well-written query letter advances your professionalism in the editor's eyes, and if your idea and your style suit the publication, you will most likely get a hit. Then your full article or blog post will receive the attention it deserves.

So do the 'extra' work that a query letter involves. Pay it close attention, do your job well, and you will pass yourself off as a professional person and avoid writing articles that will never see the light of day.