GETTING YOUR ARTICLES PUBLISHEDTest Your Idea:To Lead To A Sale, Your Query Must Convince The Editor That You Have A Clear Idea Of What You Plan To Cover In The Article, And What Approach You Re Going To Take. So Before Writing The Letter, Think Your Article Idea Through Carefully, And Picture Yourself Describing The Article To A Friend.Find Your Angle:Finding Your Angle Is Often A Matter Of Narrowing Your Topic. A Topic Like Sports Is Far Too General, Narrow It To Say, Table Tennis Is Better. Often, Reducing The Story To A Single Dimension E.g., Focus On A Key Person, Place, Or Event Gives A Salable Angle.When Your Subject Is Popular, You Must Give The Editor A Fresh Approach. One Way Is To Take An Idea Like Overcoming Failure And Give It A Twist To Something Like Failure Can Be Good For You. It Neednt Be Exotic To Sell, Something As Mundane As New And Improved Has Worked By Adding A New Ingredient To The Usual.Research Helps:While Many Queries Can Be Written Entirely From Your Own Knowledge, A Little Research Can Pay Big Dividends By Seducing The Editor. Facts Sell Editors On An Idea. Editors Look For Queries With Many Specifics: Dont Just Write That Last Year Millions Of People Suffered From Yeast Infections. Tell How Many Millions And Why! Research Both The Topic And The Markets Youre Aiming It At. A Common Reason For Rejection Is Because Of Inadequate Knowledge Of The Magazine.Shaping Your Raw Material:After You Have The Basics:the Ideathe Slantfacts, Andthe Marketthen Youre Ready To Write Your Query. A Good Query Starts Strong, And Never Lets Up Until The Editor Is Sold. Follow The Two Newspaper Dictums; The Five Ws (who, What, Where, When, Why) Which Explains The Story Immediately, And The Inverted Pyramid Which Emphasized Putting The Most Interesting Information First. Youll Lose The Editors Interest If You Save The Best For Last, And Always Remember EDITORS CUT FROM THE BOTTOM UP!3 Main Sections To A Query:The Lead ParagraphThe SummaryThe Authors Bio.Each Has A Specific Purpose: First, Tell The Editor What The Story Is, Then Why Shehe Should Buy It, And Finally Who Is Going To Write It.The Lead Is Aimed To Hook The Editor And Make Them Want To Continue Reading.Once Youve Aroused The Editors Attention, Move Directly To A Summary Of The Article. Summary - This Section Should Convince The Editor That You Know Where You Want To Go With The Article; It Should Outline The Points You Plan To Cover Or Provide Factual Information About Your Topic Giving Only Enough To Prove That Your Story Is Real. Here You Can Mention Your Sources. Tell The Editor Wholl Youll Be Talking To, And If Experts Are They On The Cutting Edge Of Todays Technology. Also Include Here A Working Title For The Article. Dont Spend A Lot Of Time Trying To Get A Provocative Headline, Because Titles Are Often Changed By The Editor Before Publication.Authors Bio Is Where You Sell Yourself As A Writer To The Editor Now That Youve Sold Himher On The Idea. Dont Be Bashful; Editors Expect A Bit Of Sell In The Bio. Theres Nothing Wrong With Saying, Im Highly Qualified To Write This Article Because If A Convincing Reason Follows. Start Your Bio With Your Publishing Credits, And Include Magazines Similar To The One Youre Pitching If You Can.
