RETURN TO WRITING STRATEGIES

The Writer’s Edge
Tips for the Freelance Writer - By Terri Mrosko

The Professional Writer

Freelance writing is first and foremost a business. As in any business endeavor, the professional presence you exude can mean the difference in receiving assignments.

Since many freelance writers work from home and rarely meet with editors face-to-face, showing your professionalism through your correspondence and phone contact is imperative.

One of the main marketing tools we freelancers use is the query letter. This is the venue we use to pitch our idea for a story to the editor. This is the first, and probably only impression we make on an editor the first time around.

As in the visual image we present, it takes only seconds for someone to form a bridge or a barrier to another person, which means first impressions are absolute make-or-break contacts in the freelance business world.

In John Wood’s book, "How to Write Attention-Grabbing Query & Cover Letters," his first of ten article query commandments is to make your query letter look professional.

- Addressed to the right editor.

- Editor’s name spelled correctly.

- Editor’s title is correct.

- Magazine name spelled correctly.

- Magazine address is correct.

- Salutation is formal.

- Letterhead is simple and understated.

- Letter is neat and typed.

- Letter is spell-checked.

- Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE).