Travel Article Query Letter – No Reply

I’ve been waiting for 2 months – it really looks as though I can forget about a reply from Sunset Magazine.  I had a feeling when I sent it that they wouldn’t reply.  In my reading, I’ve learned that getting a reply from large publications most likely will require some detective work.  Some claim that you have to resort to a bit of research to find out the editor’s email address so you can send your query letter directly to them.  I followed their submission guidelines and emailed the query to travelquery@sunset.com.  They might use this as a way to screen the letters, since they will get many queries.  It keeps the editor’s inbox from overflowing.

Time to move on…

Enough time has passed that I will send my query to the next publication on the list.  And I think I will follow another piece of advice I came across – send the query letter by snail mail.  A number of people were of the opinion that the success rate (getting a reply that is either positive or negative) is much higher when sending paper queries.  I will assume that this is good advice and I’ll take it for action!  Developing a thick skin is necessary in this game, although I’m just getting started.  I also read that rejections are the norm and that sending a lot of queries is crucial to the success of any writer, at least in the beginning.  It’s (apparently) a numbers game that you have to be willing to play to get your writing in front of many editors.

Editors are key and can’t be ignored.

There is no way around it.  Building a relationship with editors over time is the single best way to develop a writing career.  Many writers explain that once they successfully sell a few articles to a publication, they establish a certain trust with the editor.  Consequently, it becomes easier to get your article ideas in front of someone who knows your work and has been happy with the articles you’ve delivered.  This makes perfect sense, although it may not be obvious when you’re first starting out.  Think of it this way – who do you call when you need something done?  Do you call a complete stranger and hope for the best?  Or, do you call someone that has done some work for you before and did a good job, was dependable and didn’t make your life miserable?  I think you call a reliable, tried-and-true provider whenever you can.  Editors are the same way.  They are under the gun to buy the best possible content for their publication.  And, it has to be on time and complete.  Miss a few deadlines and see if you get any more assignments!

None of this was obvious to me just a few months ago.  If I can keep learning and sending query letters, I hope to land an assignment in the near future.

Stay tuned for what comes next.  Write to me at steve@10minutetravel.com if you want to comment.  And keep writing!

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