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Mary Rosenblum
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Hello all.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Welcome to our Friday After
Hour Forum, on this, the start of the Great Holiday Weekend.
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Mary Rosenblum
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We are all the people who are
NOT waiting in line at airports or on the highways.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I've had a few requests to
talk about query letters.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And they are indeed a fact of
life if you write nonfiction or book length work in either fiction or
nonfiction.
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charge2charge
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Are names copyrighted?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Names are not copyrightable,
charge, although characters ARE.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can name your main
character Scarlet O'Hara if you want.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The publisher may or may not
be happy with that, depending on what you do with that character, but
you're not violating copyright law by using it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Now if your character is
obviously THE Scarlet O'Hara from 'Gone With The Wind', you cannot use her
without permission from the Mitchell estate.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But if your tomboy with Irish
red hair and freckles who hates dresses and pitches a mean fast ball was
named Scarlet O'Hara by her mother who was a fan of the novel, that's fine.
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msruthie
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How much of "bio"
about yourself needs to be in a query?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Only what is pertinent or will
help sell you, ruthie.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you are writing, say, a
mystery that takes place in a zoo and you are a career zoo keeper, mention
that.
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Mary Rosenblum
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No need to mention that you
are an avid quilter and a 4H leader.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you have been published,
mention it. If you have not, do not mention that you have not been
published. :-0
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Mary Rosenblum
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A query letter is simply
designed to get the editor or agent to ask for the entire piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In the nonfiction universe,
the editor ASSUMES that you can write competently. That editor wants to
know if you have an idea that his readers want to hear about.
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k c morlock
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I have a writer's resume listing
my paid work, does it have a place in a query envelope along with the query
letter or should I keep that to myself?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Myself, I would not submit a
resume like that if it was not part of the submission requirements. Editors
tend to read queries on the run
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Mary Rosenblum
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while grabbing a donut and
coffee at their desk at 11:30 in the morning and they appreciate brevity.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Include the pertinent details
(I'm a zoo keeper) in the query letter itself.
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Mary Rosenblum
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When you send a looooong
letter or lots of extra 'stuff' you tend to annoy the overworked editor who
is in a tearing rush.
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Mary Rosenblum
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PItch it fast, briefly, and
get that editor or agent to ask for more.
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rae
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SHouldn't a query letter be only
one page long?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes. Always, always, always.
There...that's one of the few 'always' you'll hear from me.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you can't convey what you
are offering in a single spaced page, it suggests that you don't really
know what you're offering.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And that is a huge challenge,
if you haven't tried it!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Writing those tight little
book jacket blurbs is very hard.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In the nonfiction universe,
you are giving the editor specific information:
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Mary Rosenblum
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What you are offering.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Why the readers want to read
it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Why YOU should write this.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You start with a hook, you
reveal your slant, and you let the editor know why you are going to do this
well.
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rae
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What about the fiction world?
Where does a query come in?
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Mary Rosenblum
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The query is in more limited
use in the fictional world. Because it's not the idea that the editor is
buying, as it is with Nonfiction, the editor needs to actually read the story
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Mary Rosenblum
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to see if the story and style
will appeal to his/her readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But these days, it is mainly
used for novel submissions.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Editors and agents were
getting walled in with piles of 500 page manuscripts.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So they started asking for a
query first.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That allows them to determine
if
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Mary Rosenblum
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The story suits their line.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The story seems marketable.e
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Mary Rosenblum
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The writer seems to know what
he/she is doing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Many submissions simply are
not appropriate for that publisher or the agent being queried.
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rae
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Wouldn't a synopsis be better
for that sort of thing?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Most editors and agents ask
for the query because it's short. They don't want to read a 5 - 10 page
synopsis. If the hook and story catches their eye, they'll
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Mary Rosenblum
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probably ask for the entire
manuscript.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Of they may ask for a synopsis
next. Depends on the agent or editor.
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builder
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Hey Mary. I've been looking at a
lot of short story and flash fiction guidelines. Most of the short stuff
can be submitted without a query, in fact it sounds like they prefer that.
(one less thing to read). They also say it is OK to submit a query if you
want to. This sounds like DON'T send it AGHHHH. Am I wrong? lol. Happy Hollidays by the way.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Very few fiction editors
actually ask for a query, builder.
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Mary Rosenblum
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THe success of a fiction piece
depends entirely on how it is written.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In nonfiction, you are assumed
to be a competent writer, and it's the idea and slant that matter. So a
query can reveal that.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The fiction editor won't know
if your story is good or not until he/she reads it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That 'query if you want to' is
dangerous. It translates to : if you are so ignorant of the publishing
business let's save us both some time and postage.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's just about an automatic
rejection.
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Mary Rosenblum
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BUT...if you have something
that does not suit the guidelines and you think the publisher might look at
it anyway, then you can query.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm about to send off a query
to an editor on behalf of a student. She has written an hilarious fantasy
that will suit the anthology perfectly, but it's too long and I can't see
any good way to shorten it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So I"m querying the
editor to ask if she's willing to look at a piece of this length.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If she says yes, I'll tell my studen
to send it to her. That's a valid reason to query a fiction editor.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you have the option to send
the entire piece, by all means do so!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Almost nobody writes a better
query letter than the article or story itself.
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builder
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Good Call!!! I should have
mentioned the short storys were non fiction. Thanks Mary.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Ah...you just confused me with
syntax, Builder. Be careful about this. 'Story' is presumed to be fiction.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What you're talking about is a
personal narrative, right? A story drawn from real life.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Here, again, editors nearly
always want the entire piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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As with a fiction story, it's
how the author writes the story that makes it succeed...or fail.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So nearly always, editors will
look at a complete nonfiction essay or personal narrative.
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rae
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When you have received a
rejection on a non-fiction piece, should you redo the slant before you send
it back out?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, not if you're sending it
to a different market, rae. Personally, I slant every NF piece quite
specifically to the magazine I'm writing for. I would propose a slightly
different piece for a different magazine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If it's a nonfiction personal
narrative, as with fiction, just keep sending it out unless you get very
specific comments on what is not working.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You really do not know why an
editor has rejected that piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It might have nothing to do
with the quality of the piece.
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msruthie
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Should I say what I will offer
for the article or should I have them already done?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Every pro that I know, myself
included, queries first and writes the piece only when a 'go ahead' is
received.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Now I'm talking 'informational
NF' here -- an article on selecting perennial plants offered to a gardening
magazine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Personal narratives are
handled more like fiction.
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charie'
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Don't you have all the research
done before you send out the query? So you can slant it later?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes, and if you want to pay
the mortgage this way, you plan on writing several articles out of that
pool of research.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Locally, a good friend of mine
supports himself entirely on his freelance writing, mostly in the science
writing field.
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Mary Rosenblum
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When he goes to a conference,
he scouts for two or three feature articles and a host of smaller pieces.
He may sell five, six, seven pieces that came from his conference notes.
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k c morlock
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If the editor does give the go
ahead for the article it can still be rejected, right?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Of course. As I said, the
editor assumes you can write competently. If you can't, you'll get a 'no
thanks'. And things change.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor may have to change
the issue that your piece was slated for and suddenly he/she no longer
needs your article.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Usually you get a 'kill fee'
for that. It's generally about half of the purchase price.
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charge2charge
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How should you start a query
letter?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Start with a strong hook,
charge.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor is in a rush,
thinking about something else, scanning through the stack of queries on
his/her desk
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Mary Rosenblum
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and that editor has already
assigned most of the pieces he/she needs. You want to snag that editor's
eye instantly.
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msruthie
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(Informational NF) What if I'm
writing about a subject or..
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msruthie
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to an audience that I've never
written to before?
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Mary Rosenblum
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You'll have to work hard,
msruthie, in order to know what to include and what readers will already
know.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Generally, professional
freelancers become 'experts' in particular fields. My friend Rick, for
example, writes about all kinds of science topics and running topics.
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Mary Rosenblum
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He doesn't write articles on
gardening or food.
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Mary Rosenblum
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He COULD, but he'd have to do
a lot of background research so that he would know what readers will be
interested in.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's a lot of work and he
gets plenty of assignments in science and running, so he doesn't write
gardening or food articles.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Query letters are pretty
consistent in form. You start with a strong hook, then you lead into the
letter by telling your editor or agent what you are offering.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then you tell that person why
they want to buy this from YOU.
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sss1208
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so, if i am a pat rack syndrome
person, i should tell the editor that, if writing about clutter and how to
get rid of clutter?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, let's use this as an
example, sss. Let's say that you are pitching an informational piece to the
editor of a glossy, home magazine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The readers are women mostly
-- working single women or newlyweds.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So you start with a hook that
will catch the editor's attention. It's usually the same hook with which
you'll start the article.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Your date's due in an hour and
your house looks like the day after a Christmas sale. Again. So where do
you turn to help? A packrat myself, I found salvation when I hired a
professional organizer to go through my home and show me how to organize my
messy life. For those of us with serious packrat issues, the professional
organizer is worth the money.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm offering a 1500 word piece
on professional organizers, featuring interviews with the head of Organize
Yourself Inc and a professional organizer.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Here you have the hook that
will snag the reader and snags the editor if she's looking for this type of
piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You tell the editor what you
are offering, and you offer your own personal 'expertise'. You're one, too.
That suggests a high level of personal connection with the readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then you tell her that you're
going to include original source material -- the interviews.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then you would add your clips,
of course. You tell her where you have been published.
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charie'
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If you use this slant and
haven't hired an organizer, just researched them, does it hurt your
article's credibility?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes, editors generally want
original source material. Don't tell 'em you have it if you don't.
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barbiq
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Should you always pitch an
article before you query or as a new writer should you write first, query
second?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Practice never hurts, barb!
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Mary Rosenblum
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As a novice writer, you may
well find it easier to write a strong query if you have the article in
front of you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But in reality, you will often
receive a different assignment...no, I don't want this, but why don't you
write me that...
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Mary Rosenblum
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So your pre-written article
won't fit.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Often the word limit is
changed. I'll take it, but do it in 800 words, not 1500.
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cjwmahrus
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Joanne had an interesting
question - Is it permissible to send the same article query to numerous
magazine editors?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, it can get you into
trouble, Joanne.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What if three different
editors all tell you they want the same article. You can't sell the same
piece to three different markets.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If they have different SLANTS
yes. But you've pitched a particular slant and that's the one all three
editors want.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So you are going to seriously
tick off two of those three editors.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is NOT good for your
career prospects, believe me.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Query for different slants.
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Mary Rosenblum
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One of my students has now
published EIGHT articles from one interview.
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Mary Rosenblum
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She slanted each one
differently. She holds the record so far!
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sss1208
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but don't you really need to
write the article or be sure you know the subject very well before query,
if you are new, you might get go ahead and then fail
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Mary Rosenblum
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You need to have done enough research
to know that you CAN write the article that you are proposing. By all means
write it if you're not sure of yourself.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But generally, you should know
if you have enough research material to write this.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In nonfiction markets, you are
presenting your idea and the slant you intend to use.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor considers. Do I
like this idea? Have I published anything like it recently? Will my readers
want to read it?
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Mary Rosenblum
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So that editor has to have
enough information about that piece to answer all those questions.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What I see as a LR instructor
all too often are vague queries that don't answer these questions well.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I want to send you a 1500 word
article about shoplifting.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What ABOUT shoplifting? How to
do it? How to spot shoplifters in your store? What will happen to your life
if you shoplift?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Each of these three slants
will have very different readers and obviously all three are not likely to
appeal to the same readers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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How does the editor have a
clue what you're really offering here? If you send off a query like this,
99 times out of 100 you won't get any response back.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is an editorial rap
across your knuckles with a virtual ruler.
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builder
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How about targeting your query.
Should you research the Mag or whoever your submitting to and tell them
what they want to hear?
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Mary Rosenblum
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For informational, yes,
builder. That is strictly, STRICTLY a matter of figuring out what this
editor needs and offering to sell it to him.
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Mary Rosenblum
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For personal narratives like
you write, you simply match the story more generally to the readers of a
particular magazine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I have a student who writes
hilarously wonderful narratives about people in his home town....many of
them involving mishaps during hunting and fishing trips.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I've advised him to try those
narratives with the hunting and fishing mags. His stories are likely to
appeal to those readers and the similarity in theme...hunting...matches up.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Selling your words is no
different than selling apples.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You have to find buyers who
want apples.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's what a query letter
does. I'm selling apples today, very nice apples. Can I interest you in a
dozen or so?
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Mary Rosenblum
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If the editor is a baker who specializes
in apple pies, you either get a yes, thanks, or she just bought a bushel
and she'd rather have blackberries today. Too bad.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's the business, in a
nutshell. Or should I say pieshell? :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Remember: Be concise.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Start with a hook.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Tell the editor what you are
offering.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Tell the editor why you should
write this.
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builder
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Got it in a wine bottle. lol
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Mary Rosenblum
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There you go. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, I hope this has helped.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You'll find some articles on
the query letter in Writing Craft: Nonfiction.
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Mary Rosenblum
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They're worth a lot of
practice.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The better your query letter,
the more likely you are to sell the piece.
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charge2charge
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I heard only the main characters
of tv shows are copyrighted
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charge2charge
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not the supporting characters,
is this true?
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Mary Rosenblum
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I can't help you there,
charge. The rights and rules of Hollywood are quite different than the prose arts.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In prose, ALL characters are
copyrighted.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Dunno about TV or movie.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I would be AMAZED if they were
not.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you're not too busy with
the holiday season, drop by Sunday evening for our casual chat.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I should be there and we can
kick back and relax for a bit.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'll post the transcript in
the usual place: Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts.
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Mary Rosenblum
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See you all Sunday!
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