“What’s the fastest way to get an editor to reject my query?”

We’ve discussed how you can net an article contract based on a well-written, one-page query letter. You don’t have to write the whole article in advance. However, don’t shoot yourself in the foot from the start. Your query letter must be as error-free as possible.

I sincerely hope this note about grammar goofs preaches to the choir. I want to assume that you all write flawlessly, and merely need to find homes for your excellent writing. But as I focus on basic article marketing and move on to advanced concepts, I’d be remiss in not at least mentioning how critical it is to check and double-check every sentence you send to an editor, and why:

“How do I find online writer’s guidelines, to tell me what magazine editors want and need?”

This post addresses Question 5 of 12 in the Magazine Writing Basics blog series.

UPDATE: Helpful for this year are the 2014 Writer’s Market books, if you want to know how to find editors and publishers to pitch your writing to. Those guides list thousands of publishers, with descriptions of what they’re looking for and how to contact them. The deluxe versions include online access for a year, with periodic updates to reflect changes.

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Q.  “Where can I find more detailed guidelines from publishers?”

The easy answer to this question is that a publisher is likely to post a version of their writer’s guidelines on the magazine’s website. (It may be a trimmed-down version, compared to that in market guides.) However, that sub-page within the website may be a little hard to find.  Here are a few clues for finding information you need on who to send your submissions to, and how: