The Business of Writing

The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

The Business of Writing

Perley-Ann Friedman

5 Ways to Guarantee Your Non-Fiction Query Will Be Rejected

The other day I read a query letter that scored 100% on the scale of "The Five Most Important Things To Avoid In Any Query." At first I thought the letter was intended as humor, but by the time I reached the end, I realized that the writer seriously thought their letter was a winner. It was a winner -- on what not to do.

Don't waste your, and a potential editor's, time by writing a "rejection" letter.

The query letter is the most critical part of our writing as freelancers. It is the means that we use to tell the world what we can do and why we should be selected to do it. There are so many advice books and articles on how to write a query letter -- telling you what to include, how to organize it, when to do it, and even how to send it -- that it's almost overwhelming. While all this advice tells writers what to do, I think that knowing what NOT to do is just as important. No one wants to write a rejection letter, and I think I can guarantee that if any of these five points are found in your query letter (to any publication), it will definitely be rejected.

Point 1: Be Unorganized & Confusing

There are many things to include in the query letter, including the hook that will grab and keep the editor's attention. Without a hook, the letter will not be read and your query will be rejected. After the hook, the letter should flow to the article you are proposing, your history and background, and maybe a few words on the market potential for the subject. Each area should be covered before moving on to the next.

If you move from the hook to your background, to the article, back to your background, back to the article, the editor will get confused. An organized letter means an organized writer. If the editor is hooked, but then confused by an unorganized letter, your query will be rejected.

Point 2: No Clear Description Of Your Proposed Article

Often, in their effort to write a good query letter, writers spend so much time on the hook and the general subject for the article, they never exactly describe the article. They may discuss the subject, but omit the focus and angle the article will take. This is a shame.

Once we get the editor hooked on our subject, we need to clarify what the article will be about. "I want to provide you with an article on high-fat foods" is a far cry from "I want to provide you with an article on why high-fat foods can lead to heart problems in mid-life and the five best ways to easily lower fat intake." Without this clarification, your article will be rejected.

Point 3: Write With A Superior, Belligerent Attitude Or Tone

Even though we want to emphasize that we can write a great article, this needs to be done without attacking others. Telling the editor that their previous articles on the subject were inferior directly insults the editor's judgment. Describing why other writers are incompetent doesn't get you any further ahead.

Writing as if you are the only knowledgeable expert on a subject is self-defeating. If you were that important, you wouldn't need to write the query, editors would be contacting you. Any attitude of superiority, hostility, or arrogance will get your query rejected.

Point 4: Be Politically Incorrect Or Insulting

Often we are tempted to add a bit of humor in our query, and sometimes this humor crosses that invisible barrier of acceptability. While comedians on a stage can be politically incorrect, there is absolutely no room for this in a query letter. Any reference to gender, age, nationality, or religion are taboo. If your article is directly related to one of these areas, craft the wording very carefully and consider apologizing for any phrases that have the potential of being taken the wrong way. Saying that you are the best writer for the article because you are white, have a man's point of view, or because you are not a Muslim will lead to rejection. You can see how easy it is to cross this thin line.

Point 5: Be Vague About Your Writing Experience & Background

Whether you are a successful or novice writer, you need to mention something about yourself to show the editor that you are qualified to write the article. Any vagueness or ambiguity here reflects directly to your competence and puts your letter in the rejection bin. Maybe you don't have any published articles to boast about, but there must be something about you that qualifies you to write the article. Have you studied the subject, worked with it, and/or do you have a special interest or desire for it? If not, maybe you shouldn't be writing the query.

Most established freelance writers will agree that crafting query letters is probably the hardest part of their job. Trying to time your queries just right with a publication, trying to "mind read" editors you haven't yet had personal contact with, and trying to break into an entirely new market can all challenge even the best of writers. But knowing what not not to do in a query letter gives you that much more of an edge in writing a successful query letter -- one that gets you an assignment.