The Writer's E-Zine Home

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

Craft of Writing

Leanne Johnston

Marketing – Articles and Novels

Remember, opening hooks and compelling endings pack a wallop!

Your last sentence should be as powerful as your opening hook.

With last month’s article, Internet Marketing - Your Image, now kitty-litter liner, it’s time to tackle marketing your work. We look at a marketing approach to submitting your articles or novels to a publisher.

I will not set out examples on how to write a query letter. I will instead discuss methods.

Examples of query letters can be found by using a search engine on the Internet. As a writer you should be able to construct a business letter and know how to set out a query letter. For this topic I will assume you have mastered the basics of spelling and grammar.

Your job as a writer is not only to write a compelling manuscript or article but to sell that work to an agent or publishing house. The agent acts for you. If you take the agent out of the equation, you do the selling direct. Publishers receive a lot of unsolicited work, and the query letter is the best way for new writers to get a shot at publication.

Target the right publisher. If you have researched your target market this shouldn’t be a problem. Always address your letter to the correct person. If you are unsure, research.

If you choose to go the self-publishing route, the responsibility for marketing and producing the novel is with you. If you have no marketing experience self-publishing would not be a recommended route. In self-publishing you do the editing, proofing, cover design, advertising and distribution.

A query letter is your opportunity to market yourself and your work, prove you are easy to work with and make an impression. It should be approached exactly as the publisher requests. Guidelines are usually found on publishers’ websites. Many of the query letters I have seen have errors and give the impression the writer was clearly in a hurry to get the query out after completing their new beaut work! Take time to proofread and check your spelling, correct typing mistakes, and grammatical errors.

Once you have determined the image you want to project, and the goals you want to achieve, it is much easier to talk about yourself in a query letter.

Grab attention in the first line of your query letter. If the publisher isn’t taken in by your query letter, it will not be taken in by your work. The query letter is your opportunity to let your talents shine and have the publisher hear your voice. Show you understand the market you are pitching for and that your article or novel is suitable for that market.

Keep the query letter simple. The main aim of the query is to get the publisher to consider your article or novel. Don’t make the mistake I made by trying to be witty, amusing, or clever. At the query level you are merely asking the publisher to consider your manuscript.

Start your query by introducing you and your article or novel. Keep it brief. Supply the title, length, genre, and whether the work is completed or not. The query should be no longer than one page.

Use a standard format. These can be found using a search engine on the Internet. Publishers are busy and prefer to know exactly what they are looking at. Immediacy is the key. Remove the risk from the publisher. Provide a concrete reason for publishing your work. Supply the crux of your story or article, your name, contact details, what genre it likely fits, and most importantly, gain the reader’s attention, hold it, and give the publisher a reason for putting its name on your work. If you can describe your novel or article thoroughly, and leave them wanting more, then your query has served its purpose.

Always write your own queries. If you cannot write your own query, chances are you cannot write period. Don’t delude the publisher or yourself by having someone else write your query. By all means, get advice and mentoring from others who have been successful, but do not mimic them. Make your query your original work. The publisher wants to hear your voice, not the regurgitating sounds of another author.

Remember to include the correct name, address, and telephone number on your letter or email. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but so many times, in the hurry to get work published, writers rush the query letter and get their own details incorrect. It is not only sloppy, it shows you are an amateur. The publisher will waste no time second guessing your address. Your query will end up in the circular file!

Many inexperienced writers tease the publisher with mysterious statements or questions. This, although cute, doesn’t work. Publishers want to know exactly what your product is, the target market it is aimed at, and be able to gauge whether it will sell. They cannot gain this information if you are being deliberately nebulous.

Demonstrate why your work is worthy of consideration. Be forthcoming and explain what it is you have produced. Often, poorly worded and vague queries arrive. This is not only disappointing and frustrating, it wastes the publisher's time. Let the publisher decide if your work fits the market (or perceived market). Always put as much effort into your queries as you do your novel or article.

A short paragraph should be devoted to your writing credits, if you have any. If you have no prior credits—say nothing. It is better to say nothing than to blurt out your inexperience. If other experience is of relevance to your novel or article, then by all means highlight those skills or credentials, but only if it increases your chances of publication. Don’t blurt out your life story.

Ask yourself. Does this sentence really grab attention? Does it advance my case for publication?

Get a feel for the type of publication being produced by reading several issues. Does your article or novel fit an existing niche? Prove you have the credentials or expertise to write the novel or article for the target market. If the article you are submitting fits the humorous genre, your query should illustrate your humorous voice. Show you understand the magazine’s sense of humor. Use your style and voice to illustrate this to the publisher. Convince them your article will fit into their magazine.

Find a critique partner, not only to appraise your stories, but also to be there when you receive your first rejection. Choose someone you can trust and feel safe in sharing your thoughts and feelings.

The biggest mistake writers make when seeking publication is a simple one, and more common than you might think. Simply, they misunderstand or omit requested information set forth in the submission guidelines. Read your publishers' guidelines and make sure you understand them.

No matter how amazing your query letter reads, do not be disheartened if your query does not result in publication. Sometimes your work is wonderful, but your timing doesn’t fit with the publishers.

Stay positive. Rejection is not always an indication of bad work. Reasons for rejection are many and varied. You cannot assume the reason for rejection is poor writing. Often the editor may already have the article required for the next issue. Often, several articles are programmed in for the next six months. If the topic has recently been covered they may be reluctant to cover that topic again. This is why it is important for you as the writer to do your homework and find out what the publication covers. A good knowledge of issues covered over at least the past twelve months will stand you in good stead. Often articles of interest will circle back. Take popular women’s magazines. Even though the articles have changed in content, the basic ideas are often the same.

Allow enough time for the publisher to consider your proposal, but not enough time to forget. For myself, I allow up to four weeks before following up with the publisher. Or I move on to the next project. There is no set rule for timing. If you decide to follow up, make it easy for the publisher to remember your submission by attaching your original query.

Your query letter is your only opportunity to make a first and lasting impression of you and your work.

Remember using the written word is similar to meeting someone personally. You form an impression of you to your readers. Make it count!

Good luck! I hope you get published soon.


About the Author
Imagine 60’s Australia: A cool, early, autumn morning. A mother gives birth to a girl child. This child continues to wake early every morning, talk the leg off an iron pot,* including any animals nearby, entertains herself with her vivid imagination and detest late nights because they interfere with her precious dreamtime.

Nowadays Leanne lives and works on a Stud Murray Grey cattle farm. She considers the Murray Grey breed exceptional and one that will become the most popular breed in the world due to their wonderful temperament and marbling. She shows absolutely no bias of course. Her love of animals will not cease.

The other side of her personality loves to tell tales and until a few years ago she worked in office management. One wild Wednesday she quit her job to pursue a career as a writer. She believes everyone is here for a reason. Everyone has something unique or great about them and others should encourage them to develop their special skills. Leanne likes to use her ability as a writer to help others become all they can, realising there is heaps of good in the world if you seek it in people.

Life is like a large brainteaser to Leanne and she believes in things unseen, unheard of, and sometimes only felt.

If you wish to contact Leanne, you may, at huonmurraygreys@bigpond.com.

*Common Aussie slang