Freelance Article Writing: Tips for Establishing and Maintaining Good Relationships with Magazine Editors

by Deborah S. Ray

As a technical writer, you may be thinking about exploring freelance article writing--perhaps to supplement income, broaden your experience, get published with a byline, enhance credentials, overcome burnout in your current job, or any number of possible reasons. As a freelance author, you're not limited to the same ol' technical issues and how-to documents that you develop in your job as a technical writer, although such topics and approaches are often a good place to start, as they draw on your expertise and experience. Instead, you have literally thousands of potential writing markets at your fingertips and the potential to expand your writing experience by using new writing techniques, using a little--or a lot--of creativity, and applying your range of communication skills in new ways.

While writing attention-grabbing, informative queries--a much-covered topic in the freelance writing arena--is important in landing assignments, don't overlook one important aspect that can help you continue landing assignments time after time: Establishing and maintaining good relationships with the editors you work with. This article offers advice, how-to and why-to information, and techniques to apply throughout the publishing process that can help you build good relationships with magazine editors. Although the following sections provide specific details and steps, the message is simple: A little understanding, consideration, and effort go a long way.

Familiarize yourself with the publication Many successful freelance writers will tell you that a good place to start is the annual Writer's Market tome, which includes descriptions, submission information, and other useful details about thousands of potential markets for your writing. Those same successful freelance writers, though, will also tell you that reading this book is not enough; you should also take time to review first-hand the individual publications you want to write for. For online markets, browse the Web sites or subscribe to the ezines. For hardcopy markets, obtain copies that you can review: Check out issues from your local library; purchase issues from your local bookstore; or request sample copies from the publication itself. Writer's Market often includes information about how to request sample copies; publications' Web sites often provide this information, too.

As you're reviewing the publication, don't just review the department or section you'd be writing an article for; instead, look critically at the publication as a whole:
• What is its purpose?
• What regular departments or features does it include?
• What seasonal material does it include?
• What range of freelance-written topics does it cover?
• What topics and articles have been recently published?
• What elements and features do the articles include?
• What writing techniques, structure, and organization do authors employ?
• How long are the articles?
• How deep is the information?
• How do articles and accompanying graphics appear?
• How formal or informal are the design, writing, and graphics?

Certainly, this is not a comprehensive list of questions to ask as you're perusing publications; your goal here is to get a feel for the publication as a whole by analyzing the components within it. By doing so, you take the first step in familiarizing yourself with what an editor wants, needs, and expects in submissions.
Familiarize yourself with the publication's audience With the publication now familiar, you can begin to draw a mental picture of the audience you'd be writing for:
• Who are they, in general? Men? Women? Moms? Dads? Old-ish? Young-ish? Experienced in the subject matter? Newbies?
• Why are they reading the publication? Because it helps them do a job? Do a job better? Because it provides new information? Or validation on established practices? Resources for further research? Are they looking to be entertained? Informed? Persuaded?
• What kind of information do they need or want? How-to? What-to? Why-to? Where-to? Who-to?
• What supporting information do they want or need? Examples? Anecdotes? Figures? Graphics? Humor? Facts?
• Where and when would they likely read the publication? At home while relaxing? At a home office--while working alone or with kids underfoot? At an office while also working, answering phone calls, and meeting with drop-in coworkers? On an airplane while working...or passing time? In a waiting room or lobby?
Again, these are just some questions to consider as you become familiar with a publication's audience. Taking time to get a feel for the audience and their information needs not only helps you determine whether the article you have in mind is suitable, but also helps you target queries and submissions appropriately, which thereby minimizes the amount of time and editor would need to help you develop an article for the publication.

Review submission guidelines You should carefully review the submission guidelines provided, as they often tell you what material publications are specifically seeking, what material they're not seeking, where to send queries and submissions, in what format to send submissions, who to send submissions to, how much they pay, and when you can expect to hear back on queries and submissions. Depending on the guidelines, you may also be able to find out what information and details to include in queries, find out what rights they purchase, and find out additional, conclusive information about the audience. The Writer's Market book, again, is a good resource for this information; however, be sure to also research a publication's Web site for current, and sometimes more complete, submission information.

Now, as simple as it sounds, do what the submission guidelines tell you to do. That is, if it says to submit queries only, then don't submit a full article. If it says to submit articles to Sarah Browne, then address your submission to Sarah Browne. If it says to submit material via snail mail, then don't submit material using email. If it says to include a resume and three writing samples, then provide your resume and three writing samples. Or whatever. Why? Because most submission guidelines are developed according to the processes, staff, and resources that publishers have in place. If submissions should go to Submissions Editor Sarah Browne and you send it to Managing Editor Ralph Jones, they would need to take extra steps to filter your submission to the right person. Or, if the guidelines say to submit queries only and you submit an entire article, they would need to take extra steps to distill the article into a general idea that can be evaluated. Or, if the guidelines say to submit your resume and three writing samples and you don't, they may not have all the information they need to evaluate your query or submission.

In many cases, not following the submission guidelines makes their decision-making process easier--that is, they may just dismiss your query or article without consideration, sometimes just because they feel that if you can't follow simple instructions (i.e., their submission guidelines), you won't be easy to work with. Although your query or submission may meander to the right person, be evaluated, and ultimately be published, it also may not, simply because you didn't submit material in a manner that suits the processes, staff, and resources they have. By reviewing submission guidelines--and heeding them--you can convey that you've done your homework, minimize editorial time and resources needed to evaluate your submission, and maximize the effectiveness of your correspondence with editors.

Query only if you're serious about developing the article you propose Regardless of the publication, size of the editorial team, or editorial resources, reviewing queries and submissions takes time. A lot of time. Some publications employ a submissions editor who is dedicated to evaluating submissions; other publications employ teams of editors who evaluate submissions; other publications employ editors whose time is split between evaluating submissions and other tasks. Whatever the environment, one or more editors will most likely evaluate your query or submission from a variety of viewpoints. For example:
• Does it support long- and/or short-term goals of the publication?
• Is the topic of interest and value to the audience?
• Does it provide a fresh slant?
• Does it provide information that's not available through other resources?
• Does it fit into an existing department or feature area?
• Is the author qualified to provide accurate, authoritative information?
• Is the material developed appropriately for the audience?
• Are the length, style, tone, and supporting materials appropriate?
• Is there funding budgeted for the topic, length, or department it would appear in?
• Have similar articles been proposed? Or recently published?

The possible ways in which queries and submissions are evaluated are endless, of course. The point is, evaluating submissions takes considerable time, effort, and resources. Having done their job by evaluating your query or submission--and perhaps offering feedback to help you target their needs more closely--editors would expect you to do the job you proposed. Phrased differently: Don't waste time--theirs or yours--in submitting queries you're not interested in or don't have time to pursue.

Submit your best work The ideal proposal or submission is not only one that meets a publication's needs, but is also one that the editor sees as requiring minimal work to prepare for publication; the less work the idea or article requires, the more likely the editor is to look upon it favorably. Unless you're already well-known to them, they are unlikely to buy an article based just on your proposal, even if the idea itself meets their needs. Instead, other aspects contribute to their decision-making process, too, such as the development of ideas, quality of the writing, coverage of information, professionalism of the author, and attention to details, among other things. If you send them shoddy work, they may be unwilling to take the chance that you'll be able to produce the article you propose, that you'll do better work on your revision, or that you'll do better work on subsequent submissions.

To that end, when submitting queries and articles, submit your best work--always--and don't assume that an editor will get the gist of your idea based on thrown-together details or fix submissions to meet the publication's needs. Publications--and editors--vary a bit on how much feedback they'll provide on queries or editing they'll do on submissions; in general, though, you--not the editor--are responsible for developing the material appropriately. So, take time to target queries and submissions to meet a publication's needs in terms of audience, length, style, tone, supporting details, supplemental materials, and so on. Ahhh, that's it: Target your query or submission according to the publication, audience, and submission guidelines you researched previously. Then, polish your work, pay attention to details, and be professional when pitching your idea. Although editors may ultimately reject your work for other reasons--because they already bought a similar article, because they don't recognize quality work when they see it, or because the editorial policy just changed and they no longer publish your kind of writing, for example--you'll improve your chances of having queries accepted and articles published if you submit your best work throughout the process. At the very least, you won't be providing them with a reason to quickly dismiss your work and move on to the next query, submission, or author.
Be patient As exciting as freelance publishing is, remember that each stage of the publishing process--query reviews, article reviews, providing feedback, contract negotiations, scheduling, editing, permissions, fact-checking, and so on--takes time. And, of course, realize that your query or submission may be one of dozens received that month, week, or even day. As an author, you understandably want to know that your query or submission was received:
• If you're contacting the editor via email, use the Return Receipt feature in your email program, or simply request that the query or submission be acknowledged.
• If you're contacting the editor by regular mail, include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE); editors will generally discard queries or submissions not accompanied by a SASE. And similarly,
• If you're writing for a foreign publication and can't obtain suitable stamps, include "international reply coupons," available through your local post office.
Before you follow up with an editor about a query or submission, double-check the date of your submission, double-check the submission guidelines--which often indicate how long replies typically take--and then give it a bit more time beyond what the guidelines say. If you've not heard back from an editor and think you should have, query with a brief follow-up message that includes
• Your name and contact information
• The date of the original query or submission
• The Subject line of your original query or submission (if you sent it via email)
• A brief reminder of the article topic
• A copy of the original query or submission
• A copy of the most recent correspondence you've received from the editor, if applicable

Find out how to communicate with each editor When you receive an initial email, letter, or phone call from an editor, use cues she provides to determine how to communicate with her. For example, how formal was her tone and voice? How did she sign her name? What terminology did she use when referring to the publication? By paying attention to these cues, you can avoid possible irritants (addressing her as Pam rather than Pamela, for example) and communicate with her in the lingo she uses.

With other issues, you should simply ask. Depending, you may want to find out how she prefers to be contacted--email or phone, for example. Or, find out, generally speaking, how quickly she responds to email. Or, find out what file formats you should send. Before you ask, of course, double-check the submission guidelines or other information provided before querying such things directly. Printed and online guidelines differ from each other occasionally, and sometimes it's worth mentioning that you got two different messages and wanted to find out which one was correct. By taking cues and asking when in doubt, you show that you care about meeting the editor's communication wants and needs.

Make it easy for the editor to reply to you Managing ongoing correspondence for multiple projects, authors, articles, and deadlines poses a challenge even for the most organized editor. As such, take steps--especially initially--to make it easy for an editor to respond to you:
• Include your name and full contact information with all correspondence (mailing address, phone number, fax number, and email address)
• Include a SASE with your postal mail correspondence
• Ensure your outgoing email ID includes your name, not just a cryptic email address or your spouse's name
• Send email from a single email address, if possible, especially if your outgoing email IDs are different from account to account
• Include clear, descriptive Subject lines in email messages; include salient details from previous correspondence whenever possible, as in "Question: Tech review process per your May 20th email"
• Remind the editor, briefly, of which submission you're referring to and the status of the project
• Continue email discussions by including details from previous exchanges--enough details to remind the editor of the context of new questions or details, but trimmed appropriately so as not to make editors wade through excessive text
• Refer to the article using a consistent title or phrase; use article tracking or reference numbers, if assigned by the publisher
• Organize and prioritize your queries
• Inform an editor of research you've done to answer your own questions so that she knows what information you have and what information you still need
• Do your part to solve problems; outline possible options or propose solutions that can be readily accepted
• Be clear and concise in your correspondence; don't make an editor spend time guessing what you mean
• Avoid sending questions that you can answer through other resources

For a number of reasons, plan to keep all correspondence you exchange with the editor--during and after the publishing process. During the publishing process, having email messages and hardcopy correspondence on hand is crucial for keeping track of details. By reviewing previous correspondence before you reply to messages or submit revisions, you can avoid re-requesting information, repeating questions that have been answered, or confusing details along the way. And, by including such details in your correspondence, you can help editors quickly identify you, the topic, and the purpose of your correspondence, quickly remember details and issues, and quickly respond to your requests. After the publishing process, keeping correspondence in the long-term offers a paper trail of your work, should an editor have questions or should something go awry after publication. File your hardcopy correspondence away in a safe place, and make sure any electronic correspondence is included in your computer backups.

Be proactive in your own communication Just as editors need to be informed of changes or problems, they often like to know that you're on schedule, that you did indeed land those four SME interviews, that you did find supporting research for Point Z, that you're out there working on the article as planned, or that you received their latest email message and will reply by Friday. Or whatever. Editors have their own deadlines to meet, based on publication schedules, publishing needs and goals, and content availability. By communicating your progress along the way, you can help editors minimize variables and better plan for content and schedules--and do so without having to take time to nudge you for the information. Of course, don't correspond needlessly or frivolously, but do proactively communicate your plans, progress, obstacles, solutions, changes, or needs, and acknowledge and respond to their emails and correspondence as quickly as possible. In addition to helping the editor, you may find that you can also head off problems, find better solutions, address concerns, and learn along the way.

Keep questions focused on the article at hand Once you get an editor's attention and correspond a few times, you may be tempted to ask for general writing or publishing advice. Don't. Or, at least don't do so unless you're invited to or unless the relationship develops to a point where such questions would be appropriate. Although many editors are interested in helping writers develop their skills or would be happy to answer questions, consider that they're typically very busy, have deadlines to meet, and may simply not have time to mentor writers along the way. Consider, too, that they may have received scads of similar requests from other writers, making yours potentially just one of many awaiting a reply.

If you think an editor has unique expertise to answer a question you have, ask first whether she'd welcome such a query. Then, do your homework before asking an editor to spend time helping you, tell him what research you've done so far, and indicate what results you've found. By doing so, the editor won't waste time providing information you already have and can focus on providing new information. Thank the editor, always, and let her know the outcome of your question and the value of the information she provided.

Follow through on what you promise Realize that the publishing process is not as simple as "review a submission, negotiate a contract, and publish the article." Instead, publishing is actually a series of interrelated and interconnected mini-stages, which can readily flow from one to another or be brought to a screeching halt at any point in the process. As an author, you can help prevent bottlenecks in the publishing process--and thereby avoid a variety of headaches for your editor--by following through on what you promise. If you say you'll submit a draft on Friday the 13th, then submit it on Friday the 13th. If you propose an article that covers X, Y, and Z, then deliver an article that covers X, Y, and Z.

To this end, think carefully about what you commit to--before you commit to it! Does submitting an outline, a draft, and a final article really suit your own preferences and processes? Can you really meet that Friday the 13th deadline, even though you have other pressing commitments that week? Can you really land interviews with four different SMEs for your article, as you proposed you would? Of course, even the best laid plans and finest efforts don't always work out as planned. In that case, inform your editor immediately of any changes in schedule, content, scope, and so on. Be proactive, tell the truth, and have a detailed Plan B ready.

Read and respond to correspondence carefully Take the time to carefully read email messages, comments, feedback, and suggestions you receive from editors, as they likely hold the key to whether your article will be published--or not. As you review comments and feedback, don't take them personally or get defensive. This can happen to even the most seasoned of writers, but is perhaps more so likely when transitioning from a typical technical writing environment, where you're often the "writing expert" and have the final say on writing and content development issues. It's certainly possible that you'll disagree with the editor strongly enough to consider taking your work elsewhere, but sometimes that reaction is just hurt feelings. If you can get past your initial annoyance at being edited, you may just see that the editor had a good point; after all, she knows her audience better than you do. And any author can learn from being edited.

Depending on the time available, you might take a day or two to review edits and suggestions and ponder them before actually addressing them. By doing so, you can often discover the rationale behind the suggestion (if not provided), consider how changes will affect the article as a whole, assimilate comments from multiple editors or reviewers, determine the best way to address comments, and overcome any pangs associated with having to revise your own work.
Then, when addressing feedback and suggestions:
• Take care to acknowledge all of the queries, comments, suggestions, and concerns.
• Ask for clarification if you don't understand something; communicate your understanding of the comment or query and specify what aspect you need clarified.
• Describe your rationale for not making a change, if you understand the suggestion but don't agree with it, or if you otherwise chose not to make a change; whenever possible, come up with a compromise that addresses the crux of the editor's comment, change, or suggestion.
At a minimum, taking these steps communicates to an editor that you carefully considered and responded to each of the comments and suggestions. But, on a more practical level, taking these steps also helps minimize the need for subsequent exchanges to confirm whether a comment was addressed, overlooked, or intentionally ignored. And that saves valuable time.

Treat publications equally Finally, although ezines, Web sites, and other online publications are often convenient--landing in your email box or being just a click away--don't assume that the processes or expectations are somehow less formal or stringent than that of hardcopy publications. Certainly, practically anyone can launch an online publication, and processes, delivery mechanisms, and quality-assurance measures are still evolving as the Internet grows and changes; however, many online publications exist that are every bit as "real," stringent, and quality-focused as hardcopy publications. Likewise, although regional or local publications may not have the staffing, budgets, or readership of larger publications, their processes, expectations, and needs are no less significant.

To this end, strive to establish and maintain relationships with all of your editors--not just editors at larger publications. That is, take time to look critically at the publication, audience, and submission guidelines; do what the guidelines suggest; query only if you're serious; submit your best work, and so on. In short: Apply the techniques outlined in this article to all publications and editors you work with. You never know which local, regional, or online publication will help launch you into future freelancing success.

In closing, realize that developing and maintaining a good relationship with editors is every bit as important as writing that informative, attention-grabbing query. And, ultimately, the editors, too, must take steps to ensure open communication, meet your expectations and needs, and work with you toward a common goal; certainly, the effort and commitment should not be one-way. But, while editors may assign an article based on a query and subsequent exchanges, they may choose not to work with you again if you became lazy midway through a project, didn't respect their time, were difficult or time-consuming to communicate with, or didn't follow through on what was promised. In freelance writing, the quality of your work is indeed important; however, how effectively you delivered that work is equally, if not more important, for continuing to land new assignments. A little understanding, consideration, and effort can go a long way toward achieving that goal.