"Personally, I would rather walk to the Yukon barefoot, report the story and write it, than to sit down and write a query trying to tell somebody why a good story is good."
--Timothy Foote, Smithsonian magazine editor
That quote is from the book Magazine Writing That Sells, by Don McKinney, which I recently bought used at my local library bookstore for $2. Though published in '94 and thus without much reference to online writing, the book offers a wealth of knowledge about freelance writing for magazines--including, of course, the dreaded query letter.
Though I firmly believe it's trial and error via experience that will eventually bring success, I hope these field notes might help fellow writers who also want to break in to magazine writing. The following information isn't so much a how-to list as it is general advice I've gained from various sources (in print and in person) and my own (in)experience:
--Timothy Foote, Smithsonian magazine editor
That quote is from the book Magazine Writing That Sells, by Don McKinney, which I recently bought used at my local library bookstore for $2. Though published in '94 and thus without much reference to online writing, the book offers a wealth of knowledge about freelance writing for magazines--including, of course, the dreaded query letter.
Though I firmly believe it's trial and error via experience that will eventually bring success, I hope these field notes might help fellow writers who also want to break in to magazine writing. The following information isn't so much a how-to list as it is general advice I've gained from various sources (in print and in person) and my own (in)experience:
The Query Letter is Your Sales Tool
Similar to a cover letter in a job application, a query letter is a story proposal that pitches your topic, illustrates your approach or story angle, and demonstrates your writing style to an editor. Though writing credentials in the form of published clips certainly help and are sometimes required, it's your query that will seal the deal. 
