| Whether you're a professional magazine writer with | | | | possible, include a sentence in your query defining your |
| decades of experience or a not-yet-published | | | | focus or stating the main idea of the article. |
| freelancer, you are bound to get rejection notes. | | | | 5. You're trying to cover too much. Editors know what |
| Editors don't always explain clearly why they're saying | | | | can and can't be accomplished in 700 or 1800 words |
| no. Some reasons have nothing to do with you and | | | | or whatever length is usual for their publication. |
| others have everything to do with you, while many | | | | Beginning writers have a tendency to propose |
| other reasons rank between those two extremes. | | | | something that would need a book-length treatment to |
| To succeed as a freelance magazine writer, you must | | | | accomplish or that's way too broad for an article. To |
| do your best to optimize the factors within your | | | | prevent this reason for rejection, carefully study your |
| control. Then accept the rejections that occur despite | | | | target magazine to determine what a reasonable |
| your efforts, as an inevitable part of the business. Use | | | | scope for an article is - for instance, "ways to help |
| this list of 10 common reasons for rejection as a tool | | | | your child complete their homework," rather than |
| for crafting article queries that make it hard for editors | | | | "ways to help your child succeed in life." |
| to respond in any other way than "yes!" | | | | 6. Your focus is wrong for us. If you propose a profile |
| 1. We already did this topic. When a magazine has its | | | | when the magazine runs how-to articles, or vice versa, |
| archives posted online, you should try to make sure | | | | the editor will say no. The same thing would happen |
| this objection isn't the case. However, sometimes you | | | | when you propose writing about a tragedy or outrage |
| couldn't possibly know that your topic is already | | | | when the publication prides itself on hopeful, upbeat |
| assigned to another writer or already set to appear in | | | | stories. Research, research, research first! |
| a future issue. Your idea being "in the pipeline" is the | | | | 7. Your query is okay, but not exciting to us. Here the |
| quintessential reason for rejection that you can't | | | | topic and focus may work, but the writing lacks |
| prevent. Oh well! Just go on to the next idea. | | | | persuasiveness and pizzazz. Head off this reason for |
| 2. We're not ready to redo the topic yet. Many | | | | rejection by writing vivid, energetic queries in the style |
| magazines revisit some topics after a certain length of | | | | preferred by the publication. |
| time has passed or if there's a compelling rationale for | | | | 8. We're not convinced you can pull it off. Certain kinds |
| shortening their normal repeat cycle. If your research | | | | of articles require journalistic experience, technical |
| reveals that the publication has covered a topic before, | | | | knowledge, contacts or unusual storytelling skills. Try to |
| explain what's changed to warrant another article now. | | | | anticipate the fears editors might have about your |
| For instance, your article would focus on post-Big Dig | | | | abilities in reference to what you're proposing and |
| Boston. Or you'll cover the fertility treatments that | | | | explain what in your background shows you can |
| have been discovered since their last discussion of the | | | | handle it. |
| topic in 2006. | | | | 9. There are factual errors in your presentation. |
| 3. It's not relevant to enough readers. Forestall this | | | | Always, always look up the spelling of proper names |
| response by making a strong case in your query that | | | | and check any facts mentioned in a query. One of my |
| your topic is either relevant or interesting to their target | | | | writing students showed me a query he was going to |
| market. For instance, editors at a men's magazine | | | | send off that described a highway as going |
| would most likely reject an article on eating disorders | | | | somewhere it didn't and put a tourist spot in the wrong |
| unless you cite statistics showing that it's rapidly | | | | state. These would have been deadly errors. Editors |
| growing or an increasingly serious problem for men in | | | | hate working with writers who can't get details right. |
| the age group the magazine serves. | | | | 10. Your query is poorly written. Editors also hate |
| 4. Your idea isn't focused enough. Very often queries | | | | receiving assignments that need a major rewrite, so |
| go in five different directions for a topic, so that the | | | | they send queries containing mangled sentences, |
| editor can't figure out what the article would really | | | | verbs that don't match subjects and misused phrases |
| cover. If the editor can tell you want to write about | | | | to the "reject" pile. Learn to write correct, competent |
| volunteerism in big cities but not what you want to say | | | | English, and you'll ensure a fair reception for your ideas. |
| about the phenomenon, that's a "no." Whenever | | | | |