The Successful Query Letter

I recently sold an article to a new-to-me magazine, The Christian Standard. I had not written for them before, nor had I pitched to them before. This was my first pitch, my first query, and it paid off big time. Not only are they publishing this first article from me, they pay well and have invited me to write more for them.

All this from one simple query.

I am not an expert query letter writer. I have rarely written them over the years and never like this one - out of the blue, unsolicited.

There's a back story. I have been a regular writer for one publication house for nearly 30 years and they recently recruited me to write on a specific topic. I gladly complied, signed the contract and wrote the article. However, even though they liked the article, before it could go to print, they changed their minds and decided not to print it. They said their needs had changed. The editor who had recruited me was no longer employed there.

But, I really like the article and was going to put it in my blog, but I felt it should see more of an audience than my blog offers. So, I searched around on the internet and decided to send a query letter to another publication.

My query was simple:

Good day to you,

My name is Tricia Johnson. I have written an article titled Critical Thinking in the Church, which challenges the "herd" mentality of so many Christian churches, schools and organizations. I would like to submit this article to you for consideration.

I have been a regular contributing writer for Regular Baptist Press for nearly 30 years. I have raised and home schooled eight children.

I have been married to my husband, who was a pastor for 31 years, for 37 years.

I am a regular blogger at www.thepriscillaprinciple.blogspot.com.

I have created a Bible study system through which I teach others how to make observations in Scripture and interpret according to the given context. This can be found at www.thepriscillaprinciple.com.

If you are interested in reading the article, please let me know and I will send it quickly.

Thank you so much.

The reply was equally simple:

Hi, Tricia . . .

No guarantees, but we’d be glad to read this article.

Thanks for your interest in Christian Standard.

I replied and attached my article. That was on a Friday. On Tuesday of the following week, I got this:

Hi, Tricia . . .

I like this!

Yes, we’ll use this. It will probably fill a spot in our family-issues edition (May). 

We’ll send you a contract promising payment and process that payment request as soon as we’ve received the signed contract back from you.

Thanks so much for your interest in Christian Standard. We’d be pleased to hear from you anytime.

Best wishes,

It's sometimes that simple. 

I did not follow a template or any sort of pattern, I simply believed in this article, thought it should have a wider audience and pursued it with that in mind. I gave a brief description of my life and writing experience.

And I'm smiling all the way to the bank.

And I'm writing more articles for them.

You, too, can write a successful query letter.

All you have to do is do it.

Write often.

Write well.

Just write.

~Tricia