Home » Writing & Publishing » Travel Writing » Beyond the Query Letter

Beyond the Query Letter

© Kim Applegate

For many writers, the quest for assignments is a frustrating and sporadic battle. Query after query is sent to editors around the globe resulting in a sporadic positive reply. The well-established and successful writer however, frequently never sends out a query. How is this possible?

For beginning writers, the perfectly penned query letter is a necessary evil. Once you have a few published clips behind you, your energies should switch to networking. In the fast paced and amazingly small world of publishing, it is who you know which results in paying assignments.

Name recognition is huge is the freelance biz. You want to be someone who pops into an editor's mind when a story is about to be assigned. Writing is like every other occupation, editors tend to stick with those writers they already know and can trust to get the job done.

Becoming known in the field is a matter of circulating. If you are serious about travel writing, start getting your face and name known in the field. Attend travel trade shows, book fairs, and writers' conferences. When you meet anyone in the travel or publishing industry, introduce yourself and hand them your card. Be yourself but be memorable. Listen to what the person has to say and make a note of personal and professional information provided. This information is invaluable and can subtly be used the next time you meet or write to the person.

I read an article by Arthur S. Harris Jr. who illustrated the power of meeting an editor in person. In Writing as a Second Career (Writer's Digest, 1992), Harris describes his success in securing writing assignments with a well known travel magazine. He had corresponded with the magazine's editor for six months. Although the editor was interested in Harris' article ideas, an assignment never came through.

Harris ended up uncovering the editor's habit of popping into an upscale bar for a soda at the end of the day. One day, Harris went to the bar and called the editor, who finally agreed to have a quick meeting. The casual encounter resulted in success as Harris explains:

He came, we chatted (mostly about his hobbies) and parted... Three weeks later he phoned me on a Monday morning. "Are you busy Saturday?"

"Probably mowing the lawn, that's all," I said. "What's up?"

"Could you possibly travel to New Delhi for us to cover a conference? The person we assigned can't make it. I know it's short notice, but I can fax you a visa form, and if you overnight it back with a couple of passport photos, we'll have your visa and ticket waiting for you at the Air India's first-class counter."