Starting Over with the Freelance Writing

 When a new year rolls around, most writers focus o a new writing goal. For me, in January of 2022, I decided to go back to freelance writing. I took a VERY long break from it because I felt it just wasn’t working out for me anymore. However, I decided to try again.

 

So, I got busy doing the same things I did when it came to working as a freelance writer: Studying markets, building relationships, creating a client pool to regularly submit to and keeping an eye out for calls for pitches.

 

There was one problem, though: I couldn’t remember how to write a query letter! (Nowadays, they’re called pitches.) One of my friends assured me that the memory of how to write a query letter would eventually come back, but I wasn’t so sure. It was only when I signed on with a content creation platform called nDash that it happened. Part of the work involved in writing for brands via nDash was putting together short pitches for articles and blog posts to write. This was not easy at first, because I was still struggling with how to write a query letter! Even though I read articles about how to write a query letter (including some of my own which I wrote YEARS ago) as well as book such as Query Letters That Worked! by Angela Hoy and Jumpstart Your Writing Career and Snag Paying Assignments by Beth Ann Erickson, I still couldn’t figure out how to do it. But when I started writing these mini pitches through nDash, something within me clicked. The memory of how to write query letters returned and soon I was sending them out to various markets.

 

I’ve been pitching markets ever since.

 

Now, a year later, I have taken some time to reflect on my progress so far.

 

One of the other things I did when I returned to freelance writing was eagerly read everything I could about being a freelance writer. After all, I’ve been out of the game for a while. Times have changed, markets have changed, and the overall landscape of freelance writing has changed!

 

For one thing, there were content creation services for brands. This is where I got my start, working through nDash, and while I enjoyed working with brands and I was happy to have regular work, I knew it wouldn’t last forever. Sure enough, I was no longer getting regular work through nDash, so I knew it was time to spread my wings elsewhere.

 

So, for 2023, I decided I would put the main focus of my freelance writing business on cold-emailing potential clients. (There is also cold-calling, but I don’t like communicating by phone.)

 

That brings us up-to-date.

 

I have been pitching to magazines and E-zines, some of which I have never pitched to before. I started pitching regularly and making it a point to get rejected pitches sent somewhere else.

 

In the process, I learned something else: It’s like I have to start all over again as a freelance writer. A lot of the clips on my website are really old, and editors are more interested in seeing current work. I cringed every time I mentioned only relevant clips in my queries that are over 5 years old. Additionally, a lot of articles I had published in the past are not online anymore. This has made me realize that these editors are likely going to pass on my queries, so I was going to have to start all over again in gathering the kinds of clips I need in order to break into the bigger markets.

 

So I am once again in the position of building my freelance writing career from the ground up. I have to start over again and just work my way up.

 

So far, it has been going well. Thankfully, my record for selling at least one article a month has continued from last year. (The first time I worked as a freelance writer, I’d go MONTHS without sales. So having at least one sale a month after my return has been pretty awesome.)

 

I have created a routine for my pitching of markets, and I have a good list of market guidelines on hand. I get this information by subscribing to newsletters such as WritersWeekly, FundsforWriters, Horror Tree, Duotrope and Authors Publish. If I see a market which I feel I can contribute to, I bookmark it so that I can query them later. Some of the markets I have come across welcome submissions on spec, so I’ll start thinking about topics until I am ready to approach them.

 

I am also networking with other freelance writers via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s great to get to know other writers and learn about how they manage their writing business.

 

As far as pitching/querying is concerned, I have a system in place. I usually send out at least one pitch a day for articles, blog posts and essays during the week. On weekends, I submit short stories and poetry. This way, I am able to get ALL of my writings out there. I try to pitch and/or submit every day, but there are some days I just don’t have enough spoons to do ALL of the things that I normally do in my day (which includes working on my monthly newsletter, working on book reviews, writing/editing/revising one or two manuscripts and participating on social media to keep those connections going strong!). But, yes, I do try to pitch or submit at least once a day. I know some writers who pitch 3, 5 or even 13 articles a day, but there’s no way I could do this. The routine I have works best for me.

 

Now, a year later, I am glad I made the decision to return to freelance writing. It continues to grow and evolve, and there is still a lot I need to learn, but it is something I enjoy doing and it has gone well on a financial level.

 

It can be frustrating having to start from the beginning again, but since I took too long of a break from freelance writing in order to have enough clips to prove my worth to an editor, it’s something that must be done. It’s just like going from one job to another; you have to start at the basic level! I am once again “new” to freelance writing, but I’m just glad that, this time, I am coming back to freelancing a little more wiser.

Read Submission Guidelines Carefully

There’s nothing quite like finding a market which you think you could write for. Or perhaps you have already written an article, and you think you have found just the right place to submit it.

 

But are you sure this is the right market for your work?

 

One way to find out is to read the submission guidelines – and read them carefully.

 

Most markets do post their submission guidelines online. These places understand that, nowadays, everybody is using the internet, especially writers. So they have created websites about their publications or special pages for their websites. Take some time to explore their site and look for their guidelines. They usually appear as “submission guidelines” or “writer’s guidelines.” Some sites even say “Write for us!” and you can usually find the guidelines here. Another way to find submission guidelines for markets is to check out the most recent edition of Writer's Market.

 

The submission guidelines will usually tell you everything you need to know about what exactly that market wants, and how you can submit to them. With one market I queried, I had to fill out a form. With another, they use Submittable for all submissions. So make sure you pay attention to the instructions on just HOW you submit to the market.

 

Another thing to pay attention to is their formatting guidelines. Some markets want to receive all submissions in 12-point Times New Roman (TNR) font, with double spaces. Others are a little more flexible with the formatting. Make sure you follow these formatting guidelines. Never expect a market to make an exception for you if you decide to submit something using 14-point Verdana font with single spacing. If you can’t respect them enough to follow their formatting guidelines, they won’t respect you enough to read your work. Most submissions that don’t follow the guidelines will be deleted unread.

 

Additionally, follow the word count limit. Don’t expect the editor to cut or edit the work to fit the word count limit; that is YOUR job. But if you can’t do this, ask a writer friend for help. Never ask the editor to edit your work so that it will fit their guidelines.

 

The other way to find out if a market is a good place to submit your work is to read what they have already published. Study the work they want and see if your work is a good match. If they only publish work on a specific topic, you’ll notice this by reading what they have already published. This is not only the kind of work they like but the kind of work they want. Most markets will post samples of what they have published online. Others may ask you to buy the most recent copy of their publication. Do what you can to read their most recently published work. This will help you decide if your work is a good fit there.

 

Many writers think that there’s a lot of wiggle room with submission guidelines. That if they send something via email when the editor prefers submissions through Submittable, that if their work is “just a little more” than the desired word count or that the editor will be so struck by the genius of their writing that they don’t care that it’s a health and beauty article when they publish articles about electronics, they still have a chance of getting published there. This is NOT true. Editors do not make such exceptions, especially for writers they are not familiar with.

 

Read the submission guidelines carefully. Follow the submission guidelines to a T. By being professional and putting your best effort forward with your queries, you just might make a great first impression and have a chance of getting an acceptance.

My Attempt at the "30 Days of 30 Queries" Challenge

Several years ago, I came across a type of “challenge” that a writer I knew was doing. This particular writer, Natasha Khullar Relph, is one who I have networked with for some time. I have stayed connected with Natasha since first coming across her newsletter for writers, Writers Crossing. Since then, I have stayed connected with her through Absolute Write, Facebook and Twitter. I also subscribe to her newsletters and read her work any chance that I get! Natasha is a very accomplished and talented writer and she really knows her stuff! I am grateful to have crossed paths with her, albeit through the worldwide web!

 

Anyway, when Natasha mentioned she was doing “30 Days of 30 Queries,” I became curious. This experiment turned into a course she started offering to writers.

 

I never have taken the course, but I have always wondered if I could do such a thing too.

 

At the beginning of June, I decided to finally find out!

 

The problem was that, when June 1 came around, I forgot that I had forgotten how to write queries! Whoops! It has been so long since I took a break from freelance writing that I couldn’t remember how to write a query letter!

 

So, I did a bit of research. Read a whole bunch of articles on how to write a query letter, then I gave it my best shot! (I do have Angela Hoy’s book, Query Letters That Worked, and I have read it before. But…it has been some time so I guess I should give it another read!)

 

Working through nDash helped charge my memory on how to write queries, too. Of course, the pitches which I sent to brands were not in the same format as a standard query letter, but the abstracts I had to write honed my ability to be succinct, to the point, and choose my words carefully.

 

Eventually, I was able to write a query letter with ease. After a while, and with a lot of practice, the memory of how to write a query letter did come back to me. Yay!

 

When I first started sending out the queries, I had a bunch of ideas for articles to pitch. The problem was, I had a hard time finding markets for them. ARGH! Googling for the markets did not turn up much. Thankfully, I finally got a copy of the most recent edition of Writer’s Market, so that helped a lot too.

 

Then I ran out ideas for articles! There’d be days I’d be frozen at the keyboard, wondering what to pitch.

 

That was until I remembered a whole bunch of article ideas I had either saved on the computer or written down into a notebook. That helped! I also recycled pitches that had been rejected in the past, giving them a new twist. I would also pitch article or essay ideas that were rejected on nDash, where I write content for brands.

 

The next challenge was to even REMEMBER to send out a query!

 

Now, see, this is why it’s a good idea to take the course instead of trying to do it alone. I didn’t have an email from Natasha appearing in my inbox every day, reminding me to send out a query!

 

I did, however, have my To Do lists, and that did help me to remember to send out a query sometimes. But I didn’t always use my To Do list this month, because with one kid graduating from middle school and the other not only starting summer term at the university but also changing his work schedule, things were a little crazy for a while there. So on the days I didn’t use my To Do lists, I forgot to send out a query.

 

In the end, instead of sending out 30 queries for 30 days, I only ended up sending out 12 queries in the span of 30 days.  Oh, well. At least I gave this challenge a try! LOL

 

Even so, all this querying, looking for markets and jumping on opportunities to pitch markets that put out a call for pitches has gotten me hooked! That’s right: Even though the month has come to an end, I’m not going to stop sending out queries!

 

In fact, I am planning to send one out tomorrow. Maybe two.

 

That reminds me … There was one day I sent out two queries: One to a market and one to a brand on nDash. After I started working through nDash, I began to think that it wouldn’t hurt to pitch to other markets in addition to the brands I pitch to through there. I like that idea a lot and just might keep it in my routine.

 

On the other hand, I may have scored low in sending out queries this month, but I was definitely busy also sending out poetry books and short stories to contests, anthologies, magazines and websites. That’s something which I plan to continue doing as well.

 

Here are all the queries I sent out this month. Of the 12 I sent, I’m very excited I got at least one acceptance.

 

The 12 Queries I Sent in 30 Days

 

Day One: Pitched Business Insider an article idea. No response.

Day Two: Pitched Parents & Kids an article idea. No response.

Day Three: Pitched Catster about an article idea. No response.

Day Four: Pitched Longreads for an essay. Rejected.

Day Five: Pitched Oregon Coast magazine about an article idea. No response.

Day Six: Pitched Whole Life Times an article idea. No response.

Day Seven: Longreads rejected my pitch so I sent it to Mutha Magazine. They responded with a request to submit. Accepted.

Day Seventeen: Queried Bookmarks magazine about an essay. Rejected.

ALSO ON DAY SEVENTEEN: Pitched article idea on nDash. No response.

Day Eighteen: Queried Slate about an essay. No response.

Day ???: Queried WritersWeekly about an article idea. No response.

Day 30: Pitched Newsweek about an essay.

 

I am grateful for this experience. It has definitely sharpened my skills in writing a query letter (I’m glad I remembered how to do it again!). It has also gotten me interested in keeping up with it. I may not have gotten a query out every day, but I’m definitely going to keep sending them out. Always be writing! Always be pitching! That’s my new motto for the freelance writing. Who knows? Maybe I will get those 30 queries sent out 30 days in a row. What matters is that I keep tossing my name into the hat.

The wrong way to find an agent

While browsing through job ads on a popular ad site (which I won’t name here but you can guess what it is by this clue: It’s one word that starts with a “C”), I came across an ad from someone who was searching for a literary agent. This being the first time I have ever seen someone post an ad for a lit agent on this site, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what the ad said. So I clicked on it and started reading.

We all know that this kind of thing is really a shot in the dark. Literary agents just don’t have the time to hunt for writers/authors posting ads for them on non-agent-related sites. Sure, they may check out QueryTracker or AgentQuery, but they really don’t have the time to seek out more clients. They are busy enough with the clients they already have. Also, they’re attending meetings, negotiating deals and reading, reading, reading.

Also, an agent usually does not seek clients; the writers contact them. They use a query letter or proposal to make contact with literary agents. Another way a writer gets in touch with agents is by meeting them at conventions, workshops and retreats. They don’t contact you; you contact them. Very rarely it happens that an agent will hear good things about an aspiring author’s work or see astronimical sales numbers on a self-published book, then go through the motions of seeking out that author. However, this is not common. It’s better to go with a query letter.

All that said, there were certain items in the ad which I must comment on here:

Experienced/reputable agent required….

Just a note that a reputable and/or experienced literary agent usually doesn’t scour popular ad sites looking for clients. It’s usually the scammers who do.

Also, "required"?

“…to take a potential best seller….”

Potential? Aw, nuts. Why not an actual best seller? Seriously, though. Who is the judge of whether or not your book is going to be a best seller? It’s not a good idea to say to an agent, “My book is going to be a best seller!” Because, really, says who?

“…self-published book…”

It’s already published? Then what do you need the agent for? If you think your self-published book is going to be picked up by an agent to land a contract with a traditional publisher willing to pay big bucks for it thanks to an ad, it’s time to come back down to earth. Yes, self-published books landing big contracts with reputable publishers has happened, but only after the book has sold hundreds or even thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of copies. And after it has gained media recognition. Everybody’s talking about it! Everybody’s reading it! That’s when the magic happens. And only then, it’s the agent who contacts the author, not the other way around.

The ad goes on to request that only “reputable” agents need apply – er, get in line – er, respond to the ad, and not self-publishing companies.

Well, good luck with that. Posting something like this on a site that is not about literary agents and, therefore, not even scanned by literary agents hungry for new clients (let alone reputable agents) only sets the author up for being contacted by the less-reputable ilk.

As a side note, I would strongly recommend the ad writer learn how to put together a query letter or proposal for their book. That is what gets an agent's attention. It is also what tells us what kind of book it is (fiction? Nonfiction?) and what it's about. These things were lacking in the ad, and if the writer is serious about signing with an agent, it's a good idea to include those things -- in a query letter.

In defense of e-queries

I am still trying to find a literary agent. I sent off a query package last week. Yes, you read that right: It was a PACKAGE. It was my query, synopsis, first three chapters and an SASE. All by snail mail. Costing almost $3. And I had to grumble over that, asking myself, "Do I really want to pay $3 just to be told 'I'm not the right agent for this'?" (That's actually a common response I have been getting. Sigh! I wonder if that's a new polite way of saying NO??)

I really had to think over that one, though. With the economy being in the kind of shape that it is, I have to be careful on what I'm spending money on. I mean, nowadays, people just can't throw money into the wind. Every penny we can save counts! So for this reason, I'm going to start just sticking with sending e-queries instead. The query I sent by post on Monday was my last snail-mailed query.

Of course, not everybody is so accepting of getting queried by email. I've seen quite a few agency sites that will NOT accept e-queries. Period. Too bad, I have to pass on those and try the agencies who do. (I have to wonder why it's so terrible to receive an e-query? I mean, if it's kept to one page, as it should be, then how is that any different than receiving a regular email? On that note, though, I saw one agency where the agent said sending an e-query was "unprofessional." I had to roll my eyes over that one. I also grumbled, "Sending e-queries isn't 'unprofessional.' You wanna talk unprofessional, pal? Fix your typos.")

I realize this means my query is going to HAVE to pull some muscle in trying to sell my story. It REALLY needs to be in the best shape possible. This is where a writer's skill with words must shine: The query must dazzle the agent! It has to be the best query you have EVER written and must contain EVERYTHING the agent wants to see in the query. (Some agents do specify what they want to see in a query.)

Just got to make sure the query doesn't end up reading like a "buzzword dictionary" or lose the agent in understanding just WHAT the story is about. Or make sure it's not cluttered with adjectives or stereotypical catchphrases. As long as the query is professionally written, edited and interesting, my gut tells me that should be enough to justify sending it by email instead of by post.