“Can I submit more than one story idea in a freelance query letter?”
That subject came up on a freelance writers’ forum recently. Some people said no, you shouldn’t; just lead with your best shot. Others said it’s fine to include two or three pitches.
I weighed in. I said I once submitted a query with 30 story ideas. I came away owning a department in the magazine and spent the next several years ticking off many of those ideas as four-page features—for very good money. That led to yet another department in the magazine. Two great steady gigs in National Geographic Adventure for several years because I had the audacity to bundle a bunch of pitches.
Guess what else? I put all of those pitches into a Word doc and illustrated most of them with photos. Each one read like a mini story, with a headline and inset illustration.
BUT… You’re not supposed to do any of that stuff. If you read the writer blogs and the how-to-be-a-freelancer books, they prescribe all sorts of rules. What you should do. What you mustn’t do.
You see all sorts of nonsense: One pitch to a query. Don’t send attachments. No pitch longer than one page, whatever that means these days. Follow the publisher’s writer’s guidelines as if they were stone tablets delivered from on high. Open each pitch with the lede to your article. Send it to the submissions editor or some other designated flunky. Include clips. Don’t include clips. Mention your credentials. Don’t mention your credentials. Don’t follow up before the time cited in the writer’s guidelines. No simultaneous queries.
- Here’s what you SHOULD do: Send in good ideas.
- Here’s what you MUSTN’T do: Send in stupid ideas.
Okay, you also shouldn’t send in anything that’s tough on a poor beleaguered editor’s eyes. And those readable good ideas should go to someone who can actually act on them.
Everything else is folklore.
I go into a lot more detail in my book about how you can better your chances of getting articles accepted. Many of them are absolutely critical to your success as a freelance writer. But those have to do with how to formulate great story ideas, how to research them, how to make sure they’re absolutely right on and irresistible. And, yes, I add some suggestions on how to format your queries. But no rules.
If you want rules, see the two above.
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