Querying publications as a freelance writer is a lot of fun. This is when you get to talk about yourself, and hopefully land a new project that you have been chasing. Of course, more times than not you are going to get rejected. Is this fair? Well, it doesn’t seem like it, but it is simply the nature of the industry. With that being said, if you know the reasons that a publication says no, you will be able to increase your chance of future success.
1. Some publications already have a pool of freelance writers that they use. This is not to say that you have no chance of becoming one of them, but it can be very difficult when they are already set in their ways. If an editor tells you that they have no room for another freelancer, you may want to ask if it is okay to follow up in the future. You never know when something will go wrong, and the editor suddenly needs a new writer to fill a slot.
2. Magazines work in advance. For this reason you may find that a publication has enough material for the upcoming months, and is not accepting new ideas at the time. If this situation presents itself, attempt to find out when the editor will begin to consider new ideas. By knowing this information you will have a leg up on the competition because you can be ensured of submitting your query letter/idea at the appropriate time.
3. Time after time I receive responses from editors telling me that they like my idea, but they just ran a similar story. There is not much that you can do about this except take your idea to a similar publication and see if they have room for it. This is a common reason for rejection, and one that you should shrug off and forget about.Â
4. Simply put, there are going to be times when an editor does not think that you have the background and/or knowledge to handle the topic that you are interested in writing about. Personally, I run into this about once per month on average. The best way to avoid this is to stay within the subjects that you know best. But even then, you will still come across editors who are skeptical about your ability to write a certain piece.
In the future, you should be able to use these common reasons for rejection to your advantage.
Over the past few weeks I have had several freelance writers attack me via email for working too many hours. They seem to be doing this because they feel that I am not a “real freelance writer†because I often times work long hours in order to make time to take on jobs that are less than what they consider high paying.
This leads me to the question of: how many hours per day should a freelance writer work? In my opinion there is no way to answer this question. If you can work a few hours per day and earn a full-time living, you should go for it. On the other side of things, if you like to work longer hours or need to do so in order to achieve success, that is fine as well. Unlike an office job, there is nobody telling you that you have to work eight hours between 9 and 5. The great thing about being a freelance writer is that you can work when you want, and for as long as you want. If you get your work done and make your money, there is no reason that you should change what you are doing.
I think that every freelance writer should run their career in the way that they best see fit. Sure, I can offer tips and suggestions, but when it comes down to it you are the one who needs to make the decision on how to move forward. If everybody tried to emulate how I work, they would not have their own success. And the same thing holds true if I were to listen to those who think that working too much is always a bad thing.
All in all, you can work as many hours per day as you please. As long as you do not burn out, you should be just fine. If somebody tells you that you are working too many hours, keep in mind that hard work is the quickest way to freelance writing success!Â
When asked for a price quote, it is essential that you take your time and supply accurate information that is going to work to your advantage. This holds true in every industry, and freelance writing is no exception. I am always receiving emails asking how I arrive at my quotes, and what goes into the process. While every situation and potential client is different, there are some things that I always do.
As mentioned above, you should always take your time. Sure, it can be exciting to be asked for a price quote, but if you jump the gun you could end up doing one of two things: you could offer too low of a price and leave money on the table or you could quote too high and scare the client off. If you take your time you will be able to compare the project to past work, think about all of the work that is entailed, and of course, cross reference with your current rate sheet.
If possible, it would be nice if you could find out what type of budget the client has for the project. You may find that the client is searching for a bargain price that you cannot meet. Finding this out early on can go a long way in saving both parties a lot of time.
When working on any price quote you should take every last detail into consideration. This is going to change based on who you are working with, but you should consider things such as: past work for the client, your current workload, how bad you want to work with the client, etc. Anything that will affect the project and your career should be taken seriously during this process.
With all of that being said, for me, giving a solid price quote is all about taking my time. If I leave myself enough time to get together all the details, providing an accurate quote is usually an easy task.Â
