E-mail can be a great way to send out your article query to editors, but you’ll want to keep some things in mind that are unique to e-mail communication. Unlike a “snail” letter, in an e-mail the subject line may be the first thing that grabs the editor’s attention. Clearly identify your query so it won’t be confused with spam. Use the subject line to label what you are sending (query, article, invoice). Try something like, “Query: Great Article Title Here.”
The requirements of an e-mail query aren’t that different than a snail mail query. You should be professional. You should have a salutation, the body of the letter, the closing and contact information. Don’t neglect to put the housekeeping items you’d find in snail mail such as the editor’s name and publication name. It’ll help you keep track of important details later.
Because this is e-mail, the person reading it will have to scroll down the page. So put the article pitch on top, and save other information, like your contact information for the end. You want to grab the editor’s attention as soon as possible, and reading your address isn’t going to do that. Give them your contact information when they can act on it — after they read your great query!
Check the writer’s guidelines to determine when you should expect a response. Just because you sent it by e-mail doesn’t mean you should expect an instant response. It can still take weeks to hear back. Or you can get an acceptance (or rejection) almost immediately.
One last thing to think about when querying — your e-mail address. Is it professional? Does it seem respectable? What do other people think when they read it? If you don?t know, ask some people)? You don?t want it to be cutesy. Often, your first and last name is the best option. My first e-mail address was slsherwood, but I learned people tended to mislead it as slasher, which definitely wasn?t the image I wanted. You don’t want to send editors e-mail from overworkedmomof4 or your chatroom alias. Would you open e-mail from spunkydominatrix? Don’t expect an editor to do so either.
