How To Sell An Article – Tips For Freelance Article Writers

As a freelance writer, sometimes you cannot sell an article before you write it and other times you can write an article and then sell it. You must evaluate your prospective market before writing an article.
If you hope to land an assignment for a magazine or newspaper, you generally must submit a brief synopsis of your story ideas and professional credentials in a query letter. Your prospective editor may already have a similar story planned or is just not interested in your idea. Even if he loves your idea, he will usually want to have a voice in the shape of your story. If you write the article before sending a query letter, you may end up with a lot of rejections along with wasted time.
Some Internet websites such as Bright Hub combine a shortened querying process with a bank of article ideas. If you apply to write for such a content website and the editors accept you, you can either send a short e-mail with your idea and credentials or select an article topic from an available bank of ideas.
Other websites such as Demand Media Studios used to allow vetted writers to recommend article topics and write them, but that changed. Now you must select an article from the electronic story bank, write it according to guidelines, submit it and get paid once it is accepted.
The best way to find out if you should query before sending an article or can just send the article in hopes of getting it published is to call or write the publication for its writer’s or submission guidelines. Sometimes you can get these guidelines online or through e-mail. Books such as the Writer’s Market and online message boards usually offer a plethora of writer’s guidelines. However, I tell all of my coaching clients not to rely on just third-party resources. Sometimes publications go out of business, change editors and policies not long after that year’s Writer’s Market is published.
Whether you decide to send a query letter or a finished article, study the magazine, newspaper or website beforehand. Few things irritate an editor more than a writer who clearly did not read the publication before submitting an article or proposal. Check every page of your submission for spelling errors. Do not rely just on spell check, because it does not catch every possible error such as misuses of homonyms like “to” and “two.”
Above all, do not give up even if you get a lot of rejections. Find a different idea and keep writing and pitching.