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I remember when the Internet first went public. The word then was no way, no how should you email your queries to editors. Snail mail was it, and the only way.

But what about now? The unwired, especially in the information industries like ours, are very rare. Heck, email addresses for queries are even provided in those good-as-gold market listings. So it’s OK to email queries now, right?

Um, I don’t think so. At least not always.

Off the top of my head, just thinking out loud on when it may be OK to use email queries over snail mailed ones and vice-versa. Use what you want, chuck out the useless.

• Never email an attached document unsolicited. If you can include a very short but sufficient writing sample within your query letter (along with a link or two to fuller manuscripts on your website if they want to see more… a technique I’ve used successfully, by the way), then an emailed query is a possibility. If you need to send the whole document to try and make a sale, snail it.
  
• Are you very good at writing short, attention grabbing and enticing query letters? Email. If your query letters are, although professional, template fill-in-the-blanks ho-hum, you’ll probably be better off with an initial snail mailed query.
  
• When in doubt, snail mail your very first query (use quality pro paper, it should go without saying). If you’ve made contact, whether your query was successful or not, ask permission to email future query letters and — this is very important — a more direct email address, if available.

You see, the query email addresses the pubs provide the market listings are pretty much what I call slush pile email addresses. The larger the publication, the more likely that this is the case (and even just having an extra pair of editing eyeballs can sometimes put a pub in the “larger” category). Oh, they do go through them, but yours had better stand out from the rest, and immediately as the slush pile gets sorted through very rapidly (by — think about it — probably the lowest paid editorial staffer who has no power to argue against being assigned this mind-numbingly boring work).

If yours passes the slush test, it will then be forwarded to a department head or editor or whatever other higher-up for a decision. It is the email address of that department head, editor or higher up that you want to get your hands on for all future queries. But remember: Always ask permission first before using that address for queries.

Thoughts? Additions? Suggestions? Corrections? Do share…

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