Becoming an Editor's Best Friend

By Ruth O'Neil

Most freelance writers know that assignments and money can ebb and flow. After being a freelance writer for more than 30 years, I've learned a few tricks to keep the money flowing my way. Am I wealthy? Nope. But I was able to stay home, raise my kids, and pay the bills. One of the tricks I learned was to make best friends – of sorts – with the editors, especially long-time editors of the publications for which I wrote. I discovered the "best friend" thing by accident. Our friendships, however, didn't blossom overnight. As with many relationships, it took time and effort to build it up - but the effort to help increase your writing sales. 

Editors deal with lots of people every day and don't always remember each writer by name or by story. The first thing you need to do is send articles and stories to different publications. That might seem overly obvious, but I know I continually compile lists of publications I want to write for. Unfortunately, I'm so busy compiling lists and checking guidelines that I sometimes don't sit down and actually write something to send. Editors can’t get to know me if I don't send anything. 

Don’t over-send. By this I mean don't send one email with four or five articles attached for their consideration. Send one at a time, especially if they are a new-to-you editor. Make sure to read their guidelines. Copy and paste them into a file on your computer. Study them. Highlight important information and double-check that info before you send the article. Doing everything right will please editors and help them remember you.

Be respectful of an editor's time by not including your life story in an email. They don't need it and don't want to know it. They just want the bare bones of your article or story. Some editors want your pitch in as little as one sentence. That can be hard to do, but it helps you focus on what your article is about. Editors like it when you can communicate with as few words as possible. 

Send clean work. The less editing your writing needs, the better. Keep within the requested word count. Write tightly by eliminating anything unnecessary. Editors don't want to have to rewrite your story because after they took out all your extras, they had to add to it because it was too short. By the way, they won't do that. They might send it back to you for a rewrite or scrap it altogether. Be consistent in the quality of your writing.

Be reliable all the time. If you send a query to an editor and they want to see your work, make sure you send it in a reasonable amount of time, every time. Don't commit and then not follow through. Editors work on strict deadlines and need to know your work will be in on time. 

After you get several articles or stories accepted, you'll notice the editor begin to add personal comments to your emails. This is the perfect time to take that next step and build up your relationship. Respond back in a personal way. End your email by wishing them a great day. I've even had a few follow me on social media. If this happens to you, follow back and interact with them occasionally. Social media friends are friends for life, right?

Now that you have gained "best friend" status with an editor, you can act more personally with them. This is when my accidental learning came in. I was a little short on work and knew the editor of a weekly children's magazine I'd written for on multiple occasions paid quickly. I decided to send her an email to see if she needed anything. The worst she could say was no. She responded immediately, thanking me and that I was the answer to her prayers. She needed something in the next few hours and didn't have time to write it herself. I had the perfect story. I continue to ask her every once in a while if she needs anything. Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes she sends me an email asking if I have anything she can use quickly. The pay isn't the highest, but the consistency in receiving it is great. There have been a few other publications where I've sent emails to ask editors if they need anything. Not all of them send an offer; not all of them respond at all. But the important thing is that some of them do, and that equates to a paycheck.

Keep track of theme list dates. Not all publications use theme lists, but many do. These are great for not only giving you ideas of what to write but can also be a door to a sale. When the dates on a theme list are short, send an email and ask editors if they are lacking anything. Sometimes an editor needs something to fill some space that doesn't necessarily fit in with the theme, or maybe another writer didn't fulfill their commitment, which gives you an opportunity to save the day. And since you're "best friends" and all, they'll buy your writing because they know you will deliver.

So, if you want to spend any time at all being a freelance writer, it's worth it to get to know the editors of the publications you write for and for them to get to know you. Build up a rapport with them and that friendship can last a long time. You might also notice an increase in sales. It never hurts to have an editor in your back pocket as your BFF.

Ruth O’Neil was born and raised in upstate New York and attended Houghton College. She has been a freelance writer/editor for more than thirty years. She has published hundreds of articles in dozens of publications as well as publishing a few Inspirational Fiction novels and devotional companions to classic literature. After spending 20 years homeschooling her own children, she now teaches the next generation of writers at a local homeschool co-op. Ruth spends her time cooking/canning, quilting, reading, scrapbooking, camping, and hiking with her family. You can follow her on Facebook.