Have you ever faced this situation: you send a query letter to an editor, hope to hear a reply soon, and find yourself in the same position after a couple months? This is very common among freelance writers.
While I don’t make it a habit, there are times when following up on a query letter makes good sense. Whether or not you do this with every letter is your decision. Personally, I only follow-up when I am deeply intrigued by the prospect of writing for the publication.
If you are interested in following up on a query letter, follow these tips:
1. If possible, use email. As you probably know, editors don’t have the time to field phone calls from every person who sends a query. You have a much better chance of receiving an answer when you use email. It may take some digging, but if you search online and in Writer’s Market you should be able to find an email address.
2. Get to the point. The last thing you want to do is write a page long email, hoping that the editor reads the entire thing. Instead, only include basic information such as your name, contact details, and a brief overview of your query. As long as you provide your name and the title of your proposed piece the editor usually has enough information to identify you.
3. Don’t waste too much time on the follow-up process. There are thousands of publications looking for freelance writers. The more time you spend on follow-ups the less time you are spending on sending new queries.
One follow-up note is enough. If an editor doesn’t respond it is time to move on.
There is no easy way of saying when you should follow-up on a query. Most publications state how long it takes to respond, so make sure you wait at least that long.
As a freelance writer, there are a few situations you never want to face. One of them is having an angry client. But no matter how much you try to avoid this, at some point somebody is going to get angry with you.
While it is never fun to deal with an angry client, there are some things you can do to better handle this situation:
1. Determine the problem. Your job is to find out why the client is angry, assess the problem, and then find a solution. There is a good chance that you can quickly solve the problem once you know why the client is upset.
Don’t let your client berate you without giving you a reason why. Remember, you cannot fix the problem until you know what it is.
2. Don’t get angry yourself. Your natural reaction may be to scream at the client, defend yourself, and show that you are not going to take any more heat. While there is nothing wrong with defending yourself and showing your stance, you don’t want to become angry. This is going to make you look bad – two wrongs never make a right.
3. Don’t quit on the project. The last thing you want to do is tell the client you are moving on without finishing the job. In this case, you will anger them even more while making it very difficult on yourself to get paid for the work already completed. Even if the relationship is strained, see the project through to the end.
If all else fails and you are still stuck in a bad spot, you can reach out to somebody with a dispute resolution degree.
Hopefully you won’t have to deal with this situation often. If a client does get angry, follow the advice above. It can help you escape a bad position.
Like most freelance writers, you probably enjoy the writing process more than any other part of your career. Unfortunately, there are other things to consider. If you focus too much on writing and not enough on the rest of your business, you may begin to experience issues.
In this post, I want to talk about servicing clients. It is one thing to land a new gig and complete the job. It is another thing entirely to make the client feel like they are wanted. In short, you want every client to feel like they are your number one priority.
There is a fine line between giving the proper level of service and going overboard. To make this even more difficult, some clients need more attention and “hand holding†than others. This is a judgment call that you have to make as you start a project. Answer this question: how much attention do you think the client will command?
With every client, I attempt to stay in touch as often as necessary. Even if a project is not due for a couple weeks, I like to check in every few days to offer progress updates and ask if there is anything else I can do. It only takes a couple minutes to type a quick email or make a phone call.
Also, make sure you are prompt in replying to any emails or phone calls that you receive. If your client gets in touch it means that they have something to say. This could be anything from a basic checkup to asking if you can help with another project. It is essential that you make yourself available at all times.
If you spend more time servicing clients you will quickly realize that your job is less stressful, and that every project gets completed in a timely, efficient manner.
Don’t leave your clients hanging. Let them know that you are available at all times.
