I've found that if email or snail mail isn't working, the phone might. If they can even a voice to the message, the response is better. People want to connect with other people, not just a message. Giving them a little "Hi, did you get my note from last week? Is there anything I can help with?" does work, but if you have the courage, try the phone.

Paula bad manners are getting worse, and it's part of the content mill culture and the "we'll only respond if we want to use it." No, you give me an answer, or you're not a pro.

Anyway, my initial cold mailings usually get a 1-3% return (about average for direct mail/cold queries). My follow-ups get a 25%, especially when I stick to a regular follow-up schedule every 3-4 months. Good luck.

Hmmm….Follow-Up Friday has a nice ring to it. A new tradition, perhaps?

I'm a little more concerned that you've done a ton of work for an article you've not sold yet. We gotta break you of that habit. Can we get a pinkie swear on that? Start with just preliminary work – a little research, maybe a quick conversation with an expert, then formulate a query that fits the publication you're targeting. Don't go to the trouble of interviewing everyone and getting a story written before selling because here's what happens – the editor says "Great! But we'd rather it be on this angle and that you talk to these people instead." You've just doubled your work.

Paula, I think you're experiencing a case of bad manners on the side of the recipient. I know they're overworked, but dammit, one sentence saying "Thanks but no thanks" takes no time at all. In fact, I've had to cajole even that out of some of them. (I use "Article idea" for my subject.)

The downside? Spam filters.

How else can I explain the fact that I've had barely any response from the LOIs I've sent to new markets? I've been careful about the wording in the subject line (words like "opportunity" can send things straight to the spam folder)

Yes, I will be sending follow-ups soon, hoping they too don't land in spam. If I don't hear back from those attempts, I'll resort to re-mailing some LOIs via snail mail to see if that works.

I wish I could say my summer was proving profitable, but it's been one of the slowest summers I've had in about ten years. The only assignments I've picked up so far were after sending quick notes and story ideas to editors I already work with.

Could desperation be seeping into my queries and LOIs? Or perhaps a bit of frustration?

I guess what needs to be at the top of my to-do list is figure out what type of freelance writer I want to be. Commercial writing or magazine writing? Does anyone do both? I think I want the mix and variety of working on different types of projects.

Cathy, great idea! It reminds me to get cracking again on finalizing my course. It's almost done and I could get it done in a heartbeat if the back were to the wall…. 😉

Kim, I knew you'd agree. 🙂 I put work into the marketing early and like you, it's paying off. What would be neat is to see how you market – I bet I could learn something new!