Q & A: Submit on Spec or Query?

Yesterday I got an email from a fellow who asked “Should I submit a completed article to a trade magazine in hopes they accept it, or should I submit a query first?”

(Somehow I deleted the email without responding – I hope he reads this.)

The answer, like so many things in the freelance writing business, is “it depends.” Trade magazines tend to be more open to new writers than consumer magazines, but that doesn’t answer the question. I think I’d decide based on how much time it would take me to put the article together.

If it was something I could do without any, or at least much, research, interviews or other time consuming work, I might submit it whole, on spec. On the other hand, I don’t want to invest a whole lot of time without some likelihood I’ll get paid. So if it involved more than top-of-the-head writing, I’d query.

If you’d like an answer to your question, you can post it in comments or email me… if you email, put Q and A in the subject line.

Write well and often,

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