[tab name=’Guidelines’]

Guidelines : Publishing Professional Journal Article

Query for Publishing Professional Journal Article

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

• Begin with a startling statement, statistic, quote, or anecdote as a lead-in to hook your reader’s interest in your article or book topic.
• Give the proposed title of your article or book idea.
• Overview the central idea of your article or book, your unique approach, and the intended audience.
• Mention your qualifications for writing on the subject.
• I have had 20 years’ experience in designing….
• As a senior executive of Exxon and with six years’ previous experience at General Motors, I feel I’ve seen….
• For the past six years, I’ve been a consultant on these issues to numerous Fortune 500 companies, including IBM, Procter & Gamble, and General Electric.
• I have both an undergraduate and a graduate degree in psychiatric nursing from the University of Michigan.
• Our company was the first to use this manufacturing system with such phenomenal success. Our productivity increased by 52 percent over a six-month period.
• Estimate the length of your manuscript and the approximate completion date.
• I estimate the manuscript to be about 2,000 to 2,500 words. Is that acceptable for your journal?
• The manuscript can be easily divided into a three-part series of about 1,500 words each. Would that be satisfactory?
• The article of 4,000 words is accompanied by two full-page graphs.
• As I have outlined it, the book will be roughly 70,000 to 80,000 words. I can complete the manuscript about nine months from the time we sign a contract.
• Ask for permission to send more material.
• Would you be interested in seeing the complete article?
• May I send a more detailed outline of the article?
• I’d like to send the complete manuscript if you’re interested.
• Do you think your journal readers would be interested in such a success story?
• I’d like to give you the complete picture on this important research. May I forward the information to you?
• Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for any material you want returned or simply for a faster reply to your letter.
• Please simply answer in the margin and use the enclosed envelope to let me know of your interest. This is a timely subject I’d like to get before your readers immediately.
• I’ve enclosed a self-addressed envelope for you to return the manuscript in case you are unable to use the article in an upcoming issue.
• A stamped envelope is enclosed.

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[tab name=’Example 1′]

Example 1: Letters to publishers

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Skinner:

In a recent survey conducted by Professional Secretaries International, 68 percent of the 2,000 secretarial respondents reported difficulty in working with their bosses as the number-one cause of job dissatisfaction. Here’s how the secretaries most frequently defined those difficulties with regard to their bosses: constantly changing priorities, inadequate instructions, unwillingness to delegate, and lack of time-management skills.

I’d like to submit a 2,000-word article entitled “What Your Secretary Would Like to Tell You,” detailing these secretary-boss difficulties. My basic approach will be how-tos for the boss:

• Suggestions for communicating priorities to subordinates through daily two-minute, stand-up meetings
• Four steps to giving adequate instructions and verifying that the instructions are understood
• Two reasons bosses don’t delegate and how to overcome those hang-ups
• Twenty time-wasters where the secretary is directly affected and tips for improvement

This article will be based on information from boss-secretary interviews done as a follow-up to a recent survey at our company, where I am training manager for the pipeline division. I have developed and taught supervisory-skills courses for the past 10 years at Hewitt International and QRT Associates. My other publishing credits include articles in Training and Development Journal and a management-skills column in our company newsletter.

Would you be interested in seeing the article? I could complete it in about three weeks from your go-ahead. A self-addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed for your convenience in replying.

Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 2′]

Example 2: Query letter to magazine publisher

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. Kliene,

Did you realize that in a recent government sponsored study, 75 percent of the businesses surveyed cited lack of funds as their main reason for having facilities that were not yet accessible to individuals with handicaps? What these companies do not realize is that there is an astounding amount of money, much of it in the form of obligation free grants, for just such projects.

I would like to submit a 2,500-3,000 word article tentatively titled, “Accessibility Without the Bill,” detailing how companies can convert their workplaces for handicap accessibility at little or no costs to themselves. My article would cover two areas: where to find such funding and how to apply for it. The following programs would be included:

• Government Incentive Programs and Block Grants.

• Business Association Grants and low interest loans.

• Non-profit groups who will provide office equipment, such as TDDs, special monitors for the visually impaired, and special desks for wheelchairs for free or at greatly reduced prices.

• Private Foundation Grants

Each resource covered will include a listing of organization names, contact people, and addresses and phone numbers for businesses who need to convert their facilities. As a professional grant writer who has specialized for the last ten years in developing grants for businesses who wish to become handicap accessible, I feel I can provide readers with enough information to get them started on this important task.

If you are interested in seeing a copy of the article, I would be glad to mail it to you at your convenience. I have enclosed a self addressed stamp envelope should you wish to reply.

Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 3′]

Example 3: Letter to journal publisher

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Mrs. Auchey,

We’ve all been there. Staff meetings that seem to go nowhere. You know, the kind you walk out of thinking, “I could have been doing something productive with my time instead of sitting in there.”

As part of a university research group, I have conducted surveys and interviews with employees of over forty companies here in Des Moines, and have come up with several common reasons why employees find staff meetings do not go well, namely: lack of a clear agenda, inadequate preparation on the part of speaker(s), poor speaking abilities of the person conducting the meeting, and lack of necessary handouts or directives.

I would like to submit a 2,000 word article entitled, “Successful Staff Meetings,” detailing strategies for successful staff meetings. My approach would be to focus on these tips for the planner of the meeting:

1. Creating a cohesive agenda
2. Prepping speakers
3. Confidently addressing a group
4. What to hand out when

This article would be based on information gathered during research, as well as techniques I learned while pursuing a double major in speech and management at Drake University. While at Drake, I published several articles in Management Quarterly and Speakers Review which dealt with effective meeting procedures.

If you are interested, I would be happy to submit a completed draft about two weeks after I receive your request. I have enclosed a SASE for your convenience.

Yours truly,
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[tab name=’Example 4′]

Example 4: Query letter to publisher

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. Rameriz:

At some point in their lives, almost 30 percent of all people who enjoy back packing and hiking will find themselves lost or injured in the wilderness. While serious wilderness buffs know what to do in these situations, most weekend hikers do not. My article, “Survival Skills,” gives hikers not only practical first aid, food, fire building and shelter information, but also highlights conventional search and rescue techniques.

Much of my 4,000 word article is devoted to the description of various SAR techniques and equipment for different landscapes, such as mountains, desert and forests. Knowing how SAR units operate in these situations can help the frightened hiker, etc. realize that help is on the way, and in many instances, allow them to put themselves in locations where rescuers are more likely to be searching. For example, if a hiker knows that the SAR unit will first attempt to do a corridor search because if the small area and level terrain, they will know that the best thing to do is not to try to “walk out” but rather to remain in one place and let the searchers come to them. I also cover how to signal search planes, and leaving a trail discernible to either the eyes of searchers or the noses of SAR dogs.

As a veteran of fifteen years with the Rockies Search and Rescue Unit, I feel strongly that people should be aware of what they can do to minimize their risk of serious bodily harm or death in the event of an accident in the wilderness. Too many people have not survived situations that could have been easily handled had they the proper knowledge.

If you would be interested in running such an article, please contact me. I have enclosed a self addressed, stamped envelope. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours truly,
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[tab name=’Example 5′]

Example 5: Cover letter to auditor

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Ms. Casey,

We hear a lot about how to effectively handle customer complaints, but how often does anyone talk about how to complain effectively? As amusing as that statement sounds, there are many people out there who are not good at lodging a an effective complaint.

My 2,500 word article, “Complaining Nicely,” points out various methods designed to make complaining about services, merchandise, or employees more successful and less stressful for everybody involved.

The article is separated into several scenarios in which a complaining customer must best decide how to lodge their complaint.

• In a restaurant, concerning food or service

• In a store, concerning merchandise or service

• On the phone, discussing inaccurate billing or poor service

For each of these scenarios, I give examples of the right way and the wrong way to approach these situations, and explain why some approaches work better than others.

I have been a clinical psychologist for the past twenty years, with my specialty being human interaction. For several years I lectured and presented workshops designed to improve employer/employee relations, and from there I moved into customer service issues. I now do customer service consultations for several business in the metro area, and have published various articles concerning customer service issues in Service, Inc., Serving With Style, and Business Weekly.

Would such an article interest your publication? I have enclosed and SASE for your response. If you are willing to review it, I could have the article to you in three weeks from the time I receive your response.

Cordially,
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