Make It Easy for Editors & Agents to Respond: Be Specific

Today I have a guest post over at Writer Unboxed:

The Golden Rule of Professionals: Be Specific and Ask Good Questions

What I love about this post is that it's as helpful to established professionals as it is beginners:

Beginners are often anxious or tentative in their queries, requests or questions. They might be afraid of getting an outright "no" (or bad news); other times, they think the more they explain, the more they will be understood and empathized with. Unfortunately, both behaviors can seriously undermine.
Established professionals often take a lot for granted—or can get lazy—when contacting editors or publications. They think their reputation speaks for them, or they expect editors/agents can spend a lot of time shooting the breeze and helping them find work. This is just as undermining.

Go read "The Golden Rule of Professionals: Be Specific and Ask Good Questions."

Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).