My First Query Letter - Help!

[thekingsguard]

I am going to submit a query letter to Renaissance Magazine (http://www.renaissancemagazine.com/) for a few article ideas I had. One problem - I've never done a query letter before!

Thier guidelines are here (http://www.renaissancemagazine.com/subguide.html), and I was hoping someone here might be able to tell me how to go about writing the query letter.

[gettingby]

Start it like you would start a story. Include a nut graph. Include a quote from someone you talked to for the story. In my experience pitching a story with a quote in it has made a difference. It shows the editor you are on top of the story and makes it a little more of an interesting read. Close by saying why the article you are pitching is important to readers. Keep everything short and tight. Aim for a half of a page. Don't go over a page. If you have not written for the publication before, I would start by pitching your strongest idea and hold onto the other ones for now. This is the formula that has worked for me. Hope this helps.