How to Get the Right Magazine Editor's Attention

Yes, writing a good query letter is essential, and I think I'm doing this fairly well, based on the fact that I've gotten responses. And I thought I was doing all I could. But I just upped my game.

I hate using the phone. I'd much rather rely on printed information in writers' market books. But I've read many times how success is better met as a freelance writer if I have a name of an editor to direct an unsolicited manuscript to, rather than just addressing envelopes and query letters with "Dear Editor."

I just found this great free resource: http://www.marketlist.com/. I never gave the Market List much mind because its tagline said it was for genre writers--but I found out accidentally that it also has listings for everyday magazines too! I looked up my parenting magazines, American Baby and Parents, and was given accurate phone numbers for editorial offices. (I've found magazine websites don't like to provide numbers unless for subscription purposes, and the printed Writer's Market info was outdated...)

So today I made 2 calls, and so far, they've paid off in at least saving time. In both cases, the person answering the phone asked what my manuscript was about, then recommended an editor's name. In one case, I was asked if I preferred email or regular mail. And this was for a magazine that doesn't publish email addresses and asks writers to send everything via snail mail. I asked how the editor preferred to receive submissions, and the woman told me email was good. So that saved me time and postage, plus it went directly to an editor who has a say on what gets published in the section I was hoping to break into.

I cannot know yet how much of a difference it'll make. In some weeks or months, I may be able to report what difference if any it makes, because I can compare it to a year ago, when I sent manuscripts to the big magazines without calling first.... I got nowhere. So this new tactic certainly can't lessen my odds of publication!

Update #1: the very next day, I got an email from a health editor at Parents magazine, asking me for more information. That's the first time I've gotten any response from the big national magazines.

Update #2: March 28. I had just been fearing I'd probably heard the last about the story, though the editor had inquired about it. But tonight, I just received another email from the editor, promising that she hadn't yet carefully read my response, but she was going to. So far, I'm saying I'm not sending another unsolicited manuscript until I call the magazine and get advisement on which editor to send it to!