How Do You Contact A Magazine Editor?
Have a great idea for a magazine article, or just want to shoot off a letter regarding a recent issue? Contacting magazine editors (and actually getting a response) requires courtesy and attention to detail. Here are ways to avoid the slush pile: Study the magazine you wish to write to. Study the tone of the magazine, as well as its advertisers. Understanding the market will better inform your letter, and show the mark of an “insider”. Never call an editor you don’t know. Magazine editors in particular are an over-stressed, impatient bunch. Few if any have the time to field cold calls. Instead, stick to the form they know and appreciate best: the written word. Avoid general mailing and e-mail addresses at all costs! Letters and queries sent to these locations rarely get answered. Instead, pick up a recent issue and study its masthead, i.e. the table near the front of the magazine listing all editorial and business staff. Choose the editor who most closely deals with the subject of your
