Crazy Query
I found on my hard drive a folder called “Queries in Progress.” Thinking there might be a few salvageable ideas in there, I read through all the forgotten queries. At the end of one from 2002, lacking a real conclusion, I had written:
I have near-godlike powers, and should be given this assignment without hesitation.
I am so tempted to use this in an actual query. I already have “My editors think I’m swell” on my business cards and “Making editors smile since 1997″ in my sig line, and editors have complimented me on these blurbs.
If I wrote a demented query with crayon on cocktail napkins, I can see such a conclusion coming off as wackadoo. But if I back a compelling query up with solid clips, would this ending result in a chuckle — and an assignment?
I’m still figuring out whether to take the risk…I’ll let you know if I do it, and what the result is! [lf]
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Jan 13, 2008 Query letters
I’m one of those crazy characters that pulls this kind of stuff all the time. It doesn’t always work out. Bosses will sometimes think that you’re not a serious enough person for the job, or they feel you don’t have a real pride in your work. Of course, they’re wrong. The one thing I can vouch for in certainty, is that when someone DOES eventually call, it’s a work relationship that starts solid and lasts.
I do a similar thing sometimes….I write a followup to the query with a
nutty subject line, such as “Ouch, hitting that spam filter hurt,” or “How could
you possibly have resisted?” I say–let’s find the editors with a sense of humor!
I would do it in a second. Then I might panic and try to wrench my email back out of cyberspace. But, in the end, I think it’s always best to work with an editor who’s compatible. Besides, god-like powers are nothing to sneeze at.
If it fits the tone of the pub, why not? It made *me* (non-editor) laugh out loud, but then, I often remind my dog that *I* have god-like powers, in order to maintain the correct balance of power.
You probably don’t want querying advice from me…
I talk to my dog.
Oh that is funny! How cool to see how much we grow, eh?