A quick update on my results...
In her book Nancy suggests you send queries to write proposals to actual people instead of just "Dear Editor." This entails a bit of research. Here is what I did. I did an online search for the publishing house that I wanted to pitch. I looked for stories about them. I found a story from Publisher's Weekly about the executive director that discussed some of her current acquisitions. Then I did a Linkedin search to find some pertinent facts about her. I even called the office and got her email.
Now it was time to send in the query. All this research gave me the means to write a more targeted request which I did. Within the hour, my email was sent to a senior editor who covers the series I was targeting. She in turn sent me an email stating that the series will be on hold until they get the results from this year's releases. She did ask for more information about my interests in writing for this series.
I did a little more research on the editor to personalize my email response before sending. I also reviewed their catalog for other options. I emailed her back with a pitch for another book.
By specifically targeting, I got a response without sending in a manuscript. I also got two return phone calls from magazine editors in response to more details on their upcoming themes and guidelines. Now we will have to see if my writing can stand up to their scrutiny.
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