Remember all those cliques in middle school and high school? How you were either popular (or not) and no matter how hard you tried, it seemed like the cool kids were all part of some secret society where only they knew the code? Freelancing feels like that sometimes, too, doesn't it? You labor over a query until it's flawless and still somehow the editor misses its brilliance, dismissing it with a curt "no thanks" (or worse, giving it the cold shoulder). Seems like there are certain publications where a sense of clubbiness or clique-yness prevails. Sometimes this works in your favor, when you catch the editor at the right time and make it in the inner circle of freelancers. Other times, it seems inexplicable that you keep writing these killer queries and not getting a response. Anyone else notice this? I mentioned it to a fellow freelancer yesterday when she asked me why a certain editor I work with regularly hadn't written her back. Now, I don't know for certain what was going through that editor's head, but because I see the same bylines over and over again, and because I happen to know that the publication's pay process is a cumbersome mass of paperwork, I suspect they aren't looking to expand their stable of freelancers, however clever this freelancer's query. I've been on the receiving end of this mentality as well, so I know how frustrating it can be.
Back in high school, you could usually find your place, even if it wasn't at the cool kids' table. Maybe you were a Gleek or a brainiac or one of those art kids who dressed like a Beatnik, but you could usually find like-minded people who accepted you and even enjoyed your company. So, I think the solution is to focus on those editors who do take the time to read your queries and write back. Fortunately, not all publications have that exclusive clique mentality. Have you run into this? How did you handle? Flickr photo courtesy of Samantha Jade Royds