Pam writes:

"To help spread the word about Blackwater Canyon to new audiences, I have queried several magazines. The first and miraculously successful undertaking is "Backpacker." Targeting their "Signpost" department was a sure win for recounting the plight of the Canyon. The 500- word brief on threats to West Virginia’s premier tourist attraction appears in the October issue.

"Backpacker" circulates to 250,000 outdoor enthusiasts!

I have learned a lot about the business of writing in this process. You can’t just have a great story, like that of the Canyon, and send it to every magazine on the newsstand. Where do you begin? I started with a copy of the Writer’s Market, which lists magazines that accept freelance submissions. It provides contacts and a general overview of each magazine.

But what ever you do, don’t call the editor, or you might be put on a rejection list forever! You have to make a written request for Writer’s Guidelines and enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for their safe delivery to your mailbox.

After you receive the guidelines (not always in a timely manner), you find out what you actually have to do to submit the article. The first thing is research, the second is research, and the third is research...the tone, the length, the style. I read enough back issues of Backpacker that I could probably quote them by now. Then you need publication credentials (does Highlands Voice count? -- of course!), tear sheets, and a query letter! It just seems so complicated to get a story out to the public! And what is a query letter anyway? It is the sales pitch - the overview of the article that will ultimately make or break any chance for the article to get published.