1. Giving more than you promise
When an editor asks for two samples, give her three. If she trusts you with an assignment, dont wait for the final deadline, but send it in a day in advance. If shes asked you to provide notes, make sure you give her everything she needs so that she doesnt have to ask for anything more. If you make an editors job easier, shell love you for it. And shell be willing to trust you again with more assignments.

2. Constantly coming up with fresh slants
There may not be too many new topics (unless youre writing about technology; then you just cant complain), but there can always be new slants. An editor likes writers who can reduce her brainwork, and make her look good in front of her superiors by coming up consistently with great ideas.

3. Having all the answers
Its important to know about your subject. Thats why so many well-paid writers advise you to specialize. So, if an editor calls you to discuss your query, and poses follow-up questions, you better have the answers. Because an editors never going to trust you with an assignment unless shes sure you know what youre doing. And not having answers to her questions is a sure-shot sign that you dont.

4. Coming up with clever titles, and great sidebars
The most important thing Ive learnt so far is to visualize your article. See how it appears on the page. Granted, its usually not going to come out like youd imagined it, but for a minute forget that youre a writer, and think like a designer. See the beautiful fonts and the shaded box on the side? Thats how the editor sees your article. Now its your job to bring that visual to life with your words.

5. Understanding the core audience of the magazine
If youre writing for a magazine for home PC users, your editors not going to appreciate ideas on network security, however wonderful they may be. Similarly, when writing for a small business owner, youd want to treat that person as a little smarter, even if he might have the same knowledge base as that of a home user. His computing decisions are more important. Thats why you should always be familiar with the readers knowledge level. Thatll help you make the distinction between good ideas, and great ones.

6. Making boring subjects come alive
Editors love writers with a dash of style, attitude and chutzpah. If you can give even a serious subject a touch of humor, youll soon be a hot favorite. This is especially true with technical, business and trade magazines. Their subject matter tends to be boring. Its your job to not only inform the reader, but also to entertain him.

7. Having the whole package
If you can write great prose, but not meet deadlines, youre replaceable. If you can get great interviews and dig up little-known statistics, but make the fact-checkers life hell, you might not be seen as a great catch. If you come up with the best ideas, but cant provide equally interesting sidebars, theres probably someone who can. But if you give the editor all those things and more, she has no reason to look beyond you.

8. Knowing the magazine
I wouldnt go as far as to say that will never sell something to a magazine you havent read (I have), but I will say that youre not going to get rich doing it. If you dont want to go broke buying all the prospective magazines, get yourself a reliable Internet connection and visit the magazines Website. No editor will stand a query that looks like its been sent to a million others.

Editors often like to work with a select group of freelance writers, whove earned the editors trust over time. By following the tips above, youll soon ensure an impressed editor and many lucrative assignments as well.

Mridu Khullar
www.WritersCrossing.com