Editors. We writers may complain about them, but the good ones can drastically improve your writing.

Some writers hate editors and would love never having to deal with an editor again…but I heard recently from one reader who’s unhappy without an editor. Linda writes:

I’m a career journalist who went freelance in 2009, not because of the recession per se, but because I felt suffocated in the corporate media. I feel there’s a wall I can’t completely break through, and I think it’s because I miss the dynamic of having an editor when I am working for business clients.

I’m confident about my skills as a writer and communicator. However, I’m not a good editor.

I miss being challenged by a good editor. I miss the encouragement. I miss the teamwork. I miss someone saving my butt when there’s a big mistake.

What would you do to overcome this handicap? I guess the most logical thing is to try to hire a freelance editor for my projects. But I’m barely making enough money to justify my freelance status right now. It seems like a real dilemma.

I’ve got six ideas for how Linda — and all freelance writers — can build editor relationships:

1. Seek out scenarios with editors. I’m going to bet Linda is doing a lot of blogging work, which seems to often consist of writing posts a company slaps straight up on their site without so much as a cursory glance. If you know you’re a writer who really needs an editor, avoid these gigs and find ones where an editor is involved. It may also be a question of moving up from pitching small businesses and looking at medium-to-large ones instead. Check their staff bios — if there’s a marketing coordinator or a marketing department, the gig will likely come with an editor.
2. Get more assignments from the editors you’ve got. If you have some clients where you do work with an editor, try to deepen that relationship — pitch them more ideas, try to land a column. More assignments from editors means you can drop more clients that don’t have an editorial environment.
3. Get referrals from existing editors. Ask current editors to refer you business. They probably know other editors. I’ve got plenty of business clients where I work with an editor, so you can find editor relationships outside the print-magazine world.
4. Do in-person networking where editors roam. I’ve met editors aplenty at MediaBistro events, and I hear great things about JAWS camp as a place to meet magazine editors.
5. Take an editing class. If you know this is an area where you’re weak, aim to ratchet up your own editing skills. A community college or extension course might give you some new tools for improving your own work.
6. Do an editing swap with another writer. Maybe you know another writer in the same boat, and could arrange to read each others’ drafts gratis? Or perhaps a college journalism class could use some raw material to edit? Could be a no-cost way to get some feedback and catch those embarrassing typos before they hit the Internet.

Do you miss editors? Share your feelings about being edited in the comments below.

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Now that I’m looking over many of my mentees’ query letters, I’m finding some of the same mistakes repeated over and over again. So I’ve put together a list of query “don’ts” to help writers avoid basic errors that can be big turnoffs for editors.

• Don’t let your query exceed one page. Even if you’re emailing, don’t run on and on. Remember, most articles commissioned these days are fairly short, so show your editor you know how to be concise.

• Don’t begin with “I want to write an article about…” Of course you do. When you begin by stating the obvious, you tell the editor you are not a very imaginative writer. Begin with the proposed opening paragraph of your article, or with some interesting facts about your topic that draw the editor in and gets them interested in your idea.

• Don’t tell the editor how long your article should be. Often, writers include a sentence such as, “I’d propose writing a 1,200 word feature on this topic.” This is a very bad strategic move. Do you want to not get an assignment because the editor only has freelance budget for 800-word stories? Or be excluded from consideration for a 3,000-word feature? Let the editor decide how much space your idea should have in their publication.

• Don’t say, “I’m sure your readers would be interested in this.” Remember, you are writing to the person who knows the most in the world about what their readers like. Don’t ever presume to know more. Instead, say something that connects the publication’s audience to the idea and shows off your research: “With all the recent coverage of health insurance, I believe this update would be of interest to your small-business audience.”

• Don’t make your bio too long. A couple of sentences at the end is great. You’ll mostly prove you’re right for the assignment with the strength of your query, not your resume. This isn’t a college paper, so don’t put a long bibliography citing past articles. Instead, provide a few links to current clips online. If you don’t have anything online, make PDFs of a few articles so you can put them on your Web site and link to them there.

• Don’t throw in sources without explanation. If you mention sources you’ll use, be sure to connect them to the story – explain their expertise or how they’ll be used. Are they an example business, for instance, or perhaps an industry expert? Say, “I would interview the director of the Boys & Girls Club in Monterey about their years of experience helping the disabled,” not “Interviews would include the director of the Boys & Girls Club in Monterey.”

• Don’t fail to proofread. A single typo spells a quick trip to the trash can for query letters.

• Don’t forget to polish. This little query letter is your writing showcase! If you write a really standout query that shows you know the publication and its audience well,  you may get an assignment even if the editor doesn’t like this particular story idea. So buff it to a high shine. It should be so well-done you almost want to frame it instead of mailing or emailing it off.

Are there other query “don’ts” you see a lot out there, editors? Leave a comment and let us know.

Photo via Flickr user Horia Varlan