Query Letter and Rhetorical Analysis

Your final writing assignment for this class will be a short query letter accompanied by a 750 word rhetorical analysis of a magazine for which you would like to write. Query letters provide a useful opportunity to pitch an idea to a magazine editor before you actually compose your magazine piece. A query letter should be brief, attention-getting, and demonstrate awareness of your writing situation. Your goal in this short assignment is to pitch a new idea that you have yet to write about in this class.

In order to position yourself effectively in this letter, you will first examine the rhetorical situation of the magazine for your query letter. What is your ethos or credibility as an author? What kind of pathos or emotion might the audience respond to? What design choices does this magazine make, and what might this reveal about your own approach in your query letter pitch? What kinds of topics does this magazine normally engage? You should cite from several issues/articles from this magazine to prove your claims in your rhetorical analysis.

Then, you will compose a brief query letter for this magazine. According to the Long Ridge Writers Group, query letters should answer several questions for an editor: Why should I buy this piece? Why do my readers want to read this? Why are you the best writer for this? How will this sell my magazine? How do I know you can write this? However, you'll want to address these questions in subtle and engaging ways. We'll discuss how to strike this balance between informative yet engaging in our future classes.

Requirements:
1. A 750 word rhetorical analysis of a magazine
2. A query letter that pitches a new article idea to that magazine

Due: Monday, November 24th