This sample query letter includes several ways to improve it. It’s a pitch I sent to Child magazine two years ago; the editor didn’t assign the article, and here I explain why. These tips can be directly applied to your own query letters, to help you sell your freelance articles…
Before the tips, here’s a quip from two experienced freelance [...]

If you want to be a successful freelance writer, you need to know how to write query letters for magazine articles. The following tips are from a great “Query Letter Clinic” from Writer’s Market 2009; I’ve also included a sample of a strong nonfiction magazine query letter.
Before the tips, a quip:
“Write while the heat is in you. [...]

Are you an aspiring freelance writer? These tips for pitching your article ideas to magazines include a brief sample query letter. 
Before the tips, a quip: 
“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.” [...]

Here’s the query letter that landed me my first article to Reader’s Digest – it’s a sample of a successful query letter that you can use to win your own writing assignments! Even though I broke a couple of “writing rules”, I sold the article and still write for Reader’s Digest regularly.
But first, a quip:
“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent [...]