New to the Newspaper--help please!

I would send a query letter. I would focus on the first article and perhaps mention that you have an idea for a series of them, but my primary focus would be on the first article. I'm sure you will get various answers. Good luck. And welcome to AW.

I would go with a combo query/letter of interest. Pitch the articles, but also leave it open that you'd like to work with them even if they don't go for that particular series. That way, even if they decide to pass, they may be willing to keep you in mind for future assignments. I managed to link up with a regional horse magazine that way.

Actually, newspaper people are pretty busy. I got my first gig with a local weekly paper by calling up and asking if they needed any freelancers. I was put in touch with one of the editors, explained my qualifications and asked if they were hiring. I got the job on the spot.
Maybe I got lucky, but I would suggest you call the paper up first. Ask who to send the query to and if they'd like it by email. Be prepared to present your query to the editor over the phone in case they're in the mood to talk.
Oh, and always ask first if it's a good time to talk so you're not bugging them while their on deadline.
Good luck!

I agree with stldenise. I was a newspaper reporter for a medium metro daily for 11 years. Most editors are way too stressed out to be organized. I would call, as she said, and either engage the editor on the phone or ask to stop by. Be prepared to e-mail the query/articles immediately so they are read before they are forgotten. Follow-ups are important as well.

Like stldenise, I got my first interniship with the paper simply by calling up and offering my services to a bureau that I knew was understaffed. All my college friends said there was no way I would get in at that particular paper coming from a state school with no formal journalism program, especially since the city is home to a prestigious journalism school. But I did. I succeed because I caught a harried editor at just the right moment and I learned to work my butt off and take advantage of those moments to get the assignments that got me the full-time job.
So, pick up the phone and go for it!

Ditto what Stldenise and Happywritermom said. I was city editor at a community paper and a writer/reporter at several others. In my experience, community news editors are very busy and very flaky (I certainly was). We were inundated with press releases and other stuff, so I had a tendency to file everything in the "I'll get around to it" pile, which, of course, I never got around to.

I say call. You can, of course, send an e-mail before or after you call. But, whatever you do, don't interpret nonresponse as a "no." It may or may not mean that.

Bear in mind that some small community papers simply don't work with freelancers other than columnists. Period. But many are happy to, especially if it's community-oriented stuff. Also bear in mind that they prefer working with people whom they know and who they know can deliver what the editor needs when he needs it. Working with new people brings unknowns, which may make it not worth the editor's time. Can the freelancer write? Does she have the journalism credentials to make sure stuff is properly sourced? DOES THE STORY OFFER PHOTO OPPS (they would assign photographer)? Will she be a pain in the butt novice in terms of being edited? Will she annoy me with questions like "What page will this go on?" and "How do I get copies for my mom?" Editors' survival hinges on avoiding time-consuming junk like that (and, of course, avoiding the lawsuits that can come when you rely on an untrained news gatherer).

Another thought: If, back when I was in that job, if someone pitched me a "series," I wouldn't know what to do with it. We didn't run series, per se, so we didn't think in those terms. From me, such a request would have evoked a response of: "Series, huh? That's an idea. How would we do that? Let me just set this e-mail aside for now and think about it later ..." (Never to revisit it again.)

One more thought: Expect very, very little money: between $0 and $25 a piece. (Could be more, I suppose. But in my community news experience, contributors' pay was always nominal.)

I agree with the previous posters but I would also suggest possibly going in depending on how you feel about it. I know it's probably not the conventional way to do things but that's how I got my newspaper jobs (three different companies) but present yourself well, bring clips and be prepared to schmooze

I got a weekly column (back in the long-ago-and-far-away) by taking samples and going to the newspaper office. I left them at the front desk in a manila envelope addressed to the editor. He called the next day and my first column appeared a few days later.

Most smaller papers are staffed with approachable folks. If it's a weekly, I'd call or go there (your three written articles in tow) a day or two after they've gone to press, before things start to get hectic again.

Don't worry about schmoozing. All newspaper people I know appreciate cutting to the chase. Show him/her your stuff and let it speak for itself.

Good luck.

As a veteran newspaper staffer and freelancer, I concur that calling and setting up a time to meet is probably the way to go. And you may need to be a little persistent. Respectful and nice, but persistent. At one of the papers I freelanced for it took nearly two months before they gave me an assignment. Once they did, I had consistent work for the next two years.

Good luck Cade...let us know how it all turns out.