Are you still waiting to hear back from an editor regarding your email query? It's possible she never received it. Your email may have been filtered out due to spam filters. If you haven't heard from an editor in a reasonable time (what is stated in the submission guidelines or a minimum of three weeks), email her again, querying about the status of your first email. This time, however, make sure the subject line and content of the email don't contain any spam keywords (such as sale, cheap, free, diet, sex).

Depending on the subject of your article or book, you may have no way around using certain keywords in your query. If you still don't receive a reply after sending an email status query, use snail mail to follow up. Don't forget to check the emails your own spam filter has removed. It's possible the problem is on your side, and the editor has indeed replied.

Whatever route your take to get a reply to your query, be persistent and DON'T assume a 'no reply' means a rejection. Those spam filters may be working all too well.