How To Get Started Writing For Magazines
Posted on | January 6, 2009 | No Comments
Somehow, freelance writers hold that writing for magazines is a special and glamorous endeavor. After all, if you get a piece published in Sunset Magazine or Vogue, a copy of the issue on your coffee table makes a nice conversation piece!
However, it’s easy enough to do if you follow the rules and have a great deal of patience. Depending on the magazine, you can earn a substantial amount on a single feature piece. However, you have to have another full time income to rely on while you wait, in many cases several months, before you get a single check. That said, once you get established in the field, it can be a great way to make a living. Here we present a mini-guide on how to get started writing for magazines.
You’ll want to first invest in a current year’s copy of the Writer’s Market. This annual publication gives you access to every commercial publication that buys from freelancers, along with rates paid and the names of current editors. Editors change jobs frequently, so be sure to double check in the most current issue to be sure you’re submitting to the right person. Listings are comprehensive, so if you can manage the cost of the Writer’s Market which includes a CD, you’ll save time in your searches.
While you’re building an idea bank of topics and publications, get up to speed on writing query letters. Some successful magazine writers believe that the query letter is as important as the piece you submit. The way in which you pitch the idea to the editor must capture her attention and excite her. If your query letter doesn’t accomplish this, why should she take the trouble to look at your work? There are plenty of tutorials online which will teach you this essential, specialized skill. Learn it well.
Most magazines contain a majority of pieces written by freelancers. The big name national magazines have larger staffs of in-house writers than smaller, regional and local magazines, but all magazines accept and publish pieces from freelancers regularly. When you’re trying to break in to this publishing niche, it’s best to begin by submitting to local and regional magazines, as they are more likely to need a greater number of pieces.
When you start out writing for magazines, starting small is a good rule of thumb. For example, if you have expertise in the travel industry, peruse the local Sunday paper’s travel section, along with archives, to see what types of feature articles they publish. Airline magazines are other good bets for beginning a career writing for magazines.
It’s important to do your homework here. When you know the style and tone of what they publish, this clues you in to what that magazine’s editors are looking for and thus, write to that audience. If your target magazine caters to a certain demographic, such as seniors or adventure travelers, make sure the topic you pick is suited to that audience.
Magazines establish their content for each issue anywhere from six to nine months in advance of publication. Nine months is most typical. So, if you’re sending your query in March, your topic should be geared to the December issue’s content.
Once you submit your query, it may easily be three months before you hear a word. So be prepared to wait. Should you receive a rejection letter, don’t be discouraged. Send your query to a competing magazine and move on. If accepted, be prepared to wait until publication for your payment.
Writing for magazines doesn’t require supernatural writing skills, but it does require patience. Simply follow the rules, be persistent and patient and soon you can tell your Mom and friends, ?Hey, I’m writing for magazines now!? They make great reading material on the coffee table!
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