As a freelancer, seeing your name in major print publications and on top eZines is a major thrill. And many freelance writers want to know how to get their work in the spotlight.
My list of publications is fairly long and is available on the About Me page of this blog, so I won’t take up your time with crowing about it here. As a freelance journalist, newspaperman/author for 30+ years seeing my name in print is nothing new – but is still a thrill (I’m easily entertained). But when a friend or colleague runs across my name in a magazine they often react with awe.
“How do you do that?” some ask, as if there were some magic incantation that lets me create bylines with the wave of my hand.
You don’t need magic, all you need are a few great ideas, a decent command of the English language and enough determination to keep working when the rejection letters roll in. There *will* be rejections, you can be sure of that! Here’s how I do it.
Finding Potential Publishers
The best place to start is with the magazines and eZines that you read, or at least with publications that cover topics you are passionate about and participate in. What are your hobbies? What organizations do you belong to? What topics do you follow closely in your reading? These are things about which you have an abiding interest, some knowledge, and can write convincingly about.
Perhaps a great idea wrenches you from slumber in the middle of the night or forms while you shower; it’s pretty far out in left field of the ball park of your interests, but it’s a great topic. That’s good too. Write down the bones, research the facts and look for a publisher that handles that topic.
You will need The Writer’s Market to help you find potential publishers. A trip to a well-stocked news stand can provide some leads, but TWM will list many more; some you are not likely to find at newsstands. Searching on-line will turn up some magazine web sites but, again, TWM will give you more information without having to hunt it down. The Writers Market is available on-line or as a printed book:
Sites such as Write-Jobs also carry Writer’s Market style listings. This one is free to view, many more are paid membership. I like Write-Jobs because they often spotlight unique publications that may give you ideas for fresh new content. They are a good source of inspiration even if you do buy TWM.
Get to Know Your Publication
Once you’ve found a few magazines or eZines that deal with the topic you want to write about, locate and secure a copy of each magazine’s Writer’s Guidelines. All eZines and most magazines will make these available through their web site and may be listed as “Editorial Guidelines”, “Contributor Guidelines” or “Contributor Information”. TWM will offer some insight into most publications guidelines as well. Specialty magazines that do not have a web site will send you a copy by e-mail or postal mail upon request.
These guidelines tell you if they accept articles from freelance writers, what they are looking for, how it must be written, how it must be submitted, and what – if any – compensation can be expected if they accept your article. These guidelines may eliminate the publication from your consideration. If not, secure at least one copy of each for study. Two is better. To conserve cash you may list your targets in descending order of suspected relevance and start at the top.
There is no faster way to ruin your credibility with a magazine than to pitch its editors a topic or style that is unrelated to their publication. Prevent this by checking the publication to see:
- What topics are covered
- Who writes the articles
- What style their articles are written in
- How long the articles are
By studying the magazine or eZine you should be able to tell what type of articles they favor; do they like list articles (Top 10 reasons to/why…) or How-To articles, or deep, investigative articles? Do they mostly keep to brief, concise articles, longer, deeper pieces, or a mix? Do they like humor or are they “Just the facts, ma’am”?
Once you know what this magazine makes use of, target your article to fit their style. Do an outline and source list, but don’t write it yet.
Topics covered in detail in Chapter 5 of my book include:
- Craft Your Query
- Make Your Pitch
- Follow Up
- Review the Contract
- Write the Article
- Promote Your Work
- Keep Working
Do you have magazine/eZine tales to tell? Successes to celebrate or horrors to share? Publishers to recommend? Feel free to share them below and thanks for reading!
