Breaking Into The Magazine Market

As a freelance writer, have you ever written an article for a magazine? If not, you are missing out on a particularly rewarding segment of the freelance writing market. Not only is there a decent amount of money to be made, but there is a thrill to seeing your name in print, and being published in magazines lends a great deal of credibility to your name as a writer.

A lot of folks are intimidated by writing for magazines. More often than not, this is because they think that Time or Wired would never accept an article from them. Well, maybe Time isn’t going to roll over with your first query. That’s okay. Set your sites a little lower and work your way up.

Here’s how to make it happen:

• Choose your market – Consider where your interests lay. If you’re clueless about all things techie, don’t beat your head against the Wired wall. Why make your life that tough? If you have expertise in a particular area, chart that course.
• Research the magazines that fit your interest and expertise. When I found out that my neighbor was building the first vodka distillery in Alaska, the idea came to me that this would make a great story. I didn’t query Gourmet, I queried Alaska Magazine. They accepted and the article was published six months later. Make a list of magazines that you would love to write for. Go out and buy the current issues of each of them and absorb as much as you can about editorial slant, typical topics and overall style.
• Go online – This is a crucial step. Most of these magazines will have submission guidelines on their site. Read, know, understand and print these. If you skip this step you are asking for trouble and you may make a mistake that will bar you from ever writing for that magazine. Often, they will tell you exactly the kind of articles they are looking for. If at all possible, try to tailor your article idea into one that fits what they are looking for.
• Send the query – If you did your homework and read the submission guidelines, you’ll know exactly how to send the query. Some places want email queries only. Some still prefer snail mail. Some don’t want attachments, some are okay with it. Your query needs to be one page and the very first sentence needs to have a significant hook. Include the anticipated word count, whether or not you have images and any ideas you might have for sidebars. Include a paragraph or a few sentences that make it obvious that you have read the guidelines. For the Alaska Magazine article, the submission guidelines said that they are seeking articles about “Ordinary Alaskans doing extraordinary things.” Plenty good. I included a sentence in the query that said something along the lines of Toby being an ordinary guy, just my Alaskan neighbor doing an extraordinary thing.
• Follow up – It’s okay to follow up with the editor, just don’t be a pest. Under no circumstances should you contact the editor prior to the timeframe the submission guidelines give. I’ve found that these days, I hear back pretty quick, especially for email queries. Patience, my friend. Patience.

These are the initial steps to breaking into the magazine market. There is a bit of work involved but it’s all worth it. It only takes a few successes to set you on your way to a lot of writing opportunity.