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This may be the easiest market to enter as a newbie freelancer!
Have you considered writing for magazines?
It is recommended you purchase the current copy of Writer’s Market to begin your search for a consumer area in which you feel you have some expertise or some new slant on information that will perk up an editor. The most important thing to notice is the huge list of categories in the consumer magazine field. There is, very likely, several categories in which you may have interest.
Before writing, however, you should contact the magazine’s editor, requesting a copy of their submission guidelines, so you will know what they like. If you are convinced you have an idea and a slant that falls within the guidelines, you can either pick up the telephone to call the editor to discuss your proposal or submit a ‘query’ letter. Either way you will find out whether this idea will fly or not.
Magazines are the most open market to break into for new writers. All one has to do is look above at the list of categories to see there are probably many categories of magazines in which a hopeful writer can approach editors with short, well-focused articles on the subjects the magazine specializes in covering. Magazine editors are a peculiar lot all among themselves in as much as they welcome new viewpoints, especially in the trade and professional categories, and look forward to receiving proposals on ideas they have not been able to exploit for one reason or the other.
For sure, magazine editors appreciate a new approach to an old idea. In many of the categories above, it is not necessary the writer be an expert in the field, although it will surely be necessary to demonstrate the ability to do original research and to work up a solid list of reference materials used in the writing. Of course, interviewing an expert or two is also advisable.
Writing for magazines also fits in well with the advice given to new writers often by experienced and successful writers: “Start small and local. Build up from there.” What this means is to write about people and places that are known to you and where you have ease of access. In other words, it is to your advantage to make it easy on yourself. The idea in the beginning is to get published and build up credits. Certainly you can do this better and faster at home, at the place where you work now, or at the office of a relative or friend who wants to help you.
An acquantance of this writer recently submitted his first article to an equine magazine and it was accepted! The reason? His family owned and bred horses. He was able to provide photos with his story and a unique slant that the editor wanted. The next time he approaches an editor about an article he will be a published author. It makes a difference. |
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