The WMF Archives: Tips for Submitting to Magazines

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tips for Submitting to Magazines

10:52 AM

By Alyssa Ast

Inspired by a recent email, I thought it was important we cover tips for submitting to magazines- given that the majority of our Writing Opportunities include them. Submitting to magazines, whether online or print, is radically different than submitting to content sites or other forms of online writing. The following are a few tips to help you submit to magazines if you are new to the game.

Choose your Target!

In order to increase your potential of being published when you decide to submit to a magazine, it is important you choose the right magazine for you. When choosing a magazine, make sure it covers topics you have an interest in or have experience in. You should choose magazines that have topics you have written about before or have first hand knowledge about.

Also, when choosing a magazine, take your style of writing and tone into account. Make sure the magazine will fit your style of writing and your tone--or your article may end up sounding too amateurish for the magazine.

If you are new to submitting to magazines, your best bet is to submit to smaller magazines, or trade magazines. Larger consumer magazines are much more exclusive and it can be difficult to break in. Once you have built up your experience and have a few credentials, then consider submitting to larger publications.

Know the Publication Inside and Out!

After you have selected a magazine to which to submit, you must know that magazine like the back of your hand. Do not submit to a publication you have never read before. Make sure you read a copy of the magazine at least once to gain a feel for what the editors are looking for and what the audience wants to read. If you do not read the magazine before submitting, you'll be shooting in the dark when writing your article.

Be sure you understand the writers guidelines. Make sure you read the guidelines fully and completely understand them. Read over the guidelines more than once to ensure you did not skip over a vital piece of information.

Time to Brag!

When submitting to magazines, editors want to know they are choosing experienced freelance writers. This means it is time to flaunt those credentials! Provide samples of your work or links to your other published work to editors to give them an idea of what type of writer you are and the quality of your work. Make sure your samples are top quality and not full of typos and grammar mistakes.

If you are new to the freelance writing game and your samples are limited, list your education or projects you have been involved with. You can get creative with your credentials. Include anything you have done that involves writing.

Taking the Plunge!

Submitting the article can be confusing for people that are new to the game. Do you send out a query or do you send out the full article? It really depends on what the publication is looking for. This is where the writer's guidelines come in. Somewhere in that long tangled mess of words, they'll state what the editors are looking for.

Proper Communication!

Proper communication with the editors is very important. Always keep the tone professional! Editors are busy people so keep all communication short and to the point. When creating the initial email or query letter, the basic format of the email should be as follows:

Synopsis- An overview of your article narrowed down to one paragraph.

Samples- Include links or samples of your work. If emailing, explain if they are attached files or web links. Keep it down to 2-3 samples. (And double check the writer's guidelines to be sure you follow instructions.)

Closing- A strong closing statement with contact information. Do not forget contact information!!

Other Tips of the Trade

There are a couple more tips that should be noted. Don't be afraid to follow up on any submissions or emails. Be respectfully persistent and keep it professional. Be sure to check the writer's guidelines to find out when (or if) you should expect a response.

It is considered bad practice to submit to the magazines competitors. It is considered OK to send out multiple submission to publications in different cities, states, nations, and markets. It is perfectly fine to send out multiple submissions, but remember check the writer's guidelines. Some publications won't accept simultaneous submissions.

Make sure you get paid. While it is okay to do a couple of low or no pay articles in order to build up samples, don't get stuck in that rut-- especially once you have gained experience.

Most importantly of all, don't be afraid of rejection or criticism. Not everyone is going to like your work. Do not take it personally. Rejection is part of being a writer. It is something you must learn to take in stride and grow from it. Even the greatest writers have been rejected.

Don't forget to get your entries in for the WM Freelance Connection Monthly Contest!!! Deadline is coming up quick. Thank you to everyone that has already submitted their entry.

Photo: "Magazines 2" By Lusi Stock.xchng

Labels: magazine writing, monthly contest, tips for submitting to magazines, writing opportunities

1 comments:

Carol Tice said...: In my experience, you can continue pitching, and you should as you can't earn a lot if you wait around 6 weeks on each submission before moving on to the next market. The trick is to slant each pitch a bit differently, tailoring it very specifically for that magazine. Then you can keep right on pitching and not feel like you're disrespecting the first magazine you sent the query to...

Carol; December 15, 2009 5:06 PM

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