Tag Archives: magazine writing

Print Writing: Improving Your Voice

By on May 7th, 2013

Writing for print is tricky in a number of ways, but one of the most important–and the most difficult–is having a strong voice and being able to adapt it to the style of the publication you are querying. Some writers may already have a voice that they use and are comfortable with. That’s a great thing, but there is typically one problem that goes along with that…they stop improving it. If you have a “voice” that you have cultivated, don’t assume that it will grow and develop on its own. You have to nurture it, and you have to allow …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Weekend Reading: Query Letters

By on April 26th, 2013

At the end of each week, I like to share a link roundup based on one of our editorial themes for the month. This week we’re going to take a look at writing query letters for freelance magazine writing. If you’re looking to perfect your magazine query letter techniques or get started in magazine writing with your first pitch, spend some of your downtime this weekend checking out these great articles. And if you’re looking for more information about writing for magazines, don’t miss Catherine L. Tully’s posts here. She covers query letter writing and other aspects of magazine writing …

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Scheduling Your Magazine Writing

By on April 9th, 2013

I thought doing a post on scheduling might be good for all the magazine writers out there… Basically what I mean by scheduling is deciding how much to take on at first–in other words, how to manage the process of trying to land articles in print. It can be really easy to take on too much in the beginning, and that can really cause problems. You see…things don’t happen very fast in the print industry. Because of that, having a good, solid plan is more likely to get you published. You really can’t do things last-minute when it comes to …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Magazines: Writing Evergreen Articles

By on March 7th, 2013

I’ve mentioned this type of piece before–the “evergreen” article… Evergreen articles are those that are always in need. Think “timeless”. For example: Great holiday gifts Back to school tips for parents 5 Fast, Healthy Meals Money-saving vacation ideas Magazines are always in need of this type of content, and it can be a great way to break in to a particular publication. Even so, you don’t want to do a tired old repeat of the same thing that has been done a million times before. A fresh take on an evergreen topic is almost like magic to an editor looking …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Writing With Clips In Mind

By on February 7th, 2013

When starting out in print writing, clips are an important part of the picture. You need clips to get work and to prove that you can in fact write. The earlier you begin thinking about the clips you need, the better your chances of having one handy when an editor asks for it. Tweak Your Specialty How about an example? When I started writing I wrote primarily about dance. Unfortunately, my dance clips were not a big help when querying business, travel–or even local magazines. So what did I do? I wrote a dance article about the business of being …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Magazine Writing Goals For 2013 And Beyond

By on January 7th, 2013

Happy New Year all you writers out there! If you have already been published in print, I wish you more of the same in 2013, and if you haven’t yet made it in this arena, may this be your year to shine! Today we’re going to talk goal setting for all print writers. I know it sounds basic, but it really isn’t. Here are my 8 best goal setting tips for you to try on for size this year: Set only a few goals. Setting a reasonable number of goals helps insure you can focus on them and not get …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Planning For Print Publication

By on December 7th, 2012

It’s hard to believe that the New Year is right around the corner! If you are looking to get published in a magazine or print publication in the coming year, now is the time to start planning. For most print pubs, the editorial calendar is already set, and queries right now are going out for summer issues (or even later!). While it may be hard to think about beaches and fireworks in January, it’s where you need to be… In addition, you have the opportunity to possibly slide in sideways with a filler or two (short, blurb-type pieces that typically …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Magazine Writing: Increase Your Bottom Line

By on December 7th, 2010

I’ll tell you this–you won’t get rich quick writing for print magazines. However, if you are patient and creative, you can build yourself quite a business. You just have to think outside the box a bit. Trying to come up with new ideas all the time can be draining, and sometimes the pay isn’t great per word, or per article. Still, there are some smart things you can do to maximize your income from magazine writing. Here are some to consider: 1. Sell Photos. Learning how to take your own digital photos may seem like too much of an effort, …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

An Introduction To Writing For Print

By on March 7th, 2010

First let me take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Catherine–and the plan is for me to share some information with you about my experience with writing for print. I have been a full-time writer for many years, and have had my writing published in national, regional and trade magazines, as well as newspapers, books and custom publications. I have also written text for calenders and planners. If it’s one thing I love it’s helping writers avoid making some of the mistakes that I did along the way. So why should you listen to me? I’ll give you three reasons: I …

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Posted in Freelance Writing Business, Magazine Writing |

Write for Magazines Without Writing for Magazines

By on May 29th, 2009

I’ve shared this tip with freelance writers at All Freelance Writing previously, but it’s worth mentioning again here. If you’re open to the idea of ghostwriting, and you’d like to write print features, you can do it query-free. Really. No pitching of publications required at all (not on your end at least). How? This strategy works best for writers working with commercial clients (especially PR writers, since these features generally fall under that heading). How it Works Many print publications (especially trade magazines) accept unpaid features from authority sources in the industry. These are the same people you may already …

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Posted in Business Writing, Magazine Writing |