Category 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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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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Weekend Reading: Writing for Trade Magazines

By on April 5th, 2013

One of my favorite types of freelance writing that I’ve covered here on the blog is writing for trade magazines. In my case, more specifically, I ghostwrite feature articles for trade publications on behalf of businesses. In that situation, the business pays me, I write the article (which they’ve often gotten approval for from the publication previously), and it’s published under my client’s byline. It can be lucrative work as these businesses often pay more than the trade magazines pay freelancers. Whether that sounds like something you’d like to do, or you’d prefer to query and write for the trade …

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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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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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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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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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Using The Web To Get Print Jobs Part I

By on November 7th, 2012

Just because you want to write for magazines doesn’t mean you can ignore the web. Your web presence is one of the easiest ways for potential employers/editors to find you. Is yours optimized to do all it can for you in this regard? Over the next two posts we’ll explore what you can do to position yourself well online for jobs in print. In this section, we’ll be exploring the following: Your website Your blog LinkedIn Let’s start with the website. If you don’t have one, you need one. And yes, it’s just that simple. Just because editors work for …

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Writing A Great Title

By on October 7th, 2012

In terms of magazine writing, it has been my experience that editors will often change the title you give an article. Know this going in. So, you may ask, why am I devoting an entire post to writing a great title? Well, because it could get your article accepted–or at least help you get an editor’s attention. When you send a query letter in, having a snappy title may keep you from the slush pile and cause the editor to dig a little deeper. Your content still has to be good, but the title can create interest. Catchy titles stick, …

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