January Program:
Querying minds want to know:
How can I see my words in a glossy spread?
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For those who read the "Contributors" section of their favorite magazine and admire the carefree, accomplished biographies of the lucky writers featured within, CWIP's January program, “Writing for Magazines,” was an opportunity to learn how to turn such a long shot into a reality. A panel of experts was assembled to impart their knowledge and advice. These included Darci Smith, who has contributed to publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Better Homes and Gardens, and Crain's Chicago Business; Ann Logue, a former investment analyst who wrote Hedge Funds for Dummies and has freelanced for Barron's, Newsweek Japan, Compliance Week, and the New York Times; and Camille Noe Pagan, who specializes in health and beauty, and has published her work in magazines such as Glamour and Arthritis Today, and also contributes regularly to lifetimetv.com, where she once worked as senior editor.
While a journalism background certainly helps, it's not completely necessary to start freelancing as a writer. Ann used her financial chops to find work with high-tech business magazines in San Francisco. "I kept talking to people about staff jobs and they kept thinking that I wasn't serious, that I was doing some type of a backdoor thing. I was talking to a friend and he said [that] most places take freelancers anyway; they have very few staff writers. I had done some stories for trade journals as a financial analyst. He said, “You have some clips, just start freelancing." The other panelists started out with staff jobs and turned to freelancing as a likable alternative. Camille said, "I realized that the writers were having a lot more fun than I was. I realized that they were doing better financially and just having more freedom than I was, and I thought, okay, this is what I want to do. I want to be a writer."
Getting the initial clips might be the hard part. All the panelists agreed that query letters are essential. Camille pointed out that your clips only go so far since they've been edited and an editor knows that. So you could be awful, but the editor fixed the article for you. The query shows what you really write like. Query letters help lay the groundwork in more ways than one. Not only do they introduce your story idea to an editor, but as Darci said, "If the query is good enough, the story will be easy to write because you've done so much background research and put some thought into it." Hidden markets can prove invaluable to beginning writers and writers looking to fill up their workloads. There is a lot of work to be had. Ann reminded us, "Every little industry has their own association and at least one magazine." A particularly good market for her has been custom publishing, which promotes a certain brand or company, such as the magazines on airplanes.
Darci shared, "In a smaller area they definitely pay less than a national would, but it is a good way to break in and get some great clips. I'm not a parent and I wrote for a parenting magazine once. A lot of people think that you have to somehow be associated with that magazine's topic to write for them and that's not necessarily the case. If you're a good reporter or journalist you should be able to research a topic." Once things start rolling, the three panelists admitted that finding work gets easier. A lot of it hinges on building a relationship with editors. Darci said, "I find that once I've worked for an editor a couple of times, if you've proven yourself—you turn stuff in on time, [and] they don't have to do a lot of work on your piece—then they'll just offer you assignments after that." Finding a good rate for your work can be tricky, but Camille pointed out that magazines "all have an accepted range…depending on who you are, what kind of story you're writing and how experienced you are, they'll give you something within that range. You should always ask for more. They won't not give you an assignment because you asked for more money." As for coming up with ideas for stories, all the panelists agreed that there is a lot in everyday life to draw from. Camille suggested taking a general idea, such as “how to lose weight,” and putting a new spin on it. Then submit your idea in a query and you’re in business. Tamara Matthews is a part-time freelance writer who, after attending this program, thinks full-time freelancing sounds pretty appealing. She can be reached at tjcricket@excite.com. |
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