Category: Magazine and Freelance

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Magazine and Freelance

Build Your Platform with Magazine Articles

Last week I taught several workshops at a Christian Writers Conference and also met one on one with numerous authors. As typical for these events, many of the people were at their first conference.  Because I’m an acquisitions editor at a New York publisher and we do many types of books, my schedule filled quickly with appointments where authors were pitching their book ideas.

For a few of those meetings, they were double 15 minute typical length because I was critiquing their submission (something done as a part of this particular conference). In each critique, I was asking the author questions about their publishing experience and learned they had little or almost no experience.

 

While we love the permanence of books, the publishing numbers tell a different story. If a traditional publisher takes your manuscript and publishes it, you will be fortunate to sell 5,000 copies during the lifetime of that book. Yes I know you want to sell more than 5,000 books but this volume is typical sales number in the publishing community and you are doing well to achieve it.

Yet within the magazine writing world, it is common to reach 100,000 or even 500,000 readers with your article. Your choices as a writer are not: books or magazines. You can do both and in fact writing for magazines will help you build your presence in the marketplace (called a platform) and sell more books.

A number of the writers I met with at the conference were writing nonfiction books. Inside their chapters, these writers were including their own personal experiences tied to the content of their book. With a little reshaping, these stories could be the elements in a magazine article. As I suggested this idea to writers, it was a new concept because they were focused on a book and not a magazine article.

How repurposing builds platform

Within the publishing world, this concept of using your writing more than once is called repurposing and a way to get more use from your stories. It is a practice that I encourage you to incorporate into your writing life. For it to work, you have to be aware of the rights you are selling to a publication. You do not want to sell “world rights” because then you give up any additional use of the writing. Instead, you want to clearly label the first page of your magazine article as selling “First North American Rights.” These words give the publication the right to publish your story. After the material is published, then the rights return to you as the author and can be used in your book.

In general, magazines are operating several months ahead. The specifics are different for each publication and you want to notice and keep track of these details so you can get use your stories in different areas,

Many publications are interested in personal experience articles. You can use your stories from your book chapters and easily rework them into a magazine article. As you get published on magazines, you gain publishing experience which is something agents and editors are looking for. You also build your presence or platform in the market. How? This exposure comes from the final part of your article: the one or two sentence bio. In your bio, you include your website which is hopefully something simple like your name or something else easy to remember.

Your magazine articles can be an on-going way to build and reach your audience. It takes some planning and intention on your part but repurposing your work can be easily accomplished with your writing.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. Terry is the author of How to Succeed As An Article Writer which you can get at: Write a magazine article.com. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: Billy Graham Bio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @terrywhalin

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Magazine and Freelance

Writing for Magazines Provides Variety

Does your writing have a lot of variety? Or do you feel like you are writing the same type of article over and over with little variance? Writing for magazines provides many different possibilities, topics and types of articles. When I wrote for a church publication years ago, I wrote an article about baptisteries and steeples giving resources where churches could purchase these items. I knew nothing about steeples or baptisteries but I learned a great deal as I wrote that article and gathered the contents.

For any magazine article, there are at least two ways to approach the article. You can either write the entire article, then shop it to various magazines (normally on speculation since you wrote it without an assignment) or you can write a one-page query letter and shop your idea to publications and get a specific assignment.

Common types of magazine articles

Let’s explore some of the various types of magazine articles. I’m not covering all of the possibilities since it will vary for each magazine but these are some of the basic types of articles:

Round-up Article. I’ve written round-up articles on the latest marriage books or Bibles for children. As the writer, you can reach out to various publishers and have them send sample review copies for possible inclusion in your article. These books become the foundation of your round-up article.

Personality profile. These articles are focused on a single personality like a bestselling author. Your article reveals something different and unusual about this person’s life. I’ve interviewed over 150 bestselling authors and written personality profile articles.

Interview article. This type of article is also often focused on a well-known author or personality. The style of the writing is different and more of a Q & A format where you use the actual words of the subject inside the article. Many magazines use this type of article.

How-to article. When you write this type of article, you show the reader step by step how to do some skill or some craft.

Issue article. These articles are focused on a particular issue such as gun control or bullying or prevention of abortion or ???, Some magazines regularly feature this type of article in their publications,

Op-Ed article. An op-ed is an opinion article where you give your view on a topic and showcase your expertise and background. Magazines and newspapers use op-ed articles.

Devotional article. Numerous publications print devotional articles. Often each publication will have a particular format for you to follow with your devotional. They often include a verse or two of Scripture, a brief prayer and a short devotional insight. I’ve written devotionals for the Upper Room which has a circulation of over six million.

Book reviews. Most magazines only want to publish positive reviews unless it is a trade magazine which also publishes critical or negative reviews. If a publisher sends you an Advance Reading Copy of a book before the publication date, you can read these books and often publish reviews in magazines.

Personal experience.  I’ve written a full article about the importance of personal experience articles. Everyone has “different” experiences and almost every magazine uses these types of articles.

Take a few minutes and look over the variety of articles you can write for publication. Then take a few minutes and write some ideas and types of articles that you are attracted to publishing. I encourage you to write the article or query and get published in different types of magazines. There is a world of opportunity available to you if you take action.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. Terry is the author of How to Succeed As An Article Writer which you can get at: Write a magazine article.com. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: Billy Graham Bio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham.

His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @terrywhalin

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Magazine and Freelance

Start Your Article With A Bang

Imagine yourself in a race and the gun is ready to begin the race. The Starter Gun goes, BANG!

This bang is how your magazine article needs to begin to pull readers into your article.

We live in this busy, hurry up, and get it done world. As an editor, I have authors who email me again after several days if they don’t get a response (just to make sure I got the first email—which I did). I’ve learned the hard way just to send a little email “got it” which reassures them. This same experience that I get in the world of book publishing is also true with magazines.

The attention of readers is pulled in many different directions. As an editor receives your magazine submission or after it gets in print, it is the writer’s obligation to draw the reader into your piece.

How do you begin?

Many writers are stuck with this question. They stare at their blank screen and are unsure how to get started. In this article I give four different methods to begin your article.

  1. Ask an interesting question. Can you summarize the theme of your article in a question? Or can you ask some intriguing question which begins your article? Asking a question can pull the reader into your article and answering the question can take the bulk of your article.
  2. Use a fascinating statistic or fact. A little research related to your topic can give you a statistic or fact to begin your article. Go to “google” or use a reference book on your shelf or any number of ways to get this statistic or fact as a means to begin your article. You can also go to your local library and ask the reference librarian for help with the statistic or fact. These professionals in the library are skilled answering these types of needs.
  3. Tell a short anecdote. We love and remember stories. A “different” story can be a terrific beginning for your magazine article and draw the reader into your story.
  4. Use a provocative quotation. Famous quotations can be another way to begin your magazine article. Pull the quotation from a book but this quotation can lead the reader through your magazine article.

If you are stuck starting your piece, select one of these methods and start typing. When your story is written, you can revise it later. The worst thing action and time waster for any writer is to stare into empty space and not begin writing. When this happens, you will not meet your editor’s expectations and deadline.  As a writer, you can meet the editor’s expectations delivering an excellent article on their deadline. When you meet these expectations, you will become someone the editor will want to work with over and over.

Every writer needs to learn how to begin their article with a bang.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. Terry is the author of How to Succeed As An Article Writer which you can get at: Write a magazine article.com. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: Billy Graham Bio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham.

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Magazine and Freelance

How to Give Editors What They Want by W. Terry Whalin

When the slick full-color magazines arrive in your home, many writers would like to write for those magazines and get published. But then a number of objections are raised in their minds like “it’s really hard to get into this publication.” Or “the editor probably already has their stable of regular contributors.”

From my many years as a magazine editor and writing for different publications, I know these objections are not true. In this article, I want to help you understand the needs of the magazine editor and how to write what they need for their publication.

  1. Editors Need Writers. Every magazine editor starts their issue with a blank slate then they fill that issue with quality writing targeted to their particular audience. While you should be encouraged that editors need you, they are also looking for a particular type of writer—someone who understands their audience and can produce excellent writing.
  2. Excellent Writing Is Required. What qualifies as excellent writing? Admittedly this qualification is subjective but excellent writing has patterns and standards that every writer can learn and apply to their own writing. For example, tvery story needs an interesting headline, an intriguing first sentence and first paragraph to draw the reader into the writing. Also the story must have a solid and logical flow or a beginning, middle and ending. The story must also have a single point for the reader which in the magazine world is called a takeaway. If your article doesn’t have this takeaway, show it to someone else and ask them if they got the point of the article. If they did not get it, then you need to rewrite your article until it is there.
  3. Study the publication and their guidelines. It seems simple and obvious that writers need to read the publication before submission. Too often writers will fire off their submission without covering this basic territory—and it is critical. As you read the publication in print or online, think about who is their audience and readers? What is the style of the various articles, length and shape of them? Is your submission similar? It should be. Then locate their submission guidelines and read this information. These guidelines tell you what the editor needs. Are you meeting one of their explicit needs in your submission? If so, you are increasing the possibility of getting published in this magazine.

To get your writing into a magazine, takes planning, thought and finally action. It doesn’t happen just “thinking about submitting your article.” You must take action—even if you get rejected. You need to keep trying to find the right place for your material to be published. Whether you are beginning or continuing to be published in magazines, write your article, then send it into the world. It’s the only way it happens.

________________________________________

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. Terry is the author of How to Succeed As An Article Writer which you can get at: http://writeamagazinearticle.com/. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

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Magazine and Freelance

Be The Magazine Writer with Extras – by W. Terry Whalin

Magazine editors are experts in their publication. I know this fact because I’ve been a magazine editor a couple of different times. When I was Associate Editor at Decision magazine, we were publishing 1.8 million copies of each issue. An editorial assistant read through the submissions whether they came electronically or hard copy in the mail. From reading a few paragraphs, she could tell if the writer was familiar with our publication and had sent something to be seriously considered.

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Magazine and Freelance

Write An Evergreen Magazine Article by W. Terry Whalin

What if you could write a magazine article which could be published year after year in different publications? These types of articles are called evergreen because they can be used over and over. To write such an article takes a bit of planning on the front end of the process.

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Magazine and Freelance

Everyone Can Write a Personal Experience Article – by W Terry Whalin

Life brings each of us strange personal experiences. This spring I traveled to visit my mother in Kentucky. When I checked into the airport, my suitcase had four wheels. When it came out of the baggage claim, this same suitcase only had three wheels. In transit, the airline had broken my suitcase. During that trip I learned to immediately file a form with the airline and they repaired my suitcase. My personal experience has some lessons and insights for the reader and is ideal for a personal experience magazine article.

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Genre Magazine and Freelance

Five Ways to Turn Off An Editor

Normally in these articles about magazine writing, I focus on positive ways to make a difference. From my years in the publishing world, I understand that sometimes a list of negatives can also make an impact. I’m taking a different slant (a magazine writing term).

While you probably don’t know it, if you violate one or several of these methods, your article or query will not be considered but quickly rejected. The reverse is also true: if you avoid all these ways you will give your submission a greater chance of acceptance and publication.

  1. Not Following the Submission Guidelines

Editors have made the effort to tell you what they want for their publication. This document is called the submission guidelines. They will mail it to you if requested or you can find it on the publication website. Use GOOGLE to located these guidelines, read and then follow the editor’s directions. These guidelines will highlight the different types of articles that are wanted and the specifics like word count or whether they want the full article or a query letter. They will also tell you whether they pay on assignment or on publication and how much they will pay. As you know these details and follow them, it will increase your possibilities of success with print magazines.

  1. Not Properly Formatting Your Article

Most word processors will come with a default font like Arial but magazine editors prefer a serif font like New Times Roman or Georgia. Also they prefer the top of the first page to include your name, mailing address, phone and word count and the rights you are offering (first rights or reprint rights). Also proper formatting includes sending a short bio at the end of the article.

If your submission is properly formatted then you gain a reading or hearing from the editor. If it is not formatted, you risk instant rejection.

  1. Wrong Word Count—Too Long or Too Short

Magazine writing is about strong communication in a limited amount of space. It’s not 140 characters like a tweet but it is restricted. It is all about meeting the expectations of the editor. If the editor wants 500 words on a topic, then send him 500 words. If you send 800 words and assume the editor will cut the 300 words he doesn’t need because editors edit. Then you are risking rejection or at best, a rewrite request from the editor.

  1. No Takeaway for the Reader

Every magazine article is ultimately about a single point for the reader. This single point is called a takeaway. If you have written a personal experience article, what is the point of that article that you want the reader to carry away from the article? From reviewing many magazine submissions, often articles are rejected because they did not include this single point or takeaway for the reader. When I worked at Decision magazine, 1.8 million copies an issue, sometimes as editors we added a sentence takeaway at the end of the article. Sometimes it was a statement and other times is was a provocative question. No matter what type of magazine article you are writing, every one has a takeaway. If your article does not, then you risk rejection.

  1. Missing a Key Element in the Story

Magazine articles must have a great opening story or question or quotation. They must also have a straightforward overall structure—a beginning, a middle and an ending. If your article wanders all around without a point or solid storytelling or structure, then again you risk rejection and not acceptance.

The magazine world is all about making a good and lasting impression and forming a relationship. You want to be the writer that the editor reaches out to and asks you to write a specific article (assignment). Every magazine has a “stable” of writers who contribute to the publication on a regular basis. Then when the editor has an idea for his publication, he turns to those writers who have been contributing regularly.

The journey of becoming one of those stable writers begins with a single step—consistent and professional action. Stay away from these turn offs.

________________________________________

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

 

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Magazine and Freelance

MAGAZINE WRITERS WANTED – BY W. TERRY WHALIN

As a long-time writer for magazines and a former magazine editor, there are some basic truths about publishing in magazines. Through writing for magazines, you can build publishing credentials and make a valuable contribution to the publishing world and help many people. If you’ve never been published or rarely published, to enter the print magazine world can be scary. It doesn’t have to be frightening if you learn some straightforward truths.

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Magazine and Freelance

How to Write What the Editor Wants: by Terry Whalin

When you boil it down to the basics, writers and editors are both seeking the same thing: excellent writing.  I’ve been writing for magazines for many years and I’m a former magazine editor. One of the publications (Decision) where I was Associate Editor reached 1.8 million people with each issue. While editors and writers are focused on excellent writing, I also understand what qualifies as “excellent” is subjective.

In this article, I want to give you three ways to improve your article or query submissions so you can improve your rate of publication success. One of the keys is to understand the role of the editor and how to write what the editor wants. The editor knows their reader and target market. When I was an editor, I read every submission or query with this question: “Is this article or query a good fit for my readers?’

  1. Read the magazine cover to cover with analysis before submitting. It may sound like a basic but you would be surprised at what writers pitch without ever reading the publication. As you read the magazine, study the details. Do staff members write most of the publication? Do they publish freelance writers who are not on the staff? Do they have regular features? Who writes these features and is there opportunity for you to write this material? You can learn a great deal as you study the publication. As a writer, find the publication and study the details.
  2. Target magazines which publish their upcoming themes. Many publications, such as denominational magazines, will plan their themes for an entire year. If you pitch or write an article on the editor’s list, you will get a closer look and consideration than someone who sends a random idea. Also know that seasonal and holiday pitches or articles are always needed. Think about the forthcoming holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Make sure you pitch at least six to eight weeks before the holiday to get consideration or your article may be accepted but not published until the next year.
  3. Read the magazine guidelines before sending your query or article. Many publications have their guidelines online but if not, take time to write for the guidelines and review them before you write the editor.

Every editor is actively looking for great writing to fill their publication. If you follow all or several of these tips, it will improve your opportunity to touch their readers and get published.

  1. Terry Whalin believes print magazines provide one of the best opportunities for writers. A writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, Terry lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin
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Magazine and Freelance

30 Necessary Terms for Magazine Article Writing

A Kill fee? Is that legal?  What is a nut graf anyway? Is sounds like a surgical term or carpenter’s tool.

I need to learn magazine article jargon before I get myself in trouble.

Here are thirty important terms that we can learn together as we continue our journey into magazine article writing.

Advertorial: a newspaper or magazine advertisement in the form of editorial content. The term is a blend of the words “advertisement” and “editorial.”

Byline: a printed line of text accompanying a news story, article, or the like, giving the author’s name.

Charticle: A graphic image that includes information.

Clip: Examples of your work.  Place them in your portfolio.

Consumer publication: These are the magazines and newspapers sold to the public.

Copywriting: Writing business and promotional copy for clients.

Creative brief: A short document that provides the creative team with an overview and important points to consider in the development of an advertising campaign.

Custom publication: This is created specifically for a company.

Dek: The second half of a headline, which often runs in italics just below the headline in newspapers.

Deliverable: This is the final project you will be providing.

Dummy copy: A representation of the final copy in which a different text is substituted for the final text.  The different text is called Lorem ipsum and is there just for layout purposes.

FOB: Front of the book pieces. These short articles and blurbs usually appear in the front of a magazine.

FPO: For position only. This abbreviation is used when artwork or other materials are inserted as placeholders in an article or brochure to give all stakeholders a general idea of how the final piece will lay out.

Hed: An abbreviation for the headline.

Infographic: Information graphics is a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information.

Kicker: The conclusion of an article designed to leave the reader with something to think on.

“Kill” fee: A negotiated payment the writer gets if the assigned article is canceled.

Lede: The lede, or lead, is an abbreviation for the opening sentences of your article.

Letter of introduction (LOI): This is a pitch letter or email to a potential client informing them of your talents.

Native ads: These are the online version of advertorials.

Nut graf: The paragraph that goes from the lede into the body of the article. The nut graf summarizes the article to entice readers to keep reading. You may also see “graf” used as an abbreviation for a paragraph.

Op-Ed: An opinion or editorial piece, in which the writer states their point of view on an issue. Letters to the editor are a prime example.

Query: An article pitch. Check out last month’s article for in-depth information.   http://www.almostanauthor.com/query-letter-basics/

Red ink: A term used for the editor’s changes to your article.

Sidebar: A related short addition to an article.

Subhed: A journalistic abbreviation for a subhead.

Tagline: Author information that appears at the end of an article.

TK: An abbreviation for “to come.” You’ll see this used for photos, captions, sidebars — anything that is expected but hasn’t arrived yet

Trade publication: These regional or national publications target people in a specific field.

Work for hire: It means that you are giving the client or publication all of the rights to the piece you are writing.

Do you have a term that you would like to add to the list? Just include it in the comments section.

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Magazine and Freelance

Focus Is Key to Magazine Writing by Terry Whalin

Recently a Morgan James author and I were talking about writing for magazines. She admitted that she had tried several times but been rejected. From my years of writing for publications, I’ve learned some difference makers when you pitch a magazine editor to write for their publication.

One of the keys is focus: Is your pitch or article or idea focused on the reader of the particular publication? When you write for publication, the editor is actively looking for articles which meet the needs of his particular readers. Every publication has a distinct audience. Do you know this audience and are you thinking about them when you write your pitch or article? This audience focus is important.

A second key would be following the submission guidelines for the publication. Many of these guidelines are available online. Do a Google search, locate the guidelines, then read them and make sure your pitch is a solid fit for the publication—before you send it.  I know following the guidelines sounds obvious but you would be shocked at the number of authors who ignore them. These authors think, “I’ll go ahead and pitch a 2,000 word article even though the guidelines say they only take articles up to 1,500 words. The editor can cut out those extra words. That’s what editors do.”

See the fallacy of such thinking? You are asking the editor to reject your work because you did not follow the guidelines. These editors know their audience and publication and are looking for something specific from potential writers. If you deliver what they are requesting, then it will be more likely to be considered (and possibly accepted).

Another key to success is reading the publication. Do you read this magazine? If not, read the articles online or get several issues and devour them. Do they publish service articles? Do they print how-to articles? Do they use personal experience stories? Do they use personality profiles? There are many different types of articles and writers need to do their analytical research to see what the magazine is publishing. Also look at who is writing the articles? Did someone on the magazine staff write the article?  Or did a freelance writer produce it? Notice the names in the magazine masthead. These names are often staff writers. What percentage of the articles are staff and what percentage is freelance? As the number of freelance articles increase in the magazine, your possibilities are increased for acceptance and publication.

The final key is the format of your submission. Magazine editors prefer to receive double-spaced manuscripts in the New Times Roman font. Yes most computers will default to Arial but that is not used within the magazine community. Also make sure the top of your submission includes your name, mailing address, phone and word count for the article. Does the end of your article include a brief bio (normally two sentences)?

Each of these elements are important decision making elements for the editor who is reading your submission. As a writer, you can help yourself from getting rejected through making sure each element in your submission is attractive to that editor.

Perseverance and persistent pitching to magazines is important for your success. The editor knows what they need for their publication yet they are actively looking for solid writers who can meet their needs. It may take persistent pitching for you to find some success with publications. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. You can do it if you follow the guidelines and deliver what the editor needs.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

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Magazine and Freelance

MAGAZINE ARTICLE IDEAS INSPIRED BY CHARLIE BROWN

“Wah wah woh wah wah” Is all I hear at times. I feel like Charlie Brown, a blockhead.  My brain refuses to think.  Does that happen to you when you are trying to come up with article ideas?  Well, Charlie Brown never gave up and neither shall I.

Writer’s block is a common occurrence.   So how do we brainstorm ideas to keep magazine editors interested in our articles and not pull the football out from under us when we try to punt?

As Charlie Brown helped his little sister Sally do her homework, I have received help from many amazing writers.  Here are just a few of their suggestions to keep the creative juices flowing.   I have narrowed them down to three block buster activities: read, listen and observe.

Read

Read magazines.  Chose a favorite. Read it cover to cover before you submit an article or query. Magazines have a target audience. Each magazine has a rhythm to it.  Make sure you express the voice of that magazine.  Ask yourself, “What would I like to read in this magazine”?  Research their archives to see if an article exists.  Even if it does, you might have a different point of view on the topic.  Step up to the plate and pitch your idea. You may get a home run.

Read magazines that don’t interest you.  I now read Trade Magazines.  These are periodicals that are specific to a company or organization.  While I read one of these publications I got an idea. I submitted an article, and they published it.

Read the Newspaper.  It has current news upon which you could expand.  It also contains press releases on books and events. Find a good press release feed or website to keep up with current information. They can be a solid source of article ideas.

Blog and blog comments– Your blog may have great ideas for a magazine article.  Comments on your blog may give ideas also.   Follow blogs in the area of your writing expertise for inspiration.

Google Alerts–   Set an alert for each keyword on the topics that interest you. When you are alerted, don’t read the entire article. Scan the titles to see the popular topics.  Many great article ideas are birthed by using Google alert.  Here is a link for more information on Google Alerts.

http://google.about.com/od/personalizegoogle/ss/createAlertSBS.htm#step1

Books will give great insight for articles.  Read fiction, non-fiction and even children’s books.

LISTEN

Listen to TV or radio talk shows so you can have your finger on the pulse of what is popular and trending.  Watch morning shows or popular television talk shows for current ideas.  Radio is a great source to get the brain working.  Talk radio will give you an inside ear to what issues concern people.

Listen to webinars or podcasts on topics that intrigue you.  There are many free audio downloads on line.

Listen to conversations around you.  God has placed a variety of personalities, cultures, and opinions on this earth.   Go to the mall, coffee shop or sit on a bus and just listen.  You will be astounded by all the ideas.

Observe

Observe Surroundings.  Nature, people, and situations are a wealth of ideas.  I watched a bird hit my kitchen window and get knocked out.  My husband picked him up.  The warmth of my husband’s hands and the fear the bird must have felt gave life and flight to this little chickadee.  I can think of at least three articles I can write about the situation.  I bet you can think of one right now.

Personal experience.  Don’t ignore your daily routine.  There are great stories in the mundane.  We all experience similar situations in life, but we all don’t tell the story the same way or live it out with the same emotion.  A unique point of view makes for great reading.

There are many ways to brainstorm ideas.  Charlie Brown went to his friends Linus and Lucy for advice.  He contemplated the world as he listened to Schroeder play Beethoven.

We all need friends that can help us.  A friend like Snoopy who fights the battle for us.  Through prayer, he keeps the Red Baron from attacking our mind.  We need to stick together as a writing community and celebrate one another’s success.  We must give encouragement to one another when Writer’s block hits or our article does not get published.  Remember what the other Peanuts did when Charlie Brown picked a horrible Christmas tree?  They gathered around and made it beautiful.

One of my go to teachers is Edie Melson. Check out her post. “Tips for Catching and Storing Writing Ideas,  right here on A3.  She is one of the amazing writers that I mention in my article.  http://www.almostanauthor.com/tips-for-catching-storing-writing-ideas/

She continues to teach me daily through her blog The Write Conversation.

www.TheWriteConversation.com

How do you get ideas for writing?

Please share in the comment section. I look forward to learning from you.

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Dos and Don’ts of Magazine Article Writing

“Me, write for magazines? Never. I barely have the energy or expertise to write my book, let alone write for a publication. I am still re-learning paragraph structure, verb tenses and comma placement. I can’t even think about writing for a magazine.”

My entire attitude changed after attending the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. I learned that there are thousands of Trade publications, children’s magazines and online companies looking for writers like you and me. The good news; we don’t have to be English teachers or New York Times Best Sellers to get published. We just have to be persistent.

Here is a short list of Do’s and Don’ts to get you started:

Do

Pray- God knows your writing style and will guide you to the perfect magazine that needs your talent. He will even help you pick the topics.  He may want you to write for Cat Fancy or National Geographic. Whatever the magazine, God will equip you for it. You may or may not write for a Christian publication.

Brainstorm. Make a list of topics to write about. You know more than you think. List jobs, classes, and previous education. Have you taken a specialized class? You can write about that. In my next article I will give you resources and ideas to find writing jobs.

Research Magazines– What magazine do you want to write for?   Study the magazine.   Research which editor to contact.   The more you know the voice of the magazine, the more likely you are to see your article in that magazine.

Learn to write a Query letter-A query letter is a formal, one-page letter, to propose writing ideas. It could also be called your pitch. There are many great free resources online to learn how to write a good query letter.   To get you started, check out www.freelancewriting.com.   A good Query letter will get you noticed, so do take the time to write it well.

Enjoy the process– The thought of writing for a magazine overwhelmed me. Am I good enough? Do I have anything to say? So far, the process has been amazing. I have met new people who have helped me and encouraged me.

Don’t

Get stuck in the learning process– Cecil Murphy and Jerry B. Jenkins are well-known award-winning writers. They are constantly striving to be better writers by reading books on writing and talking to other writers. Imagine if they’d waited until they thought they’d perfected the skill of writing?

Focus on weakness– We all have areas in our writing that are weak. Work on those areas; don’t be so consumed by them that you overlook your strengths.

Say no to an offer– You may be asked to write about a subject you know nothing about. With the World Wide Web at your fingertips you can research the topic. That is what I did for this article. It was fun and well worth the time.   The only time to say “No” is if it goes against your belief or you truly cannot do the topic justice even after researching.

Give up- The writers who succeed are not necessarily the best writers, but they are persistent. You will receive many rejections. Don’t take them personally. It is a business decision, not a personal attack. Some of the best article writers have a drawer filled with rejection letters.

Having your work in a magazine is an obtainable goal. In the next few articles we will discuss “How to write a Query letter”,” Resources to find writing jobs” and “Social Media tips for the Writer”

[bctt tweet=”“Me, write for magazines? Never.” #magpub #freelance #writer” via=”no”]

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Write to Inspire-Terry Whalin

When we consider various markets for our magazine writing, often we neglect the market right before our eyes—the inspirational, religious marketplace. Maybe we avoid it because it’s the most personal part of our life and experiences.  In reality, this niche market is a wide-open opportunity to write about our personal experiences, lessons we’ve learned from life and the Bible or short stories or the range of articles from the broader marketplace—yet with a spiritual twist.

Years ago, I studied journalism at Indiana University.  I thought I was a hotshot writer who could hit any market.  As a new Christian, I naturally tried the religious marketplace. My writing efforts were last minute, lacked market research and 100% unsuccessful.  Because I failed to take the time to understand the market needs, I ended up writing strange untargeted articles that never appeared in print.

In contrast, years later after college, I gave the energy to research this market and understand it. I’ve written articles for more than 50 of these publications.  I’ve written devotionals, how-to articles, fiction stories, personality profiles, round-ups (a feature on a particular type of book like financial books or devotional books), book reviews and much more.

The motivation for writing about spiritual matters is more than the simple desire to be published.  Often the deeper motivation is to capture some experience, spiritual thought or how-to which motivates the reader into a deeper relationship with God.  The range of possible articles and age groups is a broad as your imagination.  Almost 700 inspirational magazines provide infinite possibilities for your writing.

This market requires a certain commitment to studying the publication, carefully reading the guidelines, then writing your article with a particular market in mind.  Often because the motivation for a particular article is beyond simply getting into print or being paid, the editors are more approachable and responsive to working with new authors.  While my last statement is true, it’s not always the case.  Often these publications are overwhelmed with poorly written, unfocused submissions.

If you study these religious publications, then appeal to their particular niche in the market with well-crafted storytelling, then I almost guarantee that your material will be carefully read, considered, then possibly published.

You can find these markets in your local Christian bookstore or publications, which you read weekly at your church.  Also your church library is a good source of various publications.  What type of religious material do you read on a regular basis? If you read a devotional guide like Quiet Hour  or The Upper Room, then through your life experiences, you have been gaining the background to write similar types of material.  Do you enjoy reading about the lives of other people, then you can write spiritually-based, personality profiles.  I’ve written about people like Disney Animator, Glen Keane (who created Beast in Beauty and the Beast) or best-selling author Janette Oke.

The stories don’t have to be complicated or involve interviewing someone famous.  The source material can come from your personal life.   When I lost a son years ago, we taught his older brother about death.  I wrote down the anecdotes from the experience and weaved it into an article called “Schooled In Death.”  Or I captured the story of my own spiritual journey through another personal experience article called “Two Words That Changed My Life.”

Every article is different and the publications are distinct. You can learn the skills to put together an excellent magazine article and write to inspire others. It’s important to write for their guidelines, then send in your material for consideration. You can write these magazine articles but it will involve learning then putting it into practice.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Jobs in your “Inbox” and more

Magazine writing jobs sent straight to your inbox? Yes, it is true. I get them every morning. So how can you get them?

We know that surfing the internet can wipe us out.   With millions of articles, and people contributing to this sea of information, how do we fish out what we need?  As I began my search, I was overwhelmed by all the sites on freelance writing; I felt like I was drowning. I made the pond smaller by narrowing my search to, “list of freelance writing jobs.” To save you time, I hooked a few valuable sites, along with other resources, that could land you writing jobs.

Websites

There are many websites that you can subscribe to that will send writing opportunities directly to your email. Some sites charge a small fee to apply for the job or use the site. Most are free. Here is a very short list to get you started.

Freelancewriting.com–   I subscribe to their Morning Coffee enewsletter. It is a great resource for writing jobs. Brian Scott has done all the work for us. His morning newsletter has sections for contests, writing gigs, and a Call for Submission section.   From time to time he sends out an email with time- sensitive requests. He lists magazines needing a last- minute article. This e mail comes to you every morning.

Freelancewritinggigs.com– A great place to find writing jobs. Check out the “Resources for Writers” tab while you are there.

Outsoure.com- This website allows you to bid on freelance jobs. The variety of jobs is amazing. Everything from blogs, magazine articles and medical magazines.

Freelancer.com- This is a free monthly trial website. Ultimately you will pay to submit for jobs.

Remember, this is a very short list. For more information you can brave the waters and do your own internet search for writing jobs. Don’t forget to subscribe to each sites job list. Writing jobs can also be found in your local newspaper, online Job sites (i.e. Indeed, Monster, etc.) and also craigslist will post freelancing jobs.

Books-    Although these books do not send information directly to your inbox, you can find a list of magazines along with the submission requirements.

2015 Writer’s Market: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published- This book is a wealth of information for every writer. There is a section just for magazines.

The Christian Writers Market Guide– Similar to the Writers Market Guide, this book is specific for the Christian writing community.   You can only order on line at www.jerryjenkins.com/guide

YOU

Let others know that you write. You are your best resource. You have an intimate knowledge of the subject. I attended a local social media class, stated I was a writer and was approached by two people to write for their publication.

No matter where you are in your writing career there will always be more to learn. The number of websites and people looking for writers like you increases daily.   Keep learning and growing.   Please share your successes and bumps in the road.   We are all here to learn from each other.

My next article will describe the Query letter and its importance. Your Query letter sells you and your article idea.   Please pass the word to your friends. A3 is the place to be.

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

DON’T PANIC. INTERVIEW By: Terry Whalin

 

For most magazine articles, I need information beyond what I have myself. To gather this information, I will often interview someone. For more than thirty years, I’ve been interviewing different people. Some of them are well-known celebrities and bestselling authors. Some of them are unknown people.  No matter who I’m interviewing, I get a touch of panic right before the interview happens. Maybe it’s the same sort of adrenaline rush that I’ve read about in figure skating. I’m hesitant to admit it but it still happens. Whether well-known or unknown, each of these people have graciously answered my questions and provided the story material that I’ve needed for my magazine articles.

Whether you interview on the telephone or in person, it’s an excellent skill for every writer to add to their skill set and highly recommended. For beginning writers, I recommend you begin with someone familiar—such as a family member or a friend. Prepare a list of questions, establish a time to interview them and turn on your tape recorder. I recommend taping the interview so you can capture the quotations and don’t always have to be tied to writing notes. I’ve never been able to write fast enough (even learning shorthand in high school—and haven’t used it since) to capture someone talking at a regular pace. It slows down the interview process to continually pause and for the person to wait as you complete your notes.  I record mostly to make sure I get my quotations right.

If you are recording on the telephone, I recommend you use the Radio Shack “Smart” Phone Recorder Control.  For legal reasons, you need to tell the other person that you are recording and secure their permission on the tape (the rules are different in every state but to make sure it’s the best procedure). This device makes recording easy because it’s directly connected from your telephone line into any tape recorder. Telephone interviews are some of the most difficult—because you can’t see the other person for the visuals to add to the article. Also it’s a situation much more out of your control. For example, the other person can have an interruption, such as another phone call, and suddenly end your conversation—and sometimes you are stuck not getting your required information.

Whether on the phone or in person, make sure you prepare with a list of questions and a plan. It’s not a firm plan because other questions will develop during the interview. Like many of the skills that I’m highlighting in this series, interviewing is something to practice repeatedly and you will improve your techniques.

Over the years, I’ve been amazed at the people who forget about my tape recorder and will say to me, “I’ve never told this to anyone but…” Often this story material becomes some of the best in my articles.

During the interview, I always make sure to find out how to return to the person for possible follow-up questions or to give them a copy of the article. If you don’t, you will be shocked how you think of one important question as you write the article or you hang up the phone—and can’t get back to the person.  In general, the high profile the person, it’s more typical for them to call you—and not reveal their phone number—often for control purposes. Asking how to return to them is a critical question that everyone needs to include in their interview.

During my interviews, I’ve learned way more information that I include in my actual magazine articles and I recommend interviewing as a skill which every writer needs to develop and include in their skill set.

  1. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Ideas for Getting Info for Your Magazine Article

 

If you’ve never done an interview with someone else, the thought can be frightening.  I want to take away the fright factor and give you some ideas how to get this information and where to begin.

For your first interview, I recommend you use a family member or good friend. These interviews do not happen on the fly. One of the most important steps is to prepare a list of questions ahead of time. With your questions, you can be confident that you will gather information and add spontaneous and follow-up questions during the session.  The skill of interviewing others and asking good questions is something you can develop and improve as you do it over and over. Understand that everyone feels a little awkward the first few times and then like any other skill, it will seem natural and easy.

I’ve been interviewing others for many years—since I started writing sports for my high school newspaper. You can learn the skill of writing quotations from others, asking good questions and gathering the information you will need to write your story.

Sources for Your Magazine Article

Where do you locate experts to interview? Who has the information that you need to write your article?  You can use Google to find experts on a particular topic. Also, understand that many companies have a public relations department or a publicist who is eager for you to interview their experts.  The PR people will work with you if you are writing an article on speculation but they definitely prefer writers who have a definite assignment. You get an assignment with a magazine when you write a a query letter which gets their attention.

These publicists and PR people will be able to provide you with background information, press releases, books and other research material to help you pull together the information for your interview and eventually for your article.

Has this “expert” written a book? Then your best course of action is to set up an interview through their publisher. Call the publisher and ask to speak to someone in publicity. It’s one of the few times I recommend people call the publisher. Tell the publicist about your assignment and ask for background materials (review copies of the books, other articles, etc.). Then ask the publicist to set up your interview and give the person the times when you are available. Wise authors who want to sell books take advantage of these interview possibilities.  You will quote this “expert” and mention their book in the article and get to tap their expertise and quotes for your article. It works as a package and everyone has something to gain from the experience—you, the expert and the publisher.

With increased publishing experience, you can expect to write more on assignment and less on speculation (spec).  Even an assigned piece can sometimes not work out for a particular publication. Maybe the editor sees it and thought the query was a good idea—but the execution is wrong for their publication. I’ve not had this experience often but it does happen. In these cases, the magazine will often pay a “kill fee.” It’s a token payment for the writing work you poured into the article. Believe me, it’s better than nothing but pretty disappointing.

Many years ago, I interviewed Dan Quayle on a magazine cover story. It was a challenge to reach the then-Vice President but the article was perfect—a November cover story during an election year. (This publication doesn’t exist any longer—another common occurrence in the magazine world.) Unfortunately, the Vice President was running late and crammed my 30 to 45 minute scheduled interview into about 15 minutes. My assigned format was a Q & A — which means the interview has to have something worthy of his actual words appearing as the main text of the article. I got nothing but clichés and pat answers in the crammed time frame. I wrote my article, turned it in—even turned in my transcribed interview. It resulted in a kill fee for vast amounts of time and energy.

Just remember, on the road to publication there are many possible junctures where it can fail.  Some are in your control and others are completely outside of your control. You control what you can and you work with the other details. It never gets published until you hold the finished magazine article or book in your hand.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Ideas for Magazine Articles are Everwhere

Over the last twenty-five years, books have been my passion and the bulk of my writing life. It’s not where I began and I write much more than books.  Please don’t misunderstand. I love books but I continue to believe many writers are missing golden opportunities by not practicing the short form—magazine writing.

In the article format, I’m able to practice many of the techniques I use in my books, yet in a more compressed form.  It’s a sharpening process for my writing life and important. If you’ve strayed into only writing books, then I recommend you return to writing magazine articles. It will build something into your books.

Ideas are one of the most fluid and free-wheeling part of the writing process. I love to have new ideas—and they come constantly. Sometimes the waves of what I want to write spring into my mind so fast, it’s like standing under a waterfall. You can’t possibly catch everything—and like a waterfall,  you can only stand the spray for a tiny bit—before you get washed away.

Conversations with people can stir ideas. You may be taking a break at work and listening to someone’s story and decide a much-changed version of the story could be part of a novel. Or possibly from the conversation, you see your friend struggling with a personal crisis and discovering a unique solution to this crisis or handling it in a different way. You decide that experience could be the beginnings of a how-to article.  I’ve given only two examples of how we can find ideas from our conversations with others.

Other times we read the newspaper and learn about a new product. Because we read magazines and other types of print or internet publications, the idea comes to write about this product. You take this idea and pitch a magazine (more about this aspect for another article) and you snag an assignment to write about the product. Reading stimulates your idea process.  Can you take the idea and twist it in a different fashion and reveal the product or service to a new audience and a different publication?

Years ago, I was reading the Orange County Register and living in Southern California. In the business section, a small news item announced Disney was printing Disney Dollars. I was fascinated with this bit of news and wanted to learn more.  As a part of the experience of being in Disneyland, they have Disney Dollars which are the same quality of regular currency. I pitched a numismatic magazine with the article idea and received an assignment.  In a matter of weeks, I was on the back lot of Disney — where no “guests” are allowed and interviewing one of the Vice Presidents about this new currency.  For me the process began with a small news item in the newspaper. You can find ideas in the same way.

Almost anything can stir ideas—family activities, walking through the mall, visiting a historic monument or _____ (you name it).  I’ve learned to always carry a piece of paper because ideas will strike me at odd times. I have to write it down or it will pass through my mind and be forgotten. (In general, I ignore the ones that come in the middle of the night).

OK, now you have an idea. What do you do with the idea? It will be key to whether you get it published or it disappears.

 

  1. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Can I Write for This Magazine?

 I love print magazines and I take a number of them as a subscriber. When they arrive, frequently I read them cover to cover. While I enjoy many different types of publications, as a writer, I also take a deeper look to see if there is an opportunity for me to write for the magazine.

In this article, I want to give you some of the benchmarks and resources you can use to evaluate your magazines and see if you have an opportunity to write for this publication. As a former magazine editor, I know every editor begins the issue with a blank magazine filling the pages. These empty pages spell opportunities for freelance writers.

First, look at the age of the publication. If a new magazine, often the editor is open to working with new writers because they haven’t built a stable of contributors. If the magazine has been around for years, notice who writes the articles. Are their names listed on the masthead as “contributing writers?” If so, then the magazine may be mostly staff written and does not use much freelance material.

Next use Google to search for the magazine online. Do they have writer’s guidelines? If so, then they are normally open to freelance submissions. Read and follow their instructions. Does their website list themes for forthcoming issues or have a “themes list?” If you pitch an idea related to these themes, then you will get more interest from the editor.

Go to your local library and use the latest Market Guide. Use the index to look up the  entry for the magazine. What percentage of their magazine is freelance? The higher the percentage the more likely there is opportunity for the writer.  Do they pay on acceptance or publication? As a writer, I prefer publications that pay on acceptance. Magazines that pay on publication may hold your article for many months before publishing (and paying).

As in book publishing, the magazine world is constantly changing. For example, I noticed recently Architectural Digest has a new editor because each month the editor writes a little column in the front of the magazine. Change can spell opportunity for the writer because a new editor may be open to new ideas and new pitches for the publication.

If you want to write for magazines, learn how to write a query letter or one page pitch. Then craft appropriate pitches (from the guidelines) to the editor. Yes you may garner rejection but repeated rejection is not necessarily bad. Maybe your article is rejected because someone else pitched a similar article or the magazine has already purchased a similar article. Yes these situations happen and I’ve seen it as an editor. The repeated pitching of appropriate articles also gets you positive attention from the editor. The editor also assigns articles to freelance writers and you want to be one of those people who gets an assignment. To gain an assignment, you have to be on their radar. As a freelance writer, you get on their radar through professional pitching.

Every magazine is looking for dependable, professional writers who can deliver excellent writing on the editor’s deadline.  You will have to prove yourself but as you deliver quality writing repeatedly, then you will gain the editor’s trust and become someone who is a part of their regular writers. The procedure is a process and begins with studying the publication then pitching appropriate articles.

Opportunity is everywhere. Use these tips to begin writing for publication.

  1. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Five Ways to Boost Your Holiday Magazine Writing

a3holiday-magazine

Much of the publishing world becomes silent throughout late November until the New Year—including the magazine world. The holiday magazines were finalized months ago. As a magazine editor, I recall pulling out my Christmas music in July to begin planning the December magazine. It’s typical in the magazine world to be working three to six months ahead to assign articles and plan the publications.

When the editors aren’t responding and are taking a break, how can you boost your magazine writing? Yes many of us are focused on time with family and activities outside the writing world. I want to give you five ways to increase your writing during the holidays.

  1. Keep pitching and writing query letters. When activities slow down in the editorial offices, it gives some editors a chance to dig into their unsolicited manuscripts and ideas. If you pitch ideas for articles which will be published in the spring or summer of 2017, then your material will be read and considered. Write the query letters or articles and email or mail to editors on a consistent basis.
  2. Look for new magazines. What magazines do you read on a regular basis? Do they take freelance writing? Could you write articles for that magazine? Look online for the publication guidelines then follow the tips. Or use a Market Guide to learn more details about the magazine and their percentage of freelance writing. This time of year is a perfect time to be expanding your writing possibilities.
  3. Write queries and articles for magazine theme lists. Many publications create editorial plans with themes. These lists show you what the editor wants to publish. Tailor your pitches to what the editor needs. Yes it can be this simple.
  4. Write personal experience articles. Almost every publication takes personal experience articles and publishes articles tied to the holidays. Take advantage of your own experiences and right after the experience, write it down. Capture the sights, sounds and dialogue while it is fresh. Make sure your article has a single focus or takeaway. Then write queries or send it out later in the year to publications for 2017 issues.
  5. Plan to attend a writers’ conference in 2017. Editors assign and buy articles and ideas from writers they know, like and trust. In this holiday season make plans to attend a writers’ conference in the New Year.  Look for one that fits your travel budget and schedule but also study who is speaking and if they are publications where you want to write articles.

Every writer whether you are much published or never published can take advantage of the quiet time of the holidays. As you take action, you will propel your magazine work to a new level.

terry-whalin-headshot-9-2016

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

Writing Your Magazine Article: The Details

 
How do you write your magazine article? Let’s explore the details in this article. As a long-time journalist writing for different publications and a former magazine editor, I’m intimately acquainted with the elements for these articles.

[bctt tweet=”If you’ve written a query letter, then you’ve already written the opening for your article.” username=”@terrywhalin @A3forme”] Otherwise, the first step in the writing is to create a motivating opening story. The key phrase is to make it motivating. The opening has to propel the reader into the rest of the article so they can’t stop reading.

Here’s one example from my own personal story: “I’ve gone to church most of my life but I lived off my parent’s faith until half way through my sophomore year in college.” How is that? Would it propel you to keep reading? Probably not.

Here’s the way my story began in a published article, “I slapped the snooze alarm for the third time and finally opened my eyes at Chi Phi, my fraternity house. Last night had been a late one. After covering an evening speech and interview for the school paper, I worked frantically on the story until just before midnight, when I dropped it into the hands of a waiting editor.”

Compare these two examples. Notice the detail in the second version. I am not telling you about the experience, I am showing you. Repeatedly the writing books and teachers say, “Show don’t tell.” They are saying to include dialogue and the type of detail for a story which will propel the reader into the article.

After writing the opening for the article, how do you continue? If you’ve done your research for the article, you will not write 2,000 words for a publication that only takes 500 word articles. Because you have a target length for your article, this word count helps give definition for your plan.

Also if you’ve done your research, you’ve thought about the article and focused it. Can you summarize the point of the article into a single sentence? Complete the sentence: My article is about _____. After you’ve written this sentence, never wander away from this goal. Sometimes in articles, I saw at Decision, the author would begin well then wander around and finally conclude. The articles lacked focus and the sentence statement will help you keep the article on track.

For each magazine piece, I write from an outline. Normally my article will have a number of points or illustrations. A standard outline would be: the problem, the possible solutions and your solution. If you’re writing about a person, your outline might include different aspects of the person’s life such as childhood, life before Christ and life after Christ. Write out the different points for your outline. When I write a short story, I use the same approach. What is the beginning, middle and ending? An outline keeps the writer focused on the goal of the article.

[bctt tweet=”Also be realistic with yourself and your writing life.” username=””] Can you only write for thirty minutes a day or maybe it is only ten minutes? Are you motivated to write the entire article in one session? Possibly you write only one point from your outline during aeach session. Whatever your writing goal, the point is to write consistently and keep moving the article toward completion.

After you’ve written the article, put it away for a period of time. If you are on a tight deadline, that might involve eating lunch and then returning to it. If you have the time, you might want several days or a week. When you return to your article, read it out loud. The ear is less forgiving than the eye. Reading it out loud, will point out areas for you to revise and rewrite.

The focus of your entire article will be that single sentence and keep your article in a tightly written story. It is just what the reader (and editor) needs.

 

________________________________________

  1. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin
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Magazine and Freelance

How to Increase Your Publications Odds-Terry Whalin

WTerryWhalin

by Terry Whalin

The bulk of my magazine writing is done on assignment. How do you get an assignment? Which magazines do you read on a consistent basis? Your familiarity with these publications and the types of articles that they publish gives you some needed background.

Pull out the magazines that come into your home.

Organize them with several months from the same publication. Then study the contents. What types of articles do they publish? How-to articles? Personal Experience? For example, at Decision, where I used to be an editor, almost every article is a first-person, personal experience story. If you send them a how-to article which is not written in the first person, you are asking for rejection. Or if you write a story about someone else in the third-person, you will again invite rejection.

After you have studied the publications, then write the publication for their writers’ guidelines. Almost every magazine has guidelines for their authors. You can also use google and often find these guidelines online.  Write a simple letter asking for guidelines and enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the response. You can find the address for the publication usually on the masthead of the magazine under editorial offices. Or use The Christian Writers Market Guide by Jerry B. Jenkins. This guide is a critical tool if you are going to write for the Christian marketplace. After reading through the guidelines, you will have some additional information. Does the publication accept query letters or prefer full manuscripts? Some magazines have a query only system. This means that you have to write a query letter (one page) and get a letter of request from the editor, before sending the full manuscript. Other publications like Decision do not look at query letters but only completed manuscripts.

What’s a query letter? Entire books have been written on this topic and one of the best is Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool (Writer’s Digest Books). A query is a single-page letter which sells your story idea. It has a four paragraph formula. The first paragraph is a creative beginning for your article. You don’t write the entire article–only the first paragraph which captures the reader’s interest. The purpose of this first paragraph is simply to capture the editor’s attention. I won’t walk you through the day of an editor but since I’ve been one for years, I know they are involved in a multitude of tasks. For editors to read query letters, it is often done at the end of the day, late at night or in a car pool on the way home. It must be interesting.

The second paragraph includes the main points of how you will approach the article. The third paragraph gives your personal qualifications for this topic and your writing credits (if any). It basically answers the question, why should you of all the writers get this assignment? Highlight your own area of expertise in this paragraph.

The final paragraph says how soon you could write the article (give yourself enough time for example, “three weeks from assignment”) and says you are enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope and looking forward to their reply. I often send the letter to as many as ten different publications at the same time.

Within the magazine business, there is an on-going discussion about simultaneous submissions (where you send the same finished article to several publications). If you do this, you may end up on the black list of authors. Each publication has a list of people that they will not work with. You don’t want to be on that list. Also each publication has a list of authors they use regularly and call with ideas. Your goal is to get on this particular list of regular contributors.

From my perspective, a simultaneous query is not the same as a finished article. Go ahead and query several magazines at the same time on the same topic if you think you can write several different articles on the same subject. One magazine may ask for 500 words on the topic while another may approach it from an entirely different viewpoint and ask for 2,000 words. Your illustrations and information will be considerably different. If you send it to ten magazines, you may get ten rejections. On the other hand, perhaps you will get an acceptance or two, or at least a request to see the entire article on speculation. “On speculation” means that the editor is not under obligation to purchase your article if it doesn’t meet the periodical’s standards or expectations.

[bctt tweet=”No one gets magazine assignments just by thinking about it” username=”@A3forme @terrywhalin “] As a writer, you have to take action and be regularly pitching your ideas to editors and writing query letters. Then when you get an assignment, write an excellent article and submit it on or ahead of the deadline. As you learn to write a query letter and take consistent action, you will increase your odds of publication and get published in magazines.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

First Things First

WTerryWhalin

By: Terry Whalin

Many people want to publish their writing. After working as a magazine editor for years plus writing for many publications, there is a simple truth every writer needs to remember and practice:

[bctt tweet=”You have to do first things first…submit your work #freelance #magazine” username=”@A3forme”]

If you only dream about writing and never submit your work, then you’ve never taken that first step toward publication.

Yet even before you submit anything, you have to handle the blank computer screen. How do you figure out what to write?

Many writers and would-be writers have told me how that blank page petrifies them. In this article, we’ll explore my technique for getting started to write for magazines. It’s a rare day that I have trouble putting those initial words on paper. I always jot down some ideas ahead of time before I write. Maybe my notes are just a couple of points that I want to cover when I write the article. The reality is ideas for magazine articles are everywhere and the places to write are just as plentiful. Maybe you have had an interesting personal experience that you want to capture in your story. Possibly you have been involved in a ministry and created some unique materials that you’d like to tell to others through a how-to article. Maybe you’ve compiled some teaching on a topic from the Bible and would like to get that into print.

Or if you don’t have any material from your own experience to write about, consider interviewing some interesting people around you and writing their story for publication.

Before you write anything, the first questions to ask are:

Who is my audience?

What publication will use this article?

The possibilities are endless: adult, women, men, children, teenagers, or youth. Are they in a specialized occupation such as pastors or school-teachers? Are they a certain age?

[bctt tweet=”The important thing is to be sure to target a specific audience. #Freelance #amwriting” username=”@A3forme @terrywhalin “]You can’t write an article assuming that every reader will want to read your material because that simply isn’t the case. Articles are written for a particular audience and a particular publication.

Every writer meets with rejection and projects which are never published. In fact, I have files of material which has circulated and never been published. I caution you that rejection and unpublished articles are a part of the writer’s life and the road to consistent publication.

As a writer, you have to practice first things first. Craft your article for a particular audience then get it off your desk and into the hands of an editor. It can happen, if you get it into the market so make your move today.

Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

 

 

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

HOW TO DRIVE EDITORS CRAZY- part 2

How to Drive an Editor Crazy, Part 2

By Lori Hatcher

I’m a magazine editor. Every day I receive submissions from writers. Some are stellar and others, not so much. While there are many factors that determine whether I accept a submission, writers who follow a few simple guidelines are much more likely to see their writing in print. In Part 1 of this series, (How to Drive an Editor Crazy, Part 1) I shared two things that drive editors crazy. This time, in case you’re considering career suicide, I’ll share a few more. If you’re a smart writer and avoid these pitfalls, you’ll be well on your way to making your editor smile AND seeing your work in a magazine.

How to Drive an Editor Crazy, Part 2

  1. Quote facts without attribution.

If you say, “Haiti is spiritually and economically depressed because its citizens signed a pact with the devil,” you’d better have a credible source to back this up. Publications will differ on how they want you to document your sources. Some prefer insource notation, others want footnotes or end notes, but they all agree—undocumented facts are a sign of sloppy journalism. And please don’t begin a sentence with “According to . . .” Recast the sentence if necessary, but figure out a less formulaic way of quoting your source.

  1. Use the word that

 

That in some sentences is a relative pronoun that introduces an adjective clause. Other times, that is superfluous. A good test to determine whether the word is necessary is to delete it and see if the sentence still makes sense.

Example: The first sight that I saw was a dog running toward me.

Example: I went to the store that had the birthday cake in the window.

In the first example, I can remove the word that without changing the meaning of the sentence. In the second, I cannot.

 

  1. Use the plural pronoun they with a singular subject.

 

Example: When a student doesn’t want to go to gym class it’s usually because they hate dressing out in front of others.

 

Writers do this because they don’t want to use the dreaded and awkward he/she. As noble as their motive is, however, it’s never OK. One way to avoid this is to pick a gender and use it throughout, knowing your readers will understand that your thoughts apply to both genders.

 

Example: When a student doesn’t want to go to gym class, it’s usually because he hates dressing out in front of others.

 

Another way to avoid this is to use the plural in both cases.

Example: When students don’t want to go to gym class, it’s usually because they hate dressing out in front of others.

Professional writers take note of incorrect grammar and usage and provide proper attribution whenever they quote sources. Watching for these errors and correcting them before we submit our work will ensure we never, ever, ever drive our editors crazy.

 

 

Lori Hatcher is the editor of Reach Out, Columbia magazine and the author of the devotional book Hungry for God…Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women. A blogger, writing instructor, and women’s ministry speaker, her goal is to help women connect with God in the craziness of life. You’ll find her pondering the marvelous and the mundane on her blog, Hungry for God…Starving for Time. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter (@LoriHatcher2), or Pinterest (Hungry for God).

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