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2 Responses to “How do freelance writers find work with newspapers and magazines?”
For magazines you need to study a year’s worth of issues. What is the magazine’s style? Who are their readers? Are most of their articles written by staff members of freelancers? What kind of advertising do they accept?
A very good reference book is “The Writer’s Market,” which lists every magazine, how often it publishes, what percentage of articles are freelance written, when and how they pay.
Once you know all that, then you have to learn to write what is called a “query letter,” which shows a potential editor that you are familiar with their magazine and you can write in their style.
No matter who Writers Market says, call the magazine and ask who the current editor is for the department you intend to contact.
Make sure it is letter perfect – no typos. It takes about 6-8 weeks to get a reply.
If you start sending out lots of query letters – keep a list of what you sent, when you sent it and what the editor’s response it.
As for newspapers, many of the smaller newspapers are often looking for someone to cover local town meetings, so you could check for writing opportunities in that venue.
March 7th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Trying to send their writtings to the newspapers or magazines would be a great start…
March 7th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
For magazines you need to study a year’s worth of issues. What is the magazine’s style? Who are their readers? Are most of their articles written by staff members of freelancers? What kind of advertising do they accept?
A very good reference book is “The Writer’s Market,” which lists every magazine, how often it publishes, what percentage of articles are freelance written, when and how they pay.
Once you know all that, then you have to learn to write what is called a “query letter,” which shows a potential editor that you are familiar with their magazine and you can write in their style.
No matter who Writers Market says, call the magazine and ask who the current editor is for the department you intend to contact.
Make sure it is letter perfect – no typos. It takes about 6-8 weeks to get a reply.
If you start sending out lots of query letters – keep a list of what you sent, when you sent it and what the editor’s response it.
As for newspapers, many of the smaller newspapers are often looking for someone to cover local town meetings, so you could check for writing opportunities in that venue.