Adair Lara talked about publishing in magazines during her Summer 2009 Writing Class, giving me the idea for this blog post.
1. Research . . . really research. . . where you could send your writing. Make sure the publication you have in mind publishes the type of writing you want to submit. Read the magazine you hope to be published in cover-to-cover, including the ads. Notice the tone of the articles/essays. Research the demographics . . . make a list of who the ads are geared towards (age, gender, lifestyle, socioeconomic). Make sure your article/essay fits those demographics. You can research magazines at libraries and ask for magazines from: hairdressers, medical offices, etc. Of course, buying magazines is good. We want to support our local vendors, but sometimes we need to use free resources.
2. Look at the magazine’s masthead. . . this is in the first few pages of the magazine where the names of editors and contributors are listed. Flip through the magazine, making a list of writers’ names. Compare that list to the names in the masthead. . . If the ratio is high, in favor of the editors, then the magazine uses their own writers, rather than freelancers.
3. Article written? Check. Research done? Check. Now what? Go to the publication’s website to find the name and email of the appropriate editor for the column/feature/where you want to submit. You can type “Submissions + name of publication” into the search engine of your choice (Google, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc) to research submissions information.
You can also type “How to publish in magazines,” using the research tool of your choice, to read about publishing in magazines.
Think about specialized, or “niche” markets: Your alumnae news, or a specialized newsletter in a field that would be interested in your article/essay. For example, an article about relaxation, stress reduction techniques might work in Autism Parenting Magazine.
Check out writing magazines (Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Poets & Writers, etc.) for places to submit articles. Look into Writers Market for information on “where and how to sell what you write.”
You can also write posts for blogs.
Sweatpants & Coffee: “A bastion of comfort and sanity in an often uncomfortable world” is looking for writers.
The Write Spot Blog is looking for guest bloggers and book reviewers.
Essays. . . how to write them. . . take a class from Adair Lara.
One of my all-time favorite essays by Adair Lara is “Reconciling Tastes.”
“You’re doing what?
So you do a simple everyday thing like you and your husband moving in with your ex, and people raise their eyebrows.”
Adair’s funny and poignant story about their domicile arrangements was published in California Magazine, 2011.
“Literary magazines, even ones that do not offer payment, can bring great value to your writing career. Publication adds to your credibility when applying to MFA programs or querying agents and editors.” — June 2014 The Writer Magazine lists literary magazines accepting submissions.
Do you have a recommendation of magazines to write for? Share your ideas in the comments section below. First, you need to register, then it’s a simple log-in to The Write Spot Blog.
Note from Marlene: Sometimes our writing meanders, like John and his boat, and that’s just fine. Find the current in your writing. Let your mind wander and let your freewrite take you on a meandering route and you might find the rhythm for your best creative writing. Just Write!
