One of my former students recommended my online courses at her blog site today:
http://lgburns.livejournal.com
I’ve also had my articles published in three different writing/publishing magazines and newsletters this week. I know I’m popular because I have two cats sparring over my lap this morning. Sigh! One is a 6 pounds kitten and the other is a 15 pound grumpy old cat. Usually, the kitten wins—Lily is more cunning and charming than Max—and she’s more ardent. He’s easily intimidated by her cunning ways.
Speaking of being popular, I had a telling email from a friend and colleague this morning. We were having an email conversation about the state of the freelance article market. She made an interesting point. She is a freelance writer and she says she is getting quite a bit of work. She thinks it’s because editors are being inundated with material from so many “amateurs” that they recognize and appreciate queries from obvious professionals.
Hey, if you are interested in making a little (or a lot of) money writing articles for magazines, this is valuable information and insight. If you want to improve your standing with magazine editors, here are my recommendations:
• Read my book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles,
http://www.matilijapress.com/writingpage.html
• Sign up for my online article-writing course:
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm
Don’t just rush in with what you believe is a good idea. You need to understand and follow submission protocol. For example, find out if this is a topic your target magazine has covered recently. Editors do not like to be bothered by writers who have neglected to do their homework.
Don’t assume that the editor will fall in love with the article theme you present. Spell out your vision for the article and make sure it fits securely with the particular magazine’s format.
Don’t send original photographs, bios of half dozen potential experts for your piece, the article outline, your 6-page resume and testimonials from everyone you know related to your expertise in this topic. Study each magazine’s submission guidelines and send each editor what they require and request. Generally, this is a one-page query letter (instructions for writing succinct query letters in the book and as part of the course).
Don’t bother an editor with something you think they should publish even though it is way different than anything they have published in their 25 year existence. If they don’t use fiction, they don’t use fiction, don’t try to bully them into publishing your special piece of fiction. If they don’t publish essays, they don’t publish essays and your beautiful essay probably won’t change this fact.
Don’t glorify your potential article with a lot of obscure words and phrases. It is what it is and it should fit the magazine’s specifications.
Most of all, don’t make a sloppy presentation. Editors are either extremely busy or quite disorganized and they do not relish trudging through something that looks like the dog ate it and then regurgitated it. Be neat. Be succinct. Be explicit. Be professional.