Media Coverage

The Write Stuff
the newsletter of the Ventura County Writers Club,
September 2000

A Writer's Guide to Magazine Articles
by Gerald Schiller

Here is a book that anyone interested in writing and selling magazine articles will find indispensable. Patricia Fry--one of the founders of SPAWN--who has authored nine books and dozens of magazine pieces, offers up some eminently useful tips about the business of writing articles.

For those of us (probably most of us) whose time is limited and precious, Fry provides a fast and pointed overview, chock full of valuable information, and she does it all in a mere 65 pages.

Drawing liberally from her own writing experiences, she deals with everything from finding time to write, dealing with the writer's lonely life, the resources writers require-all the way up to researching articles, recycling your article with reprints, and keeping good records.

I read the whole book in one informative sitting. Overall I found it very valuable but I did have two criticisms. First, I felt some sections went by too fast and could have used a bit more explanation. Secondly, an entire section of the book deals with tying a book you've written to magazine articles and review. This would have fit better later on, especially since many article writers may not have completed a book.

Overall, though, it's well written, concise and extremely helpful (even if--like me you've had numerous pieces already published). And at $6.50 (plus $2.00 tax and shipping) it's a genuine bargain.

A Writer's Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit