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Writing Magazine Articles

In the wake of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, writing seems so trivial. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and the families caught in this tragedy.

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Writing Magazine Articles

When dreaming about writing magazine articles, most of us have visions of a byline in Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, or Reader's Digest. But the truth is that these magazines are already inundated. It's time to find a new approach.

Like everyone else, I started my career querying the top-of-the-food-chain publications. But trial and error proved that there was a better approach: querying the lesser-known publications.

So I spend days flipping through my latest copy of Writer's Market. (Yes! You do want to buy the new edition every year, but go through the book club so you get a discount. I do NOT recommend their website. It's clunky and cumbersome, and I find it annoying when so many listings come up with "listing removed" or some such comment. I know they're working on it, so I hold out hope!)

The next step was to query the smaller publications. Okay, so Modern Bride really wasn't the best magazine for me, so I successfully queried an unknown publication. This magazine was distributed for free at bridal shops. But surprise---the payment was still pretty good.

Even better---this lesser-known publication didn't have many freelance writers. So I wrote several more and they were accepted as well.

And that was my turning point. Instead of fighting for the top spot, I sent numerous queries to the small and moderate magazines. The editors were always kind, and some even offered tips. When an article was published, I found myself in a great position. My next query letter always thanked them for publishing my previous article. Sending a clip from their own magazine is a great tool, as well. It proves that you can work within the editor's requirements.

So was it successful? Oh, yes! I've published articles on business topics, food topics, parenting topics, bridal topics, etc. I've even successfully used this technique on the "Food" or "Life" section of smaller newspapers.

So stopping running in place, and try this new technique. The odds are in your favor.

Happy Writing!
Mdonnadesigns

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