What Is Freelance Magazine Writing?

Freelance magazine writing can be one of the most rewarding careersavailable to a freelance writer. Successful magazine writers are articulate,have a wide variety of interests, and know how to research a topic. Manyfreelance magazine writers write for various magazines, not just one, and liketo write on diverse topics and sell their articles to a variety of magazinesand media outlets.

The key to writing for magazines and selling what you write is knowing yourmarket. Most magazines focus on a fairly narrow range of content. One magazinemight deal with the finer points of horse grooming. Another magazine mightfocus on the ins and outs of toy robot collection. And yet another might coverthe beauties and travel opportunities available in Bali.

This degree of specialization means that magazine editors usually have aspecific idea of what articles they’re seeking, sometimes even down to aspecific writing style or voice. Since magazines typically cater to a “niche”audience of educated readers, you’ll need to write well-written and interestingarticles; your articles will have to feel new to an established audience. Ifyou’re writing for a parasailing magazine, then submitting a 500-word articleabout the basics of parasailing just won’t do.

You have two options to write salable articles. The first is to becomedeeply involved with the activities or topics which the magazine covers. Ifyou’re planning to write and sell travel articles about Germany, take at leastone trip to Germany. If you’re planning to write and sell articles about catcare, spend a few days with a cat yourself (or find a knowledgeable, cat-owningfriend who’s willing to give you some good, real-life information).

Writing magazine articles is a form of journalism, and often adheres to thesame standards of quality and truthfulness. Would you trust a news articleabout declining air and water standards in a nearby town if you could tell thewriter had never set foot in that town? Of course not.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have time to take on an entirely new hobby.That’s why the second way is usually the best option: write about what youknow. We’re all complicated people. We all have stories to tell. We enjoyhobbies and activities that fascinate us. We can easily uncover material for ahundred or more articles. So think about what you can write about, and whatinterests you. It seems hard at first, but once you sit down and start thinkingabout it, the article ideas will flow. Once you have your article ideas andhave written articles about what you know, start looking around for magazinesthat might be willing to buy them. Chances are good there’s a magazine coveringyour interests or hobbies.

How do you find suitable magazines, and how do you ask if editors areinterested? There are many ways to find appropriate publishing venues for yourarticles. For one, you could go to your local bookstore and search the magazineracks. If you have an independent bookstore in your area, so much the better:you may find some titles that don’t circulate at the larger chains. You canalso take advantage of Writer’s Market, which list pertinent information abouthundreds of magazines, including typical rates and what editors seek.

Once you’ve picked your magazine, send the editor a query letter about yourarticle. This should be short and sweet, briefly stating who you are, yourprevious publication history (editors like to work with provensuccesses–wouldn’t you?), and your article topic. The length, topic andaddressee of your query letter will depend on the magazine; you can usuallyfind information on submissions policies in the “credits” section or on themagazine’s website.

Send off your query letter and wait. Be prepared, as well, for rejection.There are many reasons editors won’t take an article, and few of them have todo with your skills as a writer. If you get a rejection letter, just take a fewminutes to mourn before starting on your next article. The hardest sale to makeis always your first sale; keep up a steady stream of good, well-marketed work,and the sale will come. When it does, pat yourself on the back; you’re on yourway to freelancing as a magazine writer!