How to Sell Magazine Articles

Tips to Help Freelance Writers Get Published

Nov 17, 2007 Sue Kernaghan

Knowing what to look for in a magazine is the secret to selling freelance articles. Here's how to read like an editor to get your work published.

Selling those first few magazine articles may seem difficult, but it’s easy if you know what to look for first.

Here’s how to decide which magazines to approach with your articles, and how:

1. Log on to the Web site to see the contributors' guidelines and an editorial calendar.

Contributors' Guidelines, often called Writers' Guidelines, explain what the magazine is looking for from freelancers and will also tell you whether it’s best to send in a completed piece or to query first. This is obviously a useful resource though, of course, not all magazines provide them.

An Editorial Calendar lists the planned feature content, usually for the year. These are aimed at advertisers, though they are useful for writers as well. Both provide great detail about what the magazine is (and isn't) looking for,

2. Read through the magazine (articles, editorials and ads) and try to visualise the readers -- their age, income, profession, and interests. Remember that ads can reveal more about the readers than the articles themselves.

3. Look at the quality of the magazine. A fat glossy probably pays well, but may be difficult for a newcomer to crack into. Something smaller and more inexpensively produced may offer more openings, if less money.

4. Find out if the magazine is sponsored, and by whom. If it is, find out about the sponsoring company by studying the magazine and looking up the company on the Internet.

5. Look at the bylines (writers' credits)

* If the bylines match the names on the masthead (the inside front page listing who does what) then the magazine has been largely written by people on staff.

* An article with no byline is probably the work of a staffer.

* A magazine that appears to have only two or three contributors is probably crying out for your submissions, but is perhaps not in a position to pay you.

* A variety of bylines is a very good sign as it suggest that the magazine uses a lot of freelancers.

6. Find your slot.

Look at the balance of articles in terms of story length, variety of destinations, balance of news and features. Write your piece to fit one of these slots.

7. Know the style.

How much concrete information does the magazine provide? Do they use lively language, humour and quotes, or stick to the facts? How good is the writing? Be aware of the magazine's political slant, if any.

8. Check the frequency and be aware of lead times. Feature-based magazines typically collect material several months ahead of time.

Now you’re in a position to write a winning query letter, and see your articles sell.

The copyright of the article How to Sell Magazine Articles in Resources for Writers is owned by Sue Kernaghan. Permission to republish How to Sell Magazine Articles in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.