by Kerrie Flanagan
Contrary to popular belief, magazines are still going strong. According to the latest study by the Magazine Publishers of America there are more than 20,000 magazines in print. This is good news if you are looking to write for magazines. But before you jump in, there are a few things you should know that will increase your chances of getting an acceptance letter.
Every magazine has a certain readership; teenage girl, mother of young children, budget traveler and so on. It is imperative you know as much about that reader as you can before submitting a query to the editor, because the more you know about who reads the magazine, the more you can tailor your query, article, or essay to best reach that audience.
Geoff Van Dyke, deputy editor of the Denver magazine 5280 says, “I wish people would truly read the magazine, like cover to cover, and understand our readership and voice and mission before sending queries. Sometimes—more often than not—writers submit queries that make it clear that they don’t really understand 5280, don’t understand our readers or our mission, and, thus, the query is a bad fit. If they just spend a little more time on the front end, it would make all the difference.”
So how can you find out who is the target audience for a specific magazine? The key is in the advertising. Companies spend thousands of dollars getting their messages out to their consumers. They are only going to invest their money in a magazine directed at their target market. By paying attention to the ads in a publication (and this goes for online too) you can learn a lot about the reader. What are the ages of the people in the ads? Are they families? Singles? What types of products are highlighted? Expensive clothes? Organic foods? Luxury cars and world travel or family cars and domestic travel?
Another way to find out the demographics of the reader is to locate the media kit on the magazine’s website. This is a document intended to provide information to potential advertisers about their readership, but is a gold mine for freelance writers. The media kit provides information like the average age, income, gender, hobbies, home ownership, education and marital status.
This becomes invaluable when looking at ideas and topics to pitch to a magazine. For instance, in the media kit for 5280 magazine, 71 percent of the readers are married, 93 percent own their own home and 78 percent have lived in Colorado for more than 10 years or are natives of the state. With this little bit of information, pitching an article on where to find the best deals on apartments in Denver, is definitely not a good fit since most of their readers own their own home. An article on the best bars in Denver to meet other singles is also not a good idea for this publication, but one on the most romantic weekend getaways in Colorado to take your spouse is a possibility. It is also clear that, when writing the article, time does not have to be spent explaining to the reader things about Colorado that people who live in the state already know since 78 percent of the readers have been there for more than a decade.
Once you understand the reader, then you need to familiarize yourself with the actual magazine. Take the time to explore who are the writers, the length of the articles and the departments.
Tom Hess, editor with Encompass Magazine, wishes more writers would take the time to know his magazine, in all its forms, before querying. “Too few writers make the effort, and those who do, get my immediate attention.”
One way to do this with print magazines is to literally take apart the magazine. To see who writes for the magazine, find the masthead, the page in the front of the magazine that lists the editors and contributing writers. Tear it out so you have it as a reference. Now, go through the magazine, page by page and make a note by each article with a byline to find out who wrote the piece. Was it an editor? A contributing editor? If you can’t find their names on the masthead, then they are typically freelance writers. A contributing editor is usually not on staff, but writes frequently for the magazine.
Now go through and pay attention to the length of articles and the various departments. How many feature stories are there? Is there a back page essay? Are there short department pieces in the front?
By knowing all of this information, you can better direct your query to the areas of the magazine that are more open to freelance writers and tailor your idea to better fit the type of articles they publish.
Each magazine has its own style and tone. It’s what makes the difference between The New Yorker and Time. Some magazines are very literary, others are more informational, so it is important to study the magazines to have a good understanding of their style.
Below are two travel writing examples portraying Ketchikan, Alaska, but with very different styles. As you read over each selection, pay attention to the style by looking at the use of quotes, the point of view (first person, third person…), the descriptions and the overall tone of the article.
In Ketchikan, there are many great things to see and do. The roots of the three Native Alaskan tribes, the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian run deep on this island where you can find the world’s largest collection of totem poles. In a beautiful cove, eight miles north of downtown is Totem Bight State Park where 14 historic totems are found along with a native clanhouse. Totems can also be viewed at the Totem Heritage Center and the Southest Discovery Center. At the Saxman Tribal house and at the Metlakatla Long House, skilled groups bring Native dance to life with regular performances.
The rest of the world disappeared when I entered this lush, green rainforest. Stillness and peace embraced me while I strolled on the wooden walkway, in awe of the surrounding beauty: moss hung from trees, foliage so dense it provided shelter from the rain and beautiful rivers flowed, in search of the ocean. Ketchikan, Alaska, is in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, and an unlikely place to find the Earth’s largest remaining temperate rainforest.
The first article provides information and facts about traveling to Ketchikan to see the totem poles. This article would be a good fit for a magazine like Family Motor Coaching. The second article definitely has a different style; one that is more poetic and descriptive and more likely to be found in National Geographic Traveler.
Both pieces are good but are unique in their style and tone. By understanding this aspect of a magazine, your query or article can better reflect the voice of the publication and increase your chances of an assignment and well-received article.
Most magazines put together submission guidelines, spelling out exactly what they are looking for with articles and how to submit your idea to them.
“I wish writers would understand exactly what kind of material we are looking for,” says Russ Lumpkin, managing editor of Gray’s Sporting Journal, “and that they would adhere strictly to our submission guidelines. We publish fly fishing and hunting stories and accept only digital submissions via e-mail. A poem about watching butterflies submitted through the mail creates work that falls out of my ordinary work flow. And that’s aggravating.”
The submission guidelines are usually found in the “About Us” or “Contact Us” section on a magazine’s website as well as in resources like Writer’s Market. Read the guidelines carefully and follow them when submitting your query or article.
Once you have done all your upfront research and have found a magazine that is a good fit for your idea, it is time to write a good query letter. The letter should be professional and written in a style and tone similar to the article you are pitching.
Robbin Gould, editor of Family Motor Coaching, believes a writer needs to submit as comprehensive a query as possible and be fully aware of the magazine’s focus, particularly when dealing with a niche publication. “A writer who misuses terms or makes erroneous statements about the subject he or she proposes to cover indicates a lack of knowledge to the editor,” says Gould. “Or a query that simply states, ‘Would you be interested in an article about XXX?’ with minimal explanation wastes everyone’s time and suggests the writer is looking for any publication to take the article. If the writer doesn’t show much attention to detail up front, the editor probably won’t spend much time considering the idea.”
There are basic components that should be included in every query letter.
By following all the steps in this article you will be ready set off on a magazine-writing journey equipped with the necessary tools and confidence to get your queries noticed, and, in the end, see your articles in print.
KERRIE FLANAGAN has 130+ published articles and essays to her credit. In addition she is the director of Northern Colorado Writers, a group she founded in 2007 that supports and encourages writers of all levels and genres through classes, networking events, retreats and an annual writer’s conference. Kerrie is also available for writing coaching. Visit her website for more information about her and NCW. www.KerrieFlanagan.com.