Magazine Writer

Inspiro Assistant · Post by **Inspiro Assistant** » 31 Jul 2011, 06:21

Who are magazine writer here? I want to be a magazine writer about Life section, something that describes life and motivate people. What should be my first step? Thanks!

Maud Fitch · Post by **Maud Fitch** » 31 Jul 2011, 20:05

You can check out guidelines of individual publications and submit a synopsis or become a member of a writers group. I have friends who joined a local Writers Centre which supports and encourages networking, connection and creativity through the art and business of writing. It's a not-for-profit organisation and has publishing connections, proof-reading and manuscript development. Plus there's competitions and resources to help reach your goal. And I am sure there would be a similar group in your city.

Inspiro Assistant · Post by **Inspiro Assistant** » 02 Aug 2011, 04:10

Thank you so much Maud! I will take your advice! I love this forum!

Maud Fitch wrote:You can check out guidelines of individual publications and submit a synopsis or become a member of a writers group. I have friends who joined a local Writers Centre which supports and encourages networking, connection and creativity through the art and business of writing. It's a not-for-profit organisation and has publishing connections, proof-reading and manuscript development. Plus there's competitions and resources to help reach your goal. And I am sure there would be a similar group in your city.

Jimrada · Post by **Jimrada** » 12 Oct 2011, 14:51

I write for a lot of magazines. My first step, generally, is that I get an idea for an article. Then I start looking for market that might be interested in it. I may have to tweak the article a bit to have it fit with a market, but I don't mind doing that. Some ideas have a lot of ways they can be tailored so I can make multiple sales.

Jim Rada

Maud Fitch · Post by **Maud Fitch** » 16 Oct 2011, 22:41

Jim, I found your comments very interesting. One of my acquaintances writes travel features for various magazines and he submits his own photographs. Do you supply photos with your articles? Does it pay more?

Jimrada · Post by **Jimrada** » 17 Oct 2011, 04:24

Sometimes I will submit my own photographs, though I'm the first to admit I'm not a great photographer. (I have a friend who is a very good photographer and he used to always complain about pictures I took. Finally, I pointed out him that between the two of us, I was the only one who had gotten paid for my photos. Thank you magazines!) I am more likely to submit historical photos that go along with an article than I am to submit original photos. Magazines will generally pay you more if you submit photos. They are more likely to use a professional photographer, though, the more prominent the story will be in the magazine. The magazines I work with pay a fixed amount per picture they run with the article so it can be a fairly easy way to bump up your payment.

Jim Rada
Author of Battlefield Angels: The Daughters of Charity Work as Civil War Nurses

donjon · Post by **donjon** » 22 Oct 2011, 08:18

good to know that

Gfilm · Post by **Gfilm** » 01 Nov 2011, 00:46

Inspiro, if you are unpublished, best thing to do is try to get an online magazine who you can pitch an idea for an article for and it may be free at first.

They may have you write on spec, something specific as a trial to see how you write.

After you get your feet wet and get a few published somewhere then you can start sending queries and some Magazines pay per word, some pay a flat payment, some pay per visit etc