Magazines

Depending on the size, it's harder to break into a magazine, but the financial rewards and distribution of your article will be greater if you do. It's usually better to query the editor before writing the piece, but if you have an article ready to go, don't hesitate to send it in. If you've published before, include a clip or two with your query so the editor can see your writing style. Keep your query to one or at most two pages, including your ideas for the article, the sources you will use and your credentials to write the piece.

Checking out the publication's guidelines before sending the query will greatly improve your chances. Condensed guidelines for many publications can be found in Writer's Market, the Writer's Handbook and at www.writersdigest.com. Many magazines have their own websites with guidelines on-line or available via e-mail. The market books are available in libraries or through Amazon.com, and include articles on query letters and manuscript format.

Submitting a 3,000 word piece to a magazine with a top limit of 1,500, or one that doesn't use that type of article, is pretty much a waste of your time and money and annoys the editor. Experienced free lance writers read several issues of a publication before querying or submitting. That's probably not practical for an occasional writer, but the better you can target your publication, the better your chance of getting in.

A list of possible regional and national magazine markets is below. Note that editors change jobs faster than PNPs, and hundreds of magazines fold or start up every year, so we can't guarantee the accuracy of the list--check before submitting.