Freelance writers can decide between submitting a finished article or a query letter to an editor. These days most editors prefer a one-page query letter, usually emailed. But before you pitch any article, you must know what magazines publish your topic.
Article submissions
Top 10 Tips to AVOID in Writing a Query Letter
Your query letter helps you to propose an idea for an article that you are interested in writing. Be sure to avoid these 10 errors.
Top 10 Tips to AVOID in Writing an Email Query Letter
Email queries are the latest avenue for sending unsolicited submissions to a magazine office. As long as their writer’s guidelines allow it, most editors are willing to receive your email query letter into their inbox.
Top 10 Tips to Generate Repeat Clients and Writing Assignments
Strong relationships with clients tends to create long-term work and repeat jobs from the same clients. Here’s how you create those relationships.
10 Tips to Create Your Writer’s Resume Before Applying to Freelance Jobs
Not every freelance writing job requires you to submit a resume; however, many high-paying writing jobs do, especially in the fields of copywriting, public relations, technical writing, and professional magazine writing.
Top 10 Topics to Pitch to Shopping & Style Magazines
Writing for style and shopping magazines is one of the most lucrative niches for freelance writers. These magazines target high-net-worth and high profile individuals and celebrities. They serve as the ultimate shopping guides, offering the latest news in celebrity fashion, makeup, style and hair makeovers.
Top 10 Topics to Pitch to Men’s Interests Magazines
In terms of freelance writing, what would interest men the most? The way society has programmed men, they’re attracted to and gravitate towards certain topics, and these are summed up as Men’s Interests.
Top 10 Hot Topics to Pitch to Editors at Health Magazines
Health magazines focus on human health and fitness with an emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle. These magazines usually target individuals who want to prevent lifestyle diseases and medical conditions or who already have them but want to live a healthier lifestyle.
Top 10 Hot Topics to Pitch to Editors at Golf Magazines
Because of its huge market, a freelance writer can find several magazines and trade journals covering the addictive sport of golf. You can be a prolific golf writer/freelance writer tackling the following top 10 hot topics.
Writing the Query Letter
Negative or non-responses to query letters are why some writers give up and self-publish. Self-publishing is an entirely different process that is not without its own pitfalls, and is costly and the subject of another article
Writing the Knockout Query Letter: How to Catch a Book Editor’s Attention
A query letter is one or two pages written in the format of a formal business letter. It should be brief, and it should pique the interest of any publishing executive who reads it.
How to Write for a Dance Magazine
If you are a freelance writer who has an interest in dance, writing articles for specific publications offers a great opportunity for you to earn extra cash
How to Submit Your Article
Do you know the difference between simultaneous article submissions and multiple submissions? This is something that trips up new writers, and some more seasoned individuals.
Queries vs. Articles: Which is best?
Even if you do write the article first, however, that doesn’t mean that you should ignore the query process. Think of the article as your product — and a query letter as the marketing tool
How to Write News Articles for Your Local Newspaper: 4 Things Freelancers Must Know
The key to freelance journalism is to keep plugging away with quality work so that the editor will always have time for you.
How To Write Gardening Articles: Tips For Gardeners And Writers
Believe or not, my first published article – and one of the first things I ever had published – was about gardening. There’s a good demand for garden-related bits…. grow your own is back in fashion…. and it’s not too technical, so it’s a good place to get started. Here are a few tips to help you.
Surefire Ways To Get Your Magazine Article Queries Accepted
There are certain ways to get your magazine queries accepted. Read the following article to find out how.
Freelance Journalism – How to Pitch Ideas to Newspaper Editors
Freelance journalism is not only a way to open a door to a full time reporting job; many prefer the freedom that freedom that freelancing allows and also the fact that they can start without a college degree.
How to Write Gripping Subheadings to Add More Value to Your Article
Well-written subheadings help the reader understand at a glance what your article is about and what he/she can gain from each paragraph. Added to this, subheadings make your work easier to read because they organize it.
Writing for the Holidays: When to Write and Pitch Your Seasonal Articles to Magazines
Writing for holiday issues of magazines can be a little tricky. At least for me. I only think of ideas for articles and stories during the actual holiday. The problem with that is it’s way too late, or way too early, to then send it into the magazine.
Writing for Local News Outlets
A very easy way for writers living in rural areas to increase their monthly income is to act as a local correspondent for different social media content websites. Social media content sites, like Patch.com, Examiner.com, and Gather.com
Writing E-mails to Editors: How to Pitch, Correspond, and Present Yourself Professionally
Just because you’re working in a freelance creative profession instead of a corporate field, it doesn’t mean your e-mails should be sloppy or casual. E-mail messages should display your professionalism and build relationships with editors who will publish your work.
How to Write the Perfect Article Pitch
Submitting your article ideas to an editor might feel like an overwhelming task. I like to simplify it by thinking that writing is similar to selling a product. You’ve just got to know how to market it! If that feels overwhelming, don’t worry. Here are some tips on how to write article summaries
7 Reasons Why Editors Reject Excellent Articles
Sometimes the acceptance of a manuscript or an article seems a question of editorial accident and not a circumstance of clever salesmanship. Let’s suppose you’ve written an excellent story and sent it to an editor. The odds of acceptance are threatened by a variety of factors.
How to Condense Your Thoughts and Words to Write Better Articles
The hardest lesson aspiring writers need to learn is how to condense their writing– to not be afraid of leaving things out. Our thoughts and the language that we use to clothe them seem exceedingly important to us.
Surviving the First Six Months of Freelance Writing
In reality, anyone with writing skills can make it as a freelance writer, but it does take some time to learn the nature of the industry. Ultimately, being a freelance writer means the writer is in charge of his or her own career, and that means having to find steady employment.
Is it Soup Yet? How to Perfect Your Story Recipe for Chicken Soup for the Soul
Since I published my 900 word short story Dad’s Tomatoes in Chicken Soup for the Soul, I’ve been on live television, interviewed by news networks, had book signings and been offered speaking opportunities at expensive writers’ conferences
Getting the Best Mileage for Your Writing: How to Sell Your Article to Multiple Publications
A little rewiring of the basic components, a new perspective, even reworking your original pitch can propel your story from its humble local beginnings to the national and international stage.
How to Make Your Article SEO-Friendly Before Selling It to an Editor
Tired of getting your magazine submissions rejected, or worse, ignored, with no response? Learn to make every article SEO-friendly and well-researched with quotations and statistics that would pass the scrutiny of even the toughest fact checkers and you are likely to see more of your articles published.
How to Make Guest Blogging Worth Your Time
I have often heard writers ask if guest blog posting is worth it. Some people will say no, that it’s a waste of time. But I say it’s not – if you use your time wisely. Choose only blogs in your niche that can be profitable for you.
How to Kill a Writing Career
Learning to be a successful writer is kind of like being a gold miner back then. Most writers won’t make a ton of money with their writing. The people who do make the money are the ones who sell the endless ebooks and online courses that tell people how to – wait for it – make money with their writing.
The Golden Opportunity of Advertising Yourself for Free You’re Missing
Did you know each time you pitch, you have a golden opportunity to advertise yourself for free? It’s your bio- your verbal selfie, a few sentences about yourself that accompany your article and give editors and readers a glimpse of the person behind the product.
Getting the Most Mileage Out of Your Articles
As freelance writers we all know that the more mileage we can get out of an article or story, the better off we will be. It takes time to write an article or story and you want to be able to get the most for the time you’ve spent.
Can You Be a Freelance Food Writer and a Vegetarian?
Are you an aspiring food writer, but fear being vegetarian will hold you back? It definitely can be done, as one writer explains.
Disgusted and Rejected: A Freelance Writer’s Point of View on Unfair Publishing and Payment Practices
Not all editors acknowledge the receipt of a manuscript or query letter. If the writer, after waiting beyond the response time, inquires about his submission, then he risks incurring editorial wrath and his submission is returned, unread. This is an opinion piece on the unfair publishing and payment practices freelance writers often encounter in their efforts to get their work published.
Freelance Writing for Pregnancy and Baby Magazines
The parenting writing niche is ripe with opportunity. Here are some useful tips to successfully approach pregnancy, baby, and parenting publications.
Freelance Writing for Agriculture Trade Publications and Websites
Learn how to write for agriculture and farming trade publications and websites from a freelance writer who has been doing it for more than 12 years.
8 Tips to Maximize Your Freelance Writing Earnings
Want to earn more as a freelancer? Learn about eight proven ways to maximize your freelance writing earnings without sacrificing more time or quality.
How Introverted Freelance Writers Can Ask For Referrals
It’s common knowledge that referrals are an effective way for freelancers to get new business. After all, it’s easier to sell your services to a potential client if they know someone who is already satisfied with your work. Clients who come to us via referrals tend to be easier to close than those we approach through cold emails and job applications.
To My Editor: “Messing Up My Manuscript May Make Me Mad!”
As a general rule, editors do not and cannot print articles exactly as they are written. The chances are that the proofreader, correcting the proof, may have observed some unnoticed variation from the established publication’s house style. All manuscripts are subject to scrutiny and revision.
Attention Women Authors! Get Your Articles Noticed by Magazine Editors
Women writers will find there are many opportunities for magazine writers. There are magazines on most any topic you can think of.
Writing for Teen Magazines: What You Need to Know
If you want to get published in the teenage market, you have to be familiar with the slang that kids these days use. This, among other helpful tips.
Crafting the Perfect Pitch – Query Letters that Kill
If you are reading this then you are either looking for information on how to write a query letter, or your curiosity has been exited by the heading.
How to Pitch Your Story Idea or Script to Hollywood
Have a completed script or story idea you’d like to pitch? The best method is by calling the producers production office.
Are you missing the mark with your queries and cover letters?
If you want to be a busy working freelance writer, you can’t continually miss the mark with your queries. Here are some tips for hitting the target.
Freelance Writers: Don’t Waste Your Time with Query Letters
Virtually everything ever written about freelance writing and getting published says that you need to write query letters. It’s a waste of time, nowadays.
How to Write a Perfect Cover/Query Letter
The recipe for creating the perfect cover/query letter is simple: give editors and agents what they want, no more and no less. Read how inside.