Since I<92>ve been freelancing, friends, family, and people I interview ask me how I find the markets I work with. Well, they don<92>t ask me quite like that. It<92>s more like, <93>Do magazines come to you and ask for articles, or do you send them the article?<94>
The answer is actually complicated. First of all, the reason I say markets and not magazines is because I don<92>t write exclusively for magazines, and I don<92>t exclusively write articles. Over the past 18 months I<92>ve been freelancing full time, I<92>ve written a book, articles, press releases, and promotional copy, plus I<92>ve edited books. One of the first things I<92>ve learned that to be a successful freelancer, you need to diversify.
Secondly, the answer to whether the editors come to me or I go to them is yes and no. Once I had an editor come to me out of the blue with a job offer, but normally, I go searching for markets. I research all sorts of publications, and I send out one of two things: a query letter or a letter of introduction. The query letter is actually pitching a very specific idea for an article I<92>d like to write. The letter of introduction is to tell the editor, <93>hey, I<92>m out here, I<92>d like to write for you, and this is what I would bring to your magazine.<94> Those letters have allowed me to get my foot in the door at a lot of publications, and once I<92>ve proven myself, the editor starts contacting me with more work.
So how do I find the markets? In a number of ways:
Market Guides. The most popular market guide is Writer<92>s Market, which puts out a new edition every year and has a website that is updated more frequently. But lots of writing magazines publish market information each month. Various writers<92> organizations have market guides for members. Market guides provide editor names, addresses, websites, and general information on what the publication wants. The downside of market guides is editors are always changing and the information may be outdated.
Job Web Sites. There are a number of websites out there that specialize in job ads for writers and editors. Journalism Jobs, freelancingwriting.com, Deborah Ng<92>s website for writers, and Craig<92>s List are a few places I check regularly. Getting jobs from these sites isn<92>t easy. Thousands of writers are reading the same ads and applying. But you can<92>t know until you try. I<92>ve picked up a couple of jobs from those sites.
Newsletters. There are a bunch of writer newsletters out there that publish market information and job postings, as well as include some helpful articles for freelancers. Writersweekly.com and WritingforDollars.com are two such newsletters.
Web searches. I<92>d say at least half of my current client list has come from random web searching. One of my specialties is writing about construction, so I did a web search for construction magazines. There are hundreds, and I never would have heard of them had I not done a web search. Trust me, the magazines on the rack of Barnes and Noble or Graham<92>s is just the tip of the publication iceberg.
One magazine that is now a steady client was found as a fluke. I was searching for information on another idea I was working on, and this magazine popped up during my search. I looked at it a bit, and thought what the heck, and emailed the editor my letter of introduction. A half hour later, she called me and we chatted a bit. The next day, she offered me an assignment. That was in July, and as soon as I finish this article, I<92>ll be putting the final touches on my sixth assignment for that publication.
Networking. I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of networking. Find other writers through in-person or on-line groups. Join writer organizations, and then make use of their message boards. I got my long-standing editing job through a writer listserv, when one person put out a call for editors. The clients I didn<92>t find through web searching I initially learned about via networking.
The answer is actually complicated. First of all, the reason I say markets and not magazines is because I don<92>t write exclusively for magazines, and I don<92>t exclusively write articles. Over the past 18 months I<92>ve been freelancing full time, I<92>ve written a book, articles, press releases, and promotional copy, plus I<92>ve edited books. One of the first things I<92>ve learned that to be a successful freelancer, you need to diversify.
Secondly, the answer to whether the editors come to me or I go to them is yes and no. Once I had an editor come to me out of the blue with a job offer, but normally, I go searching for markets. I research all sorts of publications, and I send out one of two things: a query letter or a letter of introduction. The query letter is actually pitching a very specific idea for an article I<92>d like to write. The letter of introduction is to tell the editor, <93>hey, I<92>m out here, I<92>d like to write for you, and this is what I would bring to your magazine.<94> Those letters have allowed me to get my foot in the door at a lot of publications, and once I<92>ve proven myself, the editor starts contacting me with more work.
So how do I find the markets? In a number of ways:
Market Guides. The most popular market guide is Writer<92>s Market, which puts out a new edition every year and has a website that is updated more frequently. But lots of writing magazines publish market information each month. Various writers<92> organizations have market guides for members. Market guides provide editor names, addresses, websites, and general information on what the publication wants. The downside of market guides is editors are always changing and the information may be outdated.
Job Web Sites. There are a number of websites out there that specialize in job ads for writers and editors. Journalism Jobs, freelancingwriting.com, Deborah Ng<92>s website for writers, and Craig<92>s List are a few places I check regularly. Getting jobs from these sites isn<92>t easy. Thousands of writers are reading the same ads and applying. But you can<92>t know until you try. I<92>ve picked up a couple of jobs from those sites.
Newsletters. There are a bunch of writer newsletters out there that publish market information and job postings, as well as include some helpful articles for freelancers. Writersweekly.com and WritingforDollars.com are two such newsletters.
Web searches. I<92>d say at least half of my current client list has come from random web searching. One of my specialties is writing about construction, so I did a web search for construction magazines. There are hundreds, and I never would have heard of them had I not done a web search. Trust me, the magazines on the rack of Barnes and Noble or Graham<92>s is just the tip of the publication iceberg.
One magazine that is now a steady client was found as a fluke. I was searching for information on another idea I was working on, and this magazine popped up during my search. I looked at it a bit, and thought what the heck, and emailed the editor my letter of introduction. A half hour later, she called me and we chatted a bit. The next day, she offered me an assignment. That was in July, and as soon as I finish this article, I<92>ll be putting the final touches on my sixth assignment for that publication.
Networking. I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of networking. Find other writers through in-person or on-line groups. Join writer organizations, and then make use of their message boards. I got my long-standing editing job through a writer listserv, when one person put out a call for editors. The clients I didn<92>t find through web searching I initially learned about via networking.
