What Magazine Editors Duration From Freelance Writers
- Posted by Essays Blog in Essays Blog |
- October 16th, 2009 |
- Comments
Ask a bunch of aspiring magazine writers what editors are looking for when they read article queries and I’ll bet most of them answer, “good article ideas.”
Advantageously, kinda. What editors most deprivation to find in queries are good article ideas from writers who have an appealing edge over other writers. Contrary to what most beginning freelancers believe, that edge need not be writing endowment. A good many other qualities, any of which don’t surface in a query, make a writer important to an editor.
Ever hopeful yet sceptical, editors read queries for evidence that a writer not only has a relevant article idea but also one or more of the following qualities:
1. Research ability. Writers who can activity up little-known, highly interesting truths, hunt hard-to-find statistics and answer barbed factual questions can easily rack up magazine assignments as long as they also believe what makes a issue relevant to a certain publication’s readers. Build your queries around much material and you’ll presently have lots of editors as regular clients - especially if your submissions sail finished the fact-checking process.
2. First-hand knowledge. Pilot and flight instructor Mal Gormley found himself in demand as a writer for Business & Commercial Aviation, Aviation Week and other aviation magazines, which had all gotten burned by freelancers who were decent writers and researchers but who just didn’t believe flying. Hobbies, languages you communicate, where you live or have lived and family circumstances much as being a parent of twins can each sometimes add to your appeal and gain you assignments and repeat business from editors if you play your cards sagaciously in proposing and writing articles.
3. Access. Did you old to be a closet assistant in Hollywood or an executive coach for Fortune 100 CEOs? If you can validly claim different access to hard-to-reach groups of people, you may find it easier to land assignments. Debra Wallace, who has interviewed much film stars as Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Close and Lauren Bacall, says that the celebrity writing business is “bad and not for the faint of heart.” She advises novices to prove their ability to get access first at smaller, local magazines before approaching national publications.
4. Expertise. Professional degree credentials are not quite as valued by editors as many well-educated people expect. Regrettably, many experts cannot explain what they know in distance that capture the attention of magazine readers. But those who can compose in a popular communication have a great opportunity to endear themselves to editors.
5. Controversy. If you’re one of those people who have a knack for making people guard up and argue for or against what you’re expression, any editors consider that a worthy forte. What generally accepted views can you passionately &ndash and credibly &ndash dispute? Just don’t launch an attack that’s going to inspire death threats or make you Harijan when you deprivation to compose on other issues.
6. Dependability. Editors can’t know how dependable you are from a query, of course, but having had a weekly column or having written regularly for one publication strongly implies that you adhere to journalistic standards and meet deadlines. Because an editor has to get an issue finished on time no matter what, this quality counts heavily. “When I told editors that I’d written for Crain’s Chicago Business every week for fifteen years, it impressed the hell out of them,” says Joanne Cleaver. “‘Wow &ndash fifteen years’: their tone changed.” Once you demonstrate dependability to an editor, you’re in the running for repeat assignments.
7. Quickness. With their revengeful publication agenda, editors also duration writers who can bang out a readable article in next to no time. If you’ve ever had a writing job with daily deadlines, mention that as one of your qualifications. It might get you an opportunity to come to the rescue when another freelancer fails to deliver what was promised and an editor is looking at a hole in the issue about to close.
8. Catchy phrasing. Entertain those phrases that short enter the language, ostensibly from nowhere, much as “mommy belt,” “chick lit” or “alpha male.” Appear the ability to coin much concepts in your query, and an editor might believe “Cover account!”
Make one of these eight qualities your calling card, and you’ll find numerous magazine doors opening for you as a freelancer.