I
am always encouraging writers to seek opportunities to promote themselves. This time I took my own advice and promoted
myself with the penning of a four-page article for the September issue of The Writer. My piece was appropriately about the branding
of writers.
The
high you get from seeing your name in print is always a great feeling. For a moment, your words seem so concrete and
real, as if they’ve been validated by the mere fact they are to be part of a
prestigious magazine’s permanent record. The natural reaction is to shape the
news of your publication and to distribute the piece as widely as
possible. You want to feel the support and encouraging words of congratulations from those who know you the best and
longest.
The
first time I saw my name in print was in a letter to the editor of a comic
book. I was fairly young – in elementary
school. Then came my high school
newspaper, then college newspapers and letters-to-the-editor of daily
newspapers in New York City. I would go
on to write a book and pen articles for other publications, such as the IBPA’s Independent. I’m inspired to get more articles published
but I realize that every day I get to see my words impact others with my
blog. In a little over five years, I’ve
put out over 2,000 posts.
So, if you are to pursue freelance writing for magazines, where would you start?
So, if you are to pursue freelance writing for magazines, where would you start?
A
really good source for uncovering magazines, by genre, that accept freelance
submissions is Writer's Market. The annual edition
features detailed profiles of each magazine, along with contact info and
helpful submission tips.
Think
about what you want to write about and what you are going to be viewed as
qualified to write about. Magazines will
want to see great examples of your writing and many will aprreciate seeing you
were published elsewhere. They will want
to know how you are positioned to write about the topic you are querying them
on. Perhaps you earned a degree in this
area or had a particular experience or connection to the proposed subject. Or maybe your article idea is so unique,
wild, or cool that you excite the editor and entice her to follow her curiosity
and give you a shot.
Establishing
your portfolio is the hardest thing but once you do it, things get easier. These days one can begin with a blog, letters-to-the
editor, guest-posts on other blogs, articles for community newspapers,
newsletters, or non-profits, or pieces for an alumni publication.
The
best way to promote a writer is getting his or her writings published. One piece of writing promotes another. Check-out The
Writer this month on newsstands. I’m
in it!
To learn more on how to promote books, read
my greatest blog posts from the past five years and 2,000 posts:
2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity
Toolkit
2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit
2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit
Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit:
2013
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