Writing for Newspapers/Magazines/Websites to earn money

patwa_2

Hi all.

I've frequently been told that I'm a good writer, that when I get into the flow of it I can become quite intense, passionate and a good read. That's if I have a topic to write about, mind you - I'm not good at just picking topics out of the blue.

Anyway, oddly enough I was reading a fanfiction where a student was writing articles for a magazine/newspaper (under a false name) for money, he would receive a monthly cheque for his work. And I thought, why not me? And why not take it online too?

But I haven't a clue how to get started, as I'm not good with 'getting the ball rolling'. I'm fine once I know what I'm expected to write, a topic or story, but I have no idea about how to approach people about this, nor whom to approach, and I'd much rather do it remotely than through formal interviews.

If anyone has an idea of how to get this started, I'd be grateful. Not sure if you'd agree, but I think there is an opportunity here, not only to do something I'd enjoy, but to share it with the rest of the world and also earn something for my time and effort.

Thanks.

bluemoon_3

Get yourself a copy of the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook - your library may have it.

There are a lot of resources online if you google - first step, I'd suggest, would be to brainstorm topics you know a lot about/have personal experience of/are interested in finding out more about. After that, see if you can think of possible articles within those subjects.

Good luck.

Edited To Add: BTW, I believe most article/short fiction writers are freelance. It's just a case of writing the stuff, pitching the idea/sending it out, and when it comes back send it out again until it finds a place. Then do it all over again with another piece. So, keep a spreadsheet.

If you're more interested in a 'job' - try your local paper. I don't know much about this route, but I think they often like local event coverage (the primary school fayre, etc). It might be worth looking into that.

squeaky

Hi patwa

I'm going to try this one on the I Wanna (buy it or do it) Board for you, as I think it might be a better place.

good luck

patwa_2

Thanks, wherever you feel is the best place to put this is fine by me.

I assume the yearbook is some kind of directory of magazines/papers looking for writers?

The newspaper would be a good idea, but I don't think actually covering local events would be best - being partially sighted I don't think I'd be that much up to travelling around, let alone getting the scoop on events - I was more thinking of topical articles or even informative ones like they have in the newspapers re: finance, technology, etc, or evn the articles on some of the bigger websites, ZDNet, Anandtech, etc.

bluemoon_3

patwa wrote:

I assume the yearbook is some kind of directory of magazines/papers looking for writers?

Almost. The publications listed may not be actively searching for writers (in fact, they're unlikely to be looking for writers at all - as far as I know, they buy articles on a one-by-one basis. They do have "staff writers" but these will tend to be in-house).

It's a directory of magazines, papers, agents, publishers, etc., and also includes details on: if they accept unsolicited submissions, their preferred submission methods (e.g. some want the entire article sent up front, others just want a letter), their pay rates and what kind of wordcount they are looking for.

It usually has useful, concise articles offering advice on how to submit your work.

The most recent editions will almost certainly have articles about e-publishing, although they are unlikely to have listings of websites you can submit to. However, there are a number of 'writer's markets' type websites that should give you this information. I can't recommend any personally, as I don't write non-fiction.

You could always send a quick email to any websites you fancy to see if they are accepting submissions.

Edited to Add: There are some nice advice articles here.

patwa_2

Thanks, I might give the second idea a go first i.e dropping an e-mail to some sites that I usually browse through for articles to see if they need/would accept more articles.

What's the best way to ask about payment, I mean how would you phrase it? Asking "would you be looking for writers and if so please could you advise of your typical rates" just seems wrong somehow.

surfsister

you'll probably laugh at this but some ladies mags eg chat/love it etc pay yp to £100 for tips with photos
eg a yoghurt pot reused as a plant pot!!!

some are ridiculous and get £60

worth a try

think the addies are in the writers and artist yearbook you can get from the library.

good luck

I did a writing course once and they said get on with the writing about something you have a passion for and the kids market is the easiest to crack

bluemoon_3

patwa wrote:

What's the best way to ask about payment, I mean how would you phrase it? Asking "would you be looking for writers and if so please could you advise of your typical rates" just seems wrong somehow.

Get a second opinion first, but I would suggest the following:

Check the website from head-to-toe looking for "submission guidelines". Sometimes they hide them in the "Contact Us" section, but they could be anywhere. The pay rates will be with them, if they are on the website at all.

This is an example of what submission guidelines look like - this is for Tor Books, a big fantasy publisher.

If you have no luck, email them and ask if they are accepting article submissions at present, and if so, can they send you the submission guidelines and typical pay rates.

The submission guidelines should cover whether they want paper, disk or email submissions. If email, they'll probably specify if they want it sent in the body of the email or as an attachment. If it's an attachment, they may specify Microsoft Word, and the format (eg, double-spaced, 1 inch margins), etc.

It's probably best if you see if you can find advice on the internet or from a good book (I'm dragging this all up from memory from when I looked into it a couple of years ago). As long as you present yourself professionally, you should be alright. There are lots of scare stories about how awful editors are, but the couple who've responded to me about submissions were lovely (maybe I was lucky!), but I was very careful about submitting my work exactly as they asked for it.

Websites may be more casual - I'm not sure, but I would suggest approaching them formally, and letting their response set the tone of your subsequent emails.

I'm not sure how much more I can help - hopefully someone with some personal experience will post. If not, go get a good book on article writing or get googling - you should find out all you need to know. The non-fiction market is huge compared to the fiction market, and if you persevere you should get there in the end. Best of luck.