Magazine Articles

On Oct 12, 2011, at 5:42 PM, DS. wrote:

I like the idea of marketing myself to schools.  However, I really interested in writing for local papers, and or, magazines.  Are we going to be offered information that directly pertains to that? 

Hey D,

I am going to include everyone in this reply, because it is a good question.  

I consciously skipped the “write for magazines” strategy in my book and class because 30 years ago, as I considered writing a book and researched how to do so, every first chapter said “write for magazines” to start.  I decided my book is on what is new, not what can be had anywhere else.  along those , lines, please google

how to write for magazines

and check out

http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles

But upon reflection, there are some things I might say, some new stuff in this fast changing field...

Forbes magazine announced in its current issue that not only is it gathering up the best of its writers, and the best of the internet independents and print in its hard copy magazine for mail distribution, , it will now accept articles from advertisers, which it will mark as such.  they call it AdVoice, I call it a mistake.  Both examples in the magazine are incoherent, the misbegotten result of an advertiser trying to write a story but not be an advocate for itself.

Me eldest daughter longed to be a writer, and made some good money in her tweens as a extra on the TV show bill Nye the science guy, which was sold to Disney.  she made AFTRA scale and then spent it taking summer seminars in high school at Northwestern and Cambridge.  Expensive, but her money, so I did not object.

Her high school year she interned at the Seattle Times, and managed a minor scandal when as an unpaid intern, the newspaper gave her a byline (in fact three).  the union came crashing in, and demanded she be paid scale for the work.  she then was.

She formed the goal early on of becoming a writer for the LA times.  She was warned off a journalism degree by all working journalists, so took a BA in Comparative REligion.  She learned italian to land a stinger position for AP in Rome for her last quarter of college.

She freelanced and worked and applied and finally got  hired at the LA times.  How happy she was walking through that fantastic lobby to her cubicle.  And then watched the staff dwindle, budgets cut, corners cut, and then the stress of a dinosaur dying.  

At the same time Gawker and others were recruiting her, so she is making much more money writing in essence, a magazine and newspaper articles, but for web sites.

So, what is my observation?  In my book I say compose on the internet for all to see, and it is a calling card and example of your work.

Use HARO, as mentioned in the transcripts and book, to get quoted in articles, and if you are worth quoting, ought you not be contributing articles?

So my reply is what is the goal of writing for magazines?  if it is money, Look at what forbes is doing, and wonder at the future.  if it is just exposure, well that is another thing.  if it is on the way to getting a book out, then my book covers that, examples thereof.